Sounding the alarm If Vedder's assessment seems exaggerated, consider Dr. Andrea Honigmann, who lives paycheck to paycheck on what she deems
above-average earnings working as an associate at a suburban Philadelphia small-animal practice. Graduating from Iowa State
University in 2006 nearly $300,000 in debt, she describes her $1,670 monthly loan payments as "crippling." 
Table 1
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"I knew I would be saddled with loans, but I don't think I realized how this would affect me once I got married. My debt will
restrict how many children I can have," she says.
That reality manifests in a nine-page paper authored by James F. Wilson, DVM, JD and University of Pennsylvania School of
Veterinary Medicine (Penn) adjunct professor. The work, titled "Inviting the Elephant into the Room" has incited traveling
dialogue among the profession's leaders, with meetings at January's North American Veterinary Conference, the AVMA show in
July, and this month's American Animal Hospital Association convention. Wilson, who's donated hundreds of hours to researching the numbers, says it's no secret that the current veterinary-school
model is "broken." Yet to identify the crisis, he says it's impact must be recognized by a critical mass, and only then will
leaders develop an action plan. The task is daunting. Fixing the problem is like trying to save Social Security, tackle global warming or take on the nation's
health-care system, he says. 
Table 2: Annual Average Private Practice and Internship Salaries and Indebtedness in Nominal Dollars (not adjusted for inflation)
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"No one wants to face this because it's too disheartening, it's political and there are no easy, clear solutions," Wilson
says. "That's why this is so frustrating, I think. The bottom line is the return on investment is a lousy one, and it's now
being recognized. It is not what it used to be for veterinary medical students."
That change will lead to a drop in the quality of applicants, he adds. "I think it's already happening. Part of the reason we have 80 percent women in vet school is buried in this issue," Wilson
says. Popular thought indicates the gender shift largely relates to economics as veterinarians make up one of the lowest paid medical
groups, the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues reports. Gender studies show women traditionally are not as
interested in the bottom line, which has lured men to more lucrative professions. Dr. Michael Chaddock, spokesman for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), acknowledges the demographic
shift and admits applicant numbers are flat. "It's discouraging. We want to be sure we're competing with other health professions to get the brightest students," he says.
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