When students interested in veterinary medicine arrive at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) campus, it isn’t long before they’re working with animals and examining specimens in labs.

“They are in the barns week two of their freshman year—we get them busy right away,” says Leslie Lekatz, associate professor and advisor to the Pre Vet Club. “We do lots of hands-on things. Just this week alone, I did two large animal dissections for my classes. We dissected a cow, and we dissected a horse.”

Whether administering vaccinations, tail docking, hoof trimming, or shearing, students play a key role in the care and management of the campus’ teaching animals. It’s an experience that sets UMC apart and bolsters its students’ future veterinary school applications. UMC students also benefit from the college’s close relationship with another U of M school.

UMC has a partnership with the U’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in St. Paul that encourages Crookston students to apply for admission to its Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program through the Veterinary Food Animal Scholars Track (VetFAST) program.

“UMC has a strong Animal Science program, and we had lots of interest from students and faculty to make a connection with the Crookston campus,” says Karen Nelson, director of admissions for CVM. “As we looked into it, we thought that it made great sense and has been a strong partnership ever since.”

VetFAST offers early assurance to the DVM program, meaning if students accepted into the program complete their prerequisites and continue their remaining undergraduate courses with strong academic standing, a place will be held in the DVM program once they are ready. This track allows students to complete their undergraduate and DVM degrees in seven years instead of eight. 

Two decades ago, CVM developed the VetFAST program to help address a nationwide shortage of food animal veterinarians. This includes clinicians working directly with producers and their animals as well as veterinary positions in state and federal agencies focused on food safety and disease management. 

Many of UMC’s pre-veterinary students come from rural and livestock production backgrounds and have seen the challenges faced by food animal veterinarians firsthand. 

“They've witnessed their families having to make vet calls in the middle of the night—knowing how stressed and challenged these food animal veterinarians are,” Lekatz says. “They know there's a shortage. They want to become large animal veterinarians to fill that need.”

Since the program’s inception, 86 VetFAST students have graduated from CVM, with seven being alumni of UMC. 

Among them is Dr. Craig Gapinski, ’19 DVM, who was drawn to the Crookston campus and the experiential learning opportunities it provided. Growing up on a farm, he was interested in a career that would keep him involved in agriculture, particularly working with livestock.

“Attending UMC proved valuable in a quite few different ways,” Gapinski says. “To name a few, it taught us important handling skills and some clinical skills. It helped connect the classroom to real situations and scenarios, which at least for me, helps retain information and knowledge.  And it also brought something fun to look forward to rather than just being stuck within a classroom.”

Now, Gapinski works as a self-employed veterinarian in rural Minnesota, with a caseload that he estimates is about 90 percent food animals. He also occasionally does relief work for small animal veterinary practices. 

“I mainly work with beef cattle in various segments and a little bit of dairy,” he says. “I provide regular herd work such as pregnancy checking, vaccination, and implanting, as well as some regulatory work at different sales barns in central and northern Minnesota.”

The veterinary care shortage still persists in rural communities across the U.S., but the VetFAST program continues to attract a growing number of UMC students looking to fill these gaps. Currently, 17 students are enrolled in VetFAST, five of which are UMC alums. 

Students accepted into VetFAST gain access to mentorship from CVM faculty and DVM students, externships and other work opportunities, and scholarships. In addition to these benefits, Lekatz says early acceptance to the DVM program—in some cases, after completing two semesters of UMN coursework—helps lessen some of the pressure and anxiety that often accompany the incredibly competitive process of applying to veterinary school. 

“What I hear back from the students is it takes that stress off,” she adds. “Knowing that they have a seat at the Twin Cities campus is a huge stress reliever.”

The VetFAST program is open to U of M students enrolled in the following degree programs:

• Animal Science at the University of Minnesota Crookston
• Biology at the University of Minnesota Morris
• Animal Science at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• New: Health Science at the University of Minnesota–Rochester

For additional eligibility requirements and program information, visit the VetFAST website.