Evolving Trends In Veterinary Education.

Abstract

Formal veterinary education began in the Western world in the 1763 in Lyon, 1767 in Vienna and 1791 in London. These institutions were established in an effort to reduce the severe economic impact of animal diseases, particularly, rinderpest. However over time the profession has evolved in line with emerging issues such as animal welfare, food safety, the environment and advancement in information computer technology. Furthermore, consumers and clients are increasingly well informed, and the professionals no longer have a monopoly of knowledge in their area. Moreover, the hitherto assumption that an initial degree would confers one unlimited, life-long license to practice without any need for continuing education is being questioned. Furthermore, there is continued pressure on university resources, as well as problems in attracting competent clinical staff to teach in areas of specialization and, the universities are being expected to achieve more and more with fewer resources. The structure of the profession is also gradually changing with a move towards more specialist practices, but with mixed practice still an important employer of veterinary surgeons in rural areas. In addition, there is growing awareness that the amount of veterinary knowledge is expanding all the time and it is not possible anymore, for undergraduates to achieve high levels of expertise in all areas of the veterinary profession during the 4 to 6 years available for training. These issues have continued to model the evolution of the veterinary education. The evolution has mainly focused on 6 main areas namely, review on admission criteria and curriculum review, adoption of new teaching methods, collaboration with private clinicians, introduction of apprenticeship and mandatory continuing veterinary education. This paper will elaborate on the evolving trends in veterinary education as defined by each of....