NC State guarantees vet school seats to undergrads who shadow equine practitioners for 10 weeksMinnesota Urolith Center analyzed its 2 millionth stone sample after 45 years of Hill's fundingMissouri vet school offers clinical pathology residents a concurrent Master of Education degreeAAHA survey finds 86% of DVMs adjust treatment plans weekly over client cost concernsVet Intel acquires Antelligence, consolidating veterinary benchmarking data providersAAHA published separate canine diabetes guidelines for the first timeEstrus heifer platelets doubled embryo hatching rate in lab IVF trialMost practices sit on client data they never open. Here's the revenue left behind.NC State guarantees vet school seats to undergrads who shadow equine practitioners for 10 weeksMinnesota Urolith Center analyzed its 2 millionth stone sample after 45 years of Hill's fundingMissouri vet school offers clinical pathology residents a concurrent Master of Education degreeAAHA survey finds 86% of DVMs adjust treatment plans weekly over client cost concernsVet Intel acquires Antelligence, consolidating veterinary benchmarking data providersAAHA published separate canine diabetes guidelines for the first timeEstrus heifer platelets doubled embryo hatching rate in lab IVF trialMost practices sit on client data they never open. Here's the revenue left behind.
The Exam RoomBy The VeterinaryPracticeNow Desk3 min readSeptember 9, 2026
NC State guarantees vet school seats to undergrads who shadow equine practitioners for 10 weeks
The program, created in 2024, addresses a documented shortage: fewer than 4% of veterinary students nationwide choose equine medicine.
NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine created the Equine Scholars Program in 2024 in partnership with NC A&T State University and the University of Mount Olive. The program guarantees DVM class seats to undergraduates who meet admissions criteria, complete a competitive selection process, and shadow equine veterinarians for 10 weeks.
What NC State built
Six students from the first cohort entered NC State's Class of 2030 this fall: Nasya Burgess from NC A&T, Ana Church from the now-closed St. Andrews University, and Lexa McDermott, Austen Stinson-Miller, Kathryn Healy, and Gracie Towles from NC State. The second cohort of six scholars and two alternates spent the summer in field placements and are anticipated to enter the Class of 2031.
Dr. Katie Sheats, associate dean and director of Professional Education and Admissions, said the number of interested students who were accepted varied from year to year before the program. The program tries to ensure that some students in every DVM class have guaranteed interest in equine veterinary medicine, she said.
The program is modeled after NC State's Food Animal Scholars initiative. Students are paired with mentors at their undergraduate schools, at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and in private practice.
The shortage this addresses
Fewer than 4% of veterinary students nationwide choose equine medicine. The equine industry has a $3.4 billion impact on North Carolina's economy, according to the NC Horse Council.
The traditional path asks undergraduates to invest years of pre-vet coursework and application prep without knowing whether they'll be admitted, then choose a specialty after matriculation when debt and career indecision are highest. NC State's model reverses that sequence. Students commit to equine early, complete structured shadowing, and the seat is theirs if they meet admissions standards.
Peters, from Raleigh, North Carolina, completed her second internship at Peterson in Florida. "I learned more about myself and my aspirations in the veterinary field in the past two summers than ever before," she said. "Through my summer experience, I had the opportunity to work hands-on in major thoroughbred operations, which continued to spark my passion for equine sports medicine and orthopedics."
Hilary Burns, from Glens Falls, New York, also interned at Peterson in Florida. "Every member of the team, both veterinarians and other staff, took time to teach and showed a genuine interest in taking time for us to learn," she said. "I had opportunities to help with embryo flushes and transfers, breeding mares, observing follicle aspirations and so much more."
Other summer placements included Neuse River Equine Hospital in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Peterson Smith Equine Hospital - Advanced Fertility Center. The scholars present their summer experiences at the College of Veterinary Medicine on September 30.
What this changes for equine practices
The program guarantees seats to students who meet the criteria each year, and the two alternates can still enter through the normal application route. Attrition, specialty shifts, and geographic distribution all apply once students graduate.
Sheats said the number of equine-interested students admitted varied from year to year before the program. The program now guarantees that some students in every DVM class have interest in equine veterinary medicine. Whether it produces more practicing equine vets in North Carolina five years out, or whether it front-loads a commitment that would have happened anyway through the traditional admissions path, remains to be seen.
An undergraduate who wants equine and is willing to commit before applying gets certainty. One who wants to keep options open through vet school takes the traditional path and its traditional risk.
The pipeline model NC State is running
NC State also runs the Randall B. Terry Jr. Rural Veterinary Scholars Program, which supported seven DVM students in rural practice internships this summer. The college now has three pipeline programs targeting documented shortages: food animal, equine, and rural mixed practice.
If the model works, measured by whether guaranteed-seat students graduate, practice equine, and stay in it, other schools with regional shortages in high-need specialties will likely copy it. The application period for the Class of 2027 cohort opens November 1.
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