Connecting Workforce Shortages, Costs, and Access to Care

In a column for Today’s Veterinary Business, Mark Cushing examines how veterinary workforce shortages, rising costs, and access to care are intertwined rather than isolated challenges.

Cushing traces the debate over whether a true veterinarian shortage exists and how economic pressures shape both pricing and availability of services. Drawing on data from PetSmart Charities, Gallup, and long-standing economic principles, he outlines how reduced supply, fixed practice costs, and uneven demand contribute to higher prices and fewer options for pet owners, particularly those with lower incomes.

He also explores growing tension around the “spectrum of care” concept and the profession’s struggle to reconcile gold-standard medicine with real-world financial constraints. Regulatory responses to telemedicine, physician assistants for veterinarians, and evolving care models are presented as part of a broader policy conversation rather than stand-alone issues.

Throughout the piece, Cushing raises questions about how state boards, professional associations, and policymakers define standards of care and how those definitions affect veterinarians’ ability to adapt to changing economic and social realities.