Only the best for Fluffy and Scruffy

"We're becoming aware that we have rural areas that are not well served because we just don't have enough people there," says Heider.

Even the federal government has stepped in. President Bush in December signed the National Veterinary Medical Service Act, which provides student loan repayments to recent veterinary grads if they agree to work in rural regions and inner-city areas.

Not only is there a shift in professional directions, but students entering veterinary school are not all rooted in the sciences. Some come from hotel and restaurant management, communications, and even theater.

"I was considering acting in New York, but then I saw 50-year-old men waiting tables," says fourth-year student Matt Steinberg. "If I'm going to work, I'd rather be doing something I love. This is good, meaningful work."

Mr. Steinberg and a handful of other students also have an entrepreneurial spirit. They have started "business clubs," inviting veterinary management speakers to come in and teach students about the business aspect. Since only one business class is required to graduate, several students feel they aren't being adequately prepare to run their own practice some day.

"It's a big issue at vet schools across the country," says Steinberg. "A lot of students become private practitioners and they own their own business. There are some classes that tell you a little bit, but I feel like we aren't getting prepared."

Just a few decades ago, Steinberg would have been in the majority. But fewer men are entering this field. Close to 75 percent of entering students today are women, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

It's a turnaround from 50 years ago, when schools actually made it unpleasant for women, says Angie Warner, a veterinarian and associate dean for academic affairs at Tufts.

"But by the time I got out of college in the 1960s, it had opened up a great deal, and now the floodgates are open. It's a caregiving profession and it's very attractive to women," says Dr. Warner.

It's also a good fit for those who love the great outdoors. "My mom spent a lot of time trying to teach us about the natural world and ecology," says Gately Ross, a fourth-year student during her rotation in the wildlife clinic. And I really think that played a big role in that."

Powers says after graduation she sees herself most likely working with small animals in a private practice with a good training program. Growing up in upstate New York, she says, she learned to love nurturing cats and dogs. But working as a vet encompasses more than just a love of animals, she says.

"Pet owners today are looking for someone they feel comfortable with," says Powers. "A big myth is that people go into veterinary medicine because they love animals and don't want to deal with people. Well, the owner is their advocate and you're dealing with a lot with people. Owners rely on their pets and they are more willing to spend or do anything to make their animals happy because it makes them happy."

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