Epidemiological study of the characteristics of veterinarians who pursue a research career: part I

Creating the Next Generation of Evidence-Based Veterinary Practitioners and Researchers: What are the Options for Globally Diverse Veterinary Curricula?

Veterinary educators strive to prepare graduates for a variety of career options with the skills and knowledge to use and contribute to research as part of their lifelong practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). In the veterinary curriculum, students should receive a grounding in research and EBVM, as well as have the opportunity to consider research as a career. Seeing a lack of a cohesive body of information that identified the options and the challenges inherent to embedding such training in veterinary curricula, an international group was formed with the goal of synthesizing evidence to help curriculum designers, course leaders, and teachers implement educational approaches that will inspire future researchers and produce evidence-based practitioners. This article presents a literature review of the rationale, issues, and options for research and EBVM in veterinary curricula. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 key stakeholders across the eight Council for International Veterinary Medical Education (CIVME) regions. Emergent themes from the literature and interviews for including research and EBVM skills into the curriculum included societal need, career development, and skills important to clinical professional life. Approaches included compulsory as well as optional learning opportunities. Barriers to incorporating these skills into the curriculum were grouped into student and faculty-/staff-related issues, time constraints in the curriculum, and financial barriers. Having motivated faculty and contextualizing the teaching were considered important to engage students. The information has been summarized in an online "toolbox" that is freely available for educators to inform curriculum development.

Predicting career sector intent and the theory of planned behaviour: survey findings from Australian veterinary science students

Background

Producing graduates for a breadth of sectors is a priority for veterinary science programs. Undergraduate career intentions represent de-facto ‘outcome’ measures of admissions policy and curricula design, as intentions are strong predictors of eventual behaviour. Informed by Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour, this study aimed to identify if contextually relevant attitudes and self-ratings affect student intentions for veterinary career sectors.

Results

Survey responses from 844 students enrolled in five Australian veterinary programs in 2014 were analysed. Intention was measured for biomedical research/academia, industry, laboratory animal medicine, public health/government/diagnostic laboratory services, mixed practice, intensive animal production, companion animal practice, not work in the veterinary profession, and business/entrepreneurship. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis enabled comparison of explanation of variance in intent by demographics, animal handling experience, species preference, and attitudes to aspects of veterinary work. Career sector intentions were highest for mixed or companion animal clinical practice, then business/entrepreneurship, then non-clinical sectors. Overall, intent was explained to a greater extent by species preferences than by animal experience, attitudes to aspects of veterinary work and demographics (with the exception of mixed practice intent) with gender having no significant effect. Several variables exerted negative effects on career intent for less popular career sectors.

Conclusion

Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) provides a framework to increase understanding of and predict career sector intentions. Incorporation of attitude and self-efficacy measures in our study revealed preference for species types contributes greatly to career sector intentions for veterinary students, particularly for the more popular practice based sectors. Importantly, specific species preferences and other attitudes can have a negative effect on intent for non-aligned veterinary sectors. Further research is required to identify additional attitudes and/or beliefs to better explain variance in intent for less popular career sectors. Veterinary admissions processes may benefit from utilising the TPB framework. Identified effects revealed by this study may stimulate innovation in marketing, recruitment, admissions and curricular design, such as timing and role modelling, to utilise positive effects and mitigate against negative effects identified for sectors requiring greater representation of career intent in the student body.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-018-1725-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introducing scientific training into the veterinary curriculum of the University of Helsinki

In Finland, practical and professional skills have been emphasized in the veterinary medical curriculum at the cost of veterinary research education, which has raised concerns. The Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH) established a summer school in 2000 during which veterinary students can conduct their graduation projects and improve their research training. The immediate aim is to introduce students to scientific research in a real research environment, improving their methodological and scientific problem-solving skills. The ultimate goal of the program is to better prepare students to enter the scientific field upon graduation and to ensure an adequate supply of veterinary scientists in Finland in the future. Students who complete the entire summer-school program earn 28 credits, corresponding to 8% of the veterinary curriculum. The students are selected through an application procedure based on scientific interest, general motivation, and knowledge; they work full-time in June, July, and August taking courses and conducting research in the DFEH research groups. The main emphasis is on practical laboratory work and scientific writing. Teaching and supervision are carried out by personal supervisors and DFEH academic staff. Feedback from students over the years indicates that students became inspired by their research problems, view experimental work positively, and find the analysis and discussion of their own results interesting. As a result, of the 58 students who have completed the program thus far, 9 (16%) are currently enrolled in PhD programs at the DFEH. It appears that organizing supervised research training within the veterinary curriculum increases veterinary students' interest in scientific work.

Applicant expectations and decision factors for jobs and careers in food-supply veterinary medicine

This article examines the job expectations of applicants as reported by recruiters interviewing food-supply veterinary medicine (FSVM) candidates and the career-choice decision factors used by year 3 and 4 veterinary students pursuing careers in FSVM. The responses of 1,047 veterinary recruiters and 270 year 3 and 4 students with a food-supply focus from 32 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada were examined. Recruiters were asked to report the two most important job factors applicants took into account when deciding to accept an offer; students were asked the two most important reasons for choosing a career in FSVM and the two most important benefits of working as a food-supply veterinarian. Recruiters reported that high salaries and good benefits are the two most important decision factors. Interest in the food-animal career area and a desire for a rural, outdoor lifestyle were the top reasons students gave for choosing an FSVM career. Students saw the enjoyment of working with and helping producers and food animals as the most important benefits of a career in FSVM.

Future directions in training veterinarians for careers in toxicological pathology in the United Kingdom

There is currently a global shortage of veterinary pathologists in all sectors of the discipline, and recruitment of toxicological pathologists is a particular problem for the pharmaceutical industry. Efforts to encourage veterinarians to consider alternative career paths to general practice must start at the undergraduate level, with provision of structured career guidance and strong role models from pathology and research disciplines. It is also imperative that both the importance of biomedical research and the role of animal models be clearly understood by both university staff and undergraduates. Traditionally, much post-graduate training in toxicological pathology is done "on the job" in the United Kingdom, but completion of a residency and/or PhD program is recognized as a good foundation for a career in industry and for successful completion of professional pathology examinations. New models of residency training in veterinary pathology must be considered in the United Kingdom to enable a more tailored approach to training toward specific career goals. A modular approach to residency training would allow core skills to be maintained, while additional training would target specific training requirements in toxicological pathology. Exposure to laboratory-animal pathology, toxicology, research methodology, and management skills would all be of benefit as an introduction to a career in toxicological pathology. However, long-term funding for UK residencies remains a problem that must be resolved if future recruitment needs in veterinary pathology are to be met.