Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill aimed at keeping veterinarians in rural Iowa

Veterinarians who commit to practicing in rural Iowa can get some student debt relief under a proposal Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Wednesday.

The Iowa legislature unanimously approved the Rural Veterinary Loan Repayment program before they adjourned on Sunday.The $300,000 effort will fund five awards to veterinarians who commit to serving in vet shortage areas or rural parts of the state for at least four years, relieving up to $15,000 a year in debt totaling upwards of $60,000 collectively.

Dr. Dan Grooms, the dean of Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, said other states have similar programs and this will keep Iowa more competitive as graduating students look to their first jobs. Many of the jobs in rural parts of America pay less, he said, so some debt forgiveness is an incentive for people to take those positions.

“If we can do things that will allow them to offset the cost of education through a student loan repayment program then they tell us they are more likely—or will consider—going to an underserved area where the salary may be less than Des Moines or Iowa City," Grooms said. About 30% of the 150 who graduate from his student body stay in Iowa.

The average debt for ISU students is about $145,000, or double most starting salaries, Grooms noted. The national average is about $176,000.

Austin Ashbacher, who graduated Iowa State's veterinary school in May, is poised to benefit: he's saddled with $120,000-130,000 in loans and he's native to Iowa, which is a priority of the of loan repayment program.

He has a job locked in to practice in Cherokee, where there's a population of about 4,900.

“When I’m looking ten years of..something in the range of $1,200-1,300 a month just in loan payments—that’s huge," Ashbacher said of the program.

There’s a competitive federal loan repayment program available, too. Iowa's initiative creates a a Rural Veterinary Care Trust Fund that will be administered by the College Student Aid Commission. The commission has the authority to accept gifts, grants and other private donations to fund more awards.

“It's one more attractive tool in the toolbox to keep folks in those rural areas," Grooms said.