College of Veterinary Medicine announces new Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas awards
From left: Dr. Elizabeth Davis; first-year students Todd Paisley, Brad Hill, Miles Stum, Madison Bruna, Samantha Woods and Gracie Becker; Drs. Brad White and Robert Larson.
Six students in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University have been chosen for the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas, or VTPRK, a loan forgiveness program funded by the state of Kansas.
The new recipients are first-year veterinary students Gracie Becker, Burlington; Madison Bruna, Barnes; Brad Hill, Beloit; Todd Paisley, Manhattan; Miles Stum, Nickerson; and Samantha Woods, Cimarron.
“The Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas serves an important role in maintaining high standards of veterinary care for livestock patients in the state of Kansas, particularly in rural locations and underserved parts of the state,” said Dr. Elizabeth Davis, interim dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We congratulate the newest members of this training program and look forward to seeing them develop into future leaders in the veterinary profession.”
The Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas was originally passed by the state Legislature in 2006. The bill was passed as a financial incentive to provide rural areas of Kansas with veterinarian services for livestock and based on program success it was enhanced in 2022 (HB 2605). The primary objective of the program is aimed at increasing the availability of livestock veterinary care in rural Kansas. Currently, upon completion of their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, each student is required to work at a full-time veterinary practice in one of 92 Kansas counties with fewer than 40,000 residents. For each year the student works in rural Kansas, up to $25,000 per year of qualifying students' loans are forgiven over a period of four years.
As of January 2026, 108 students have been accepted into the VTPRK program, 40 males and 68 females. Ninety-five percent of graduates are fulfilling or have met their loan obligation through service in a Kansas rural county. Ninety-four percent of previous graduates who completed their four-year obligation remain in a qualifying county, based on most recent data. Seventy-five graduates are working in Kansas counties. Graduates who do not fulfill service requirements must repay the loan. Repaid funds are reinvested through the addition of students to the program.
An important aspect of the program involves faculty mentorship for students and networking collaboration with other VTPRK students and alumni of the program. Monthly meetings provide an opportunity for students to meet one another and discuss issues that impact livestock practice. A reunion at the College of Veterinary Medicine Annual Conference for Veterinarians each spring provides an opportunity to for students and alumni to reconnect while in the Manhattan community. Part of the required program training includes completion of a Food Animal Veterinary Certificate. VTPRK students also spend time during the summer and breaks in the academic year learning about foreign-animal disease preparedness, natural disaster response, rural sociology, small business management and public health. During their clinical year, they will spend three weeks in a rural veterinary practice, applying the principles of small business management to rural veterinary practice.
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