Vet education needs an overhaul - report

That’s according to a report, named Rethinking Veterinary Education, released today by Veterinary School of Australia and New Zealand.

The report is the result of cooperation between the Deans of veterinary science schools and faculties across Australasia.

It is the first such report in over 20 years.

The report recognises a crisis facing the veterinary profession, particularly in terms of funding models for veterinary education; sustainability both in domestic and agricultural practice; and retention in urban and rural areas.

It also highlights the role veterinary experts will play in mitigating the impacts of climate change, improving biosecurity and disease prevention.

Professor Jacqueline Norris, head of school for the Sydney School of Veterinary Science, says veterinary education has the highest gap of any discipline in terms of what it costs universities to deliver their programmes and what they receive in funding and capped domestic student fees to meet those costs.

“At the University of Sydney, on average over the past four years, the annual funding gap per full-time Commonwealth-supported veterinary student has been 36%, or almost $20,000 [AUD] each,” Norris says. “We know that many other universities face similar funding shortfalls in sustaining high-quality veterinary science programs in the national interest.”

“The funding shortfall facing universities with veterinary science programs – and the financial pressures on vet practitioners after graduation – mean that without structural change, there will be increasing sustainability pressures for the veterinary industry, impacting domestic pets and agricultural industries.”

Norris says the report is a good signal that higher education institutions are working together to push for the types of change needed: in accreditation, admissions criteria, structural adjustment and load sharing, and in funding changes.

The report also highlights the economic and mental-health pressures on veterinary practitioners after graduation, suggesting measures to support the profession to become a more sustainable career option.

Recommendations include new and broader pathways for entry to the profession, paid apprenticeships while studying, and mandatory mentoring.

“Veterinary practitioners play a vital role in our communities – but it is beyond the stereotype of James Herriot from the TV series All Creatures Great and Small,” says Norris. “We are focused on producing highly skilled graduates that can deal with the pressures of veterinary life and be major contributors to Australia’s communities, economy and public health wellbeing.”

She says that with accelerating climate change, the role of vets will become more important, not just as practitioners dealing with disease pressures on livestock and domestic pets, but as leaders in climate change research as well.

“Anyone with a pet knows that your local vet can provide critical advice and support at times when our animals are unwell. But our expertise goes much further, such as disease prevention and early identification of disease. This is as important for human and animal health,” Norris says.

“Our researchers are working with government and public health officials in Australia and South East Asia to train animal handlers on the ground to spot the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as swine or avian influenza, coronaviruses, rabies, foot and mouth disease, or African swine fever.”

Some recommendations of the report include:

• Establishing a strategic change fund allowing for resource sharing of specialisations between the Veterinary Schools
• Increasing Commonwealth support to address the gap between costs and funding, the biggest in the higher education sector
• Improved professional support for veterinary practices to attract and retain graduates in the profession
• Extending mentoring schemes
• Broadening student input criteria