The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (Norges veterinærhøgskole), a veterinary school in Oslo, Norway.

A veterinary school should not be confused with a department of animal science. A department of animal science usually offers a pre-veterinary school curriculum, teaches the biomedical sciences (usually resulting in a Bachelor of Science degree or the equivalent), and provides graduate veterinary education in disciplines such as microbiology, virology, and molecular biology. The terminology can be confusing, as many veterinary schools outside North America use the title "Faculty of Veterinary Science" rather than "college of veterinary medicine" or "school of veterinary medicine," and some veterinary schools (particularly those in China, Japan and South Korea) use the term "department" rather than college or school.^[1][2]

Degrees

The School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University, a veterinary school in the United States.

Nearly every country in the world requires an individual with a veterinary degree to be licensed prior to practicing in the profession. Most countries require a non-national who holds a veterinary degree to pass a separate licensure exam for foreign graduates prior to practicing veterinary medicine. In the U.S., for example, the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) administers a four-step examination which is accepted by all American state and territorial veterinary licensing boards, the U.S. federal government, and the District of Columbia.^[8] In Europe, the Parliament of Europe, which has some jurisdiction over the member states of the European Union (EU), issued a directive on September 30, 2005, which provides for EU-wide standards for veterinary medical education and mutual recognition of veterinary degrees between member states meeting these standards.^[9] Licensure requirements are diverse, however. In South Africa, the Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act, Act 19 of 1982 provides for automatic licensure if an individual has graduated from one of several universities in South African, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom (as of 2008, these include the University of Pretoria, Medical University of South Africa, Massey University, University of Bristol, University of Cambridge, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Liverpool, and the University of London) or has passed the veterinary licensure examination administered by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. All other persons are required to pass an examination and register with the South African Veterinary Council.^[10] India has a similar system in which degrees awarded by certain schools are "deemed" to automatically qualify an individual to practice veterinary medicine, but has forgone an exam in favor of state tribunals which investigate credentials and can add a veterinarian to the register of licensed practitioners.^[11]

Accreditation

Not all nations accredit veterinary schools, but all developed countries and most newly industrialized and developing countries do.^[12] Few failed states have any accreditation system, however. In the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE)^[13] accredits veterinary schools.^[14] Accreditation systems and standards vary widely, however, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom all have vet programs that hold similar standards as those in the United States and Canada. The European Union is developing a common accreditation standard, but as of 2008 accreditation was most often provided by the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE).^[15][16][17]

Accreditation systems vary widely in developing nations. In Mexico, El Consejo Nacional de Educación de la Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CONEVET) accredits veterinary medical colleges, although few schools are accredited.^[18] The accreditation system is poor or nonexistent in other developing nations. Ethiopia, for example, has focused on building veterinary medical colleges rather than accrediting existing schools to ensure quality. Subsequently, there is almost no accreditation system and the quality of veterinary education in the country is poor.^[7]

Admissions and costs

Proportion of students enrolling in each faculty at the University of Sydney from 1900 to 2000. The proportion of veterinary students is the thin pink line near the top, demonstrating the small number of seats open to applicants.

Curriculum

A veterinary student at the Hawkshead campus of the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London receives clinical training in bovine health under the watchful eye of a faculty member.

The level of participation in clinical training can be quite limited in some schools and countries, however. In Japan, students are not permitted to engage in clinical education until they have studied for six years.^[30] For example, in Sri Lanka, the public owned relatively few companion animals until recently, and veterinary medical education focused on herd health?with the result that veterinary schools focused little attention on clinical skills. As recently as 2004, this had not changed.^[31] In Ethiopia, few schools have clinical training facilities, and the government has placed a priority on opening more schools rather than improving the existing colleges.^[7] Even in the United States, there is some concern that clinical training may suffer because many veterinary teaching hospitals are in deep financial trouble.^[32]

Veterinary students at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison take notes during classroom lecture in June 2005.

Unlike human medicine, almost no veterinary medical education regimes require students to enroll in an internship and/or residency upon graduation. However, internships and residencies are often required for veterinarians seeking board certification in Canada, Europe and the U.S.^[38]

Lecture and rote learning are two of the most common teaching methods used in veterinary medical education.^[39] To a lesser degree, outcome-based education^[40] and discovery learning are also common pedagogical approaches. Inquiry-based learning is also sometimes used.^[41] In the last two decades, problem-based learning has been adopted in most veterinary schools in developed countries, especially those in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, and Western Europe.^[42]

See also

• History of Veterinary Medicine in Pennsylvania
• List of schools of veterinary medicine
• Veterinary Medical College Application Service
• First professional degree
• Veterinarian
• Veterinarian
• Veterinary medicine

References

External links

• Quick & Dirty Vet School Application Guide
• Vet Students Abroad