LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To identify factors that may have influenced veterinarians' decisions to not pursue careers in clinical academic veterinary medicine. SAMPLE 363 board-certified veterinarians. PROCEDURES An online survey, open from July 7 to July 21, 2015, was used to gather data from board-certified veterinarians who were members of ≥ 1 of the 22 specialty organizations recognized by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties of the AVMA. Responses from those who reported never to have held an academic appointment were included in the study. Results were compiled and analyzed by gender and clinical discipline. RESULTS Approximately 10,000 board-certified veterinarians were solicited to participate in the survey, and 1,314 (13.1%) responded. Among those, 363 (27.6%) reported never having held an academic position. Females more commonly reported no interest in teaching (44/185 [23.8%]) and disagreement with the statement that compensation in academic medicine was too low (39/164 [23.8%]), compared with responses by males (24/158 [15.2%] and 22/148 [14.9%], respectively). The strongest magnitude of interrater agreement was for the paired survey statements regarding too much bureaucracy and excessive expectation for committee and administrative work (weighted κ, 0.569). CONCLUSIONS Many factors contribute to veterinarians' decisions about whether to pursue careers in academic medicine, and results indicated that some factors may vary depending on gender or clinical discipline. Recognition of these factors may help guide academic leaders in devising strategies and programs to enhance veterinarians' interest in clinical academic medicine careers.