Defining and using behavioral competencies to manage performance and careers: potential applications and implications for veterinary medicine

Recent studies have highlighted concerns regarding the skills, career prospects, and economic prosperity of veterinarians. Human resource departments in a wide variety of organizations and industries have adopted a competency-based approach to managing the selection, training, placement, and ongoing development of their staff. This paper defines competencies, characterizes their typical use in industry, and examines the potential applications of a competency-based approach for veterinary medicine. It is argued that the competency-based approaches honed in the private sector promise to assist veterinary colleges, employers of veterinarians, and professional societies in influencing the state of the profession through the selection, education, and development of veterinarians.     

Developing an open-access antimicrobial resistance learning site for veterinary medical students

Recognizing the crucial role of veterinarians in mitigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has funded the development of a suite of educational materials to promote the responsible veterinary medical use of antimicrobials. An open-access, Web-based multimedia curriculum regarding antimicrobial resistance in veterinary practice was thus created. The antimicrobial-resistance learning site (AMRLS) for veterinary medical students was completed and made available for use in January 2011 (http://amrls.cvm.msu.edu/). Designed for integration into existing veterinary medical courses, the AMRLS is also a resource for continuing education for practicing veterinarians, animal scientists, and food-animal industry specialists. This Web site emphasizes the mechanisms by which AMR emerges and spreads, the significant role of veterinarians in mitigating AMR, and the need to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations.     

Demographic profile of the veterinary profession in New Zealand, 1985

The demographic characteristics of the veterinary profession in New Zealand are examined using information supplied by registered veterinarians to the Veterinary Surgeons Board in their applications for annual practising certificates in 1985. Comparisons are made with the veterinary professions in other similar countries, and with the medical and paramedical professions in New Zealand. In 1985 1308 registered veterinarians were working in New Zealand and 304 were overseas, whereas in 1976 the equivalent figures were 748 and 182. This represents an increase of 73% in the number of registered veterinarians in the last 10 years. Eighteen percent of veterinarians were female. The mean age of veterinarians was 38 years, but females in the profession were on average much younger (32 years) than males (42 years). Clinical practice provides employment for 70% of veterinarians: of these 59% work principally with farm animals and 41% with non-farm animals. The remaining veterinarians are employed by Government (22%), University (5%) and Industry (3%). The current demographic structure of the profession has been markedly influenced by the opening of New Zealand's only veterinary school at Massey University in 1963. Differences from other medical professional populations in New Zealand and overseas principally reflect the marked change in the number and sex ratio of graduates entering the veterinary profession since that time. It will take about another twenty years before the population reaches a stable age and sex structure, assuming that current graduation patterns persist throughout that period. Because the structure of the population is changing, considerable caution is needed in predicting future employment trends from data for a single year.     

Demographic profile of the veterinary profession in New Zealand, 1985

The demographic characteristics of the veterinary profession in New Zealand are examined using information supplied by registered veterinarians to the Veterinary Surgeons Board in their applications for annual practising certificates in 1985. Comparisons are made with the veterinary professions in other similar countries, and with the medical and paramedical professions in New Zealand. In 1985 1308 registered veterinarians were working in New Zealand and 304 were overseas, whereas in 1976 the equivalent figures were 748 and 182. This represents an increase of 73% in the number of registered veterinarians in the last 10 years. Eighteen percent of veterinarians were female. The mean age of veterinarians was 38 years, but females in the profession were on average much younger (32 years) than males (42 years). Clinical practice provides employment for 70% of veterinarians: of these 59% work principally with farm animals and 41% with non-farm animals. The remaining veterinarians are employed by Government (22%), University (5%) and Industry (3%). The current demographic structure of the profession has been markedly influenced by the opening of New Zealand's only veterinary school at Massey University in 1963. Differences from other medical professional populations in New Zealand and overseas principally reflect the marked change in the number and sex ratio of graduates entering the veterinary profession since that time. It will take about another twenty years before the population reaches a stable age and sex structure, assuming that current graduation patterns persist throughout that period. Because the structure of the population is changing, considerable caution is needed in predicting future employment trends from data for a single year.     

Current economic trends affecting the veterinary medical profession.

This article explores the economic trends affecting the future of the veterinary medical profession. Key aspects of demand and supply are considered, as are several broad-based institutional factors. Demand for veterinarians and veterinary medical services is demonstrating a definitive upward trend across the profession, led by a remarkable in-crease in consumers' willingness to spend on animal health care.Supply is also expanding through increased enrollments at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine and increased productivity and efficiency in private practice. Veterinarians' incomes are increasing, and some sectors of the profession offer outstanding financial opportunities.Provided that critical needs are met for 1) increased diversity and 2) continued improvement in the nontechnical capabilites of veterinarians, the outlook for the economic future of the veterinary medical profession is strong.     

Public health education at Michigan State University

Many reports have highlighted the need for the veterinary profession to fill critical shortages of veterinarians in public health and food safety. Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine offers educational programs within the professional veterinary curriculum, as well as graduate degree programs, to meet these societal needs. Within the scope of the professional veterinary curriculum, educational opportunities in public health include clerkships in veterinary public health and an innovative Web-based curriculum on judicious use of antimicrobials. For graduate degree programs, Michigan State University has a memorandum of understanding with the University of Minnesota for the Master of Public Health degree and an innovative Online Professional Master of Science in Food Safety degree program. A new option available is the opportunity for veterinary students to pursue the Master of Science in Food Safety concurrently with the DVM (DVM/MS in Food Safety). These educational programs will prepare graduates to meet societal needs in public health and food safety.     

How does emotional intelligence fit into the paradigm of veterinary medical education?

The term 'emotional intelligence' (EI) has become very popular in the business world and has recently infiltrated veterinary medical education. The term purports to encompass those qualities and skills that are not measured by IQ tests but do play an important role in achieving success in life. Veterinary medical educators often incorporate these in a category called 'non-technical competencies' (which includes, for example, communication skills) and acknowledge that veterinarians need more training in this area in order to be successful. Although EI looks promising as a means for teaching these non-technical competencies to students and practitioners, there are some challenges to its application. To begin with, there are three competing models of EI that differ in definition and measuring instruments. Although some research has suggested that high EI is associated with success in school and in business, there are no studies directly correlating high EI with greater success in the veterinary profession. Nor have any studies confirmed that increasing a student's EI will improve eventual outcomes for that student. It is important that educators approach the implementation of new techniques and concepts for teaching non-technical competencies the same way they would approach teaching a new surgical technique or drug therapy. EI is an intriguing and promising construct and deserves dedicated research to assess its relevance to veterinary medical education. There are opportunities to investigate EI using case control studies that will either confirm or discredit the benefits of incorporating EI into the veterinary curriculum. Implementing EI training without assessment risks wasting limited resources and alienating students.     

Public-health education at Kansas State University

What are veterinary medical and public-health professionals doing to remedy the immediate and impending shortages of veterinarians in population health and public practice? This question was addressed at the joint symposium of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health, held in April 2007. Thinking locally, faculty and students at Kansas State University (KSU) asked similar questions after attending the symposium: What are we doing within the College of Veterinary Medicine to tackle this problem? What can we do better with new collaborators? Both the professional veterinary curriculum and the Master of Public Health (MPH) at KSU provide exceptional opportunities to address these questions. Students are exposed to public health as a possible career choice early in veterinary school, and this exposure is repeated several times in different venues throughout their professional education. Students also have opportunities to pursue interests in population medicine and public health through certificate programs, summer research programs, study abroad, and collaborations with contributing organizations unique to KSU, such as its Food Science Institute, National Agricultural Biosecurity Center, and Biosecurity Research Institute. Moreover, students may take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of public-health education at KSU, where collaborations with several different colleges and departments within the university have been established. We are pleased to be able to offer these opportunities to our students and hope that our experience may be instructive for the development of similar programs at other institutions, to the eventual benefit of the profession at large.     

Early veterinary history in the United States of America

Those involved in the early history of veterinary medicine in the United States of America provided valuable services and an excellent foundation for later development of the profession. Even though the farriers and cowleeches had little knowledge, and occasionally less ethics, most performed as best they could. Certainly, the medical profession contributed greatly to the success of the American veterinary profession. Furthermore, the influence of British veterinarians and their publications added much to improving the profession. Perhaps the greatest accomplishment for the betterment of the profession was the establishment of the United States Veterinary Medical Association. Once the practicing veterinarians in the United States became organized and concerned, the profession appeared to develop rapidly providing both educational opportunities and pride in veterinary medicine.     

Integrating molecular biology into the veterinary curriculum

The modern discipline of molecular biology is gaining increasing relevance in the field of veterinary medicine. This trend must be reflected in the curriculum if veterinarians are to capitalize on opportunities arising from this field and direct its development toward their own goals as a profession. This review outlines current applications of molecular-based technologies that are relevant to the veterinary profession. In addition, the current techniques and technologies employed within the field of molecular biology are discussed. Difficulties associated with teaching a subject such as molecular biology within a veterinary curriculum can be alleviated by effectively integrating molecular topics throughout the curriculum, pitching the subject at an appropriate depth, and employing varied teaching methods throughout.     

Evidence-based veterinary medicine: evolution, revolution, or repackaging of veterinary practice?

Over time, evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) should integrate with normal clinical practice. Also, clinical knowledge increases with EBVM, reducing the need for information in one area and allowing veterinarians to explore new areas of specialty or cutting-edge advances in the profession. Textbooks, journals, veterinary conferences, and web sites provide nearly unlimited information about EBVM for the practicing veterinarian to help with the transition to EBVM use in daily practice life. EBVM should continue to change and improve how we, as veterinarians, provide the best available care to our clients and patients.     

Effective use of simulations for the teaching and acquisition of veterinary professional and clinical skills

Simulation technology will feature prominently in this exciting, yet challenging, time for veterinary medicine. The profession is evolving to keep pace with rapid changes in clinical practice, scientific discovery, and educational strategy, while ensuring that it follows the public mandate to produce competent veterinarians. Among the challenges to meeting this educational goal are limitations-due to important issues such as animal welfare-on the availability of real patients for training. Drawing chiefly on the experience in human medicine, this article explores the use of simulations in veterinary medical education to provide safe and ethical alternative opportunities for learners to practice essential clinical and professional skills.     

Continuing professional development for veterinarians

Continuing professional development for veterinarians is expected to commence in the year after graduation and continue until retirement. The World Organisation for Animal Health standard for veterinary services is based on principles of an ethical, organisational and technical nature, and a mix of regulation, self-regulation and quality assurance approaches are used. Few jurisdictions have made a minimum requirement of continuing professional development, measured in hours or units, mandatory in 2004, however, there is an increasing expectation of veterinarians to keep a personal record of their continuing professional development activities. Such records might assist in defending complaints about professional misconduct, and provide a basis for planning and monitoring personal professional growth. Continuing professional development can be obtained by a variety of means through structured and unstructured learning activities. The rapid advances in communication technologies and ready access to available electronic databases at the beginning of the 21st century is rapidly changing the way students learn in veterinary schools and how they will acquire continuing professional development during their careers. Universities, governments, professional associations and special interest groups all have roles to play in the delivery of continuing professional development to the veterinary profession and to ensure a structure is in place to monitor improvements in the delivery of quality veterinary services.     

Efficacy of training in theriogenology as determined by a survey of veterinarians

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether veterinarians perceive that theriogenology training at veterinary medical schools in North America and the Caribbean is adequate for achievement of theriogenology skills commonly used in private practice. PROCEDURES: A survey was mailed to members of the veterinary medical associations of Alabama, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Washington. With regard to reproductive procedures in bovine, equine, porcine, small ruminant, camelid, and small animal species, veterinarians (predominantly practitioners) were asked to rate the importance of that procedure in their job and to assess their own degree of competency in that procedure at the time of their graduation from veterinary school. RESULTS: Procedures considered most valuable in practice were those that represent basic theriogenology education and training, such as transrectal palpation of cows and mares and interpretation of vaginal cytologic specimens in bitches. Dystocia management was a high priority in all species. Correlations between rankings for value in practice and competency at graduation were good, varying from 0.75 in cattle and 0.78 in horses to 0.98 in dogs and 1.0 in cats, small ruminants, and pigs. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of these data suggests that appropriate theriogenology procedures are being taught in veterinary medical schools but perhaps not to the extent required to achieve adequate competency immediately at graduation. Issues requiring further investigation include the effect of tracking in the veterinary curriculum on theriogenology training, methods by which more students could receive greater practical exposure during theriogenology training, and the apparent relative lack of theriogenology training (including contraception) in small animals and exotic animals.     

Survey of veterinary technical and professional skills in students and recent graduates of a veterinary college

OBJECTIVES: To determine perceptions of veterinary technical and professional skills among veterinary students and recent graduates. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: 281 students and 142 recent graduates from the Ontario Veterinary College. PROCEDURE: A survey was designed and administered to first- through fourth-year students and veterinarians who had graduated either 1 or 6 years before survey administration. RESULTS: Overall response rate was 70%. Learning about technical and professional skills was highly valued. Most participants felt they had not received instruction about professional skills, but those who had felt more competent about them. Perceptions of competence increased slightly with increased comfort discussing emotional veterinary issues with instructors. Neither gender nor increased age was related to increased feelings of competence. Almost all fourth-year students felt competent and comfortable about examining an animal with the client present, assessing suffering, diagnosing parvovirus infection, performing surgery, and working as group members. However, many did not feel competent or comfortable about delivering bad news, setting time limits yet providing quality service, helping clients with limited funds make treatment decisions, dealing with demanding people, and euthanasia. Feelings of competence and comfort were closely related but were not identical. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In the interests of best preparing entry-level veterinarians, technical and professional skills need to be emphasized in a learning environment where students feel comfortable discussing emotional veterinary issues. A professional skills curriculum addressing underlying self-awareness, communication, and interpersonal issues, as well as procedural matters, would likely increase the proportion of fourth-year students who feel competent and comfortable about professional skills by the end of their undergraduate training.     

Lasers in veterinary medicine--where have we been, and where are we going?

Future use of lasers in medicine depends on the active participation of veterinarians in the inception and development of new devices that meet the needs of the entire medical profession. The sensible clinical approach that must be taken every day in the practice of veterinary medicine equips the veterinarian with a unique ability to understand the practical applications of biomedical lasers. Veterinary medicine can and should be in the forefront during these exciting times, adding an essential dimension to development of this twenty-first century technology.     

Veterinary Anatomy Education in Korea

In Korea, there are 10 veterinary schools and about 500 new veterinarians are produced annually. Veterinary education is 6‐year‐system composed of pre‐veterinary (2 yrs) and veterinary course (4 yrs). Total of 28 to 33 subjects are taught in professional curriculum, including 21 of 23 subjects recommended by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) as minimum requirements for veterinary education. Only economics and botany are excluded. Currently, 6648 veterinarians are active in the profession in Korea; about 31% of these in clinical practice and 69% in non‐clinical areas. Korea has 3.5 million pets, 10.4 million livestocks, 105 million chickens, and 0.5 million other animals. In general, 630 livestock units (LU) are covered by each veterinarian. With improvement of economic status and life style change, the number and variety of species of companion animals are expanding, accordingly. Also the importance of molecular biology is recognized and included in the professional curriculum. In these changing times, it is believed that gross anatomy, histology and embryology are essential integral component of found in veterinary education. But the teaching hours of histology, embryology and gross anatomy have reduced 15% during last 5 years due to new subjects. Total teaching hours in professional curriculum is about 4100 hours (pre‐clinical 29%, paraclinical 32%, clinical course 38%). Average 200 hours are allocated for gross anatomy, histology and embryology lecture and average 250 hours for laboratory practice. The number of students per class ranges 40–80 depending on schools. The ratio of male and female students is 6–4, and the teaching faculty and students 1–22. The Korean Association of Veterinary Anatomists (KAVA) recommend one cow, five dogs, two pigs, five goats and 20 chickens per 20 students to be used for the dissection. The students are evaluated using various types of exam such as assignments, written and oral tests. Recently some schools are beginning to adopt block lectures and/or PBL.     

Death or declaw: dealing with moral ambiguity in a veterinary hospital.

The medical practice of declawing has received much political debate over the past few years. Yet, empirical and theoretical research on how this practice is maintained and the ethical positions of those who actually participate in this work is lacking. Drawing from 9 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a feline-specific veterinary hospital and open-ended interviews with veterinarians and staff, this study examines veterinary staff members' attitudes toward, and strategies for, dealing with the medical practice of declawing. Specifically, findings show that a number of staff felt uncomfortable with their participation in onychectomy (declawing) and relied heavily on organizational support structures to cope both with these feelings and the moral ambiguity about the practice. Relying on these structures, the veterinarians and their staff are able simultaneously to define felines as subjects worthy of respect for their quality of life, protect their own self-identity as people who work toward the best interest of animals, and paradoxically support action toward felines that they find morally objectionable.     

Response of a veterinary college to career development needs identified in the KPMG LLP study and the executive summary of the Brakke study: a combined MBA/DVM program, business certificate program, and curricular modifications

In the present market, veterinarians with a strong background in career development, practice management, and business skills have a clear advantage in achieving financial success. Although there is ample evidence that the scientific and clinical skills of veterinary college graduates are high, there are also data that suggest that additional capabilities in the business realm may promote greater economic success. As noted in the KPMG executive summary, the field of veterinary medicine must make changes in its "current business practices and attitudes" to be successful in the future. Furthermore, the KPMG study found that 36% of industry employers reported that some jobs within their companies had specific job requirements that were not met by a veterinarian with only a veterinary medical degree. The areas of additional training most often cited included business, administration, personnel management, sales and marketing, and financial skills. Yet, Lewis and Klausner found that veterinarians reported challenges in the business realm, such as "how business works and how business goals are translated into action. This challenge held true for veterinarians in industry, academia, government, and private practice." The present gender trends in the field of veterinary medicine provide additional impetus to make career development and business skills training more prevalent. Presently, women comprise >65% of the veterinary student population and approximately 45% of all practicing veterinarians. In some areas of practice, the rate is much higher. For example, in 2002, women comprised 48.2% of all small animal exclusive private practitioners. Unfortunately, the KPMG study found that female veterinarians in private practice report lower self-evaluation of business management and financial skills, compared with their male cohorts. Female veterinarians in nonprivate practice report lower self-evaluation in communication, personnel management, business management, and marketing skills than that reported by males. As a result of these pressing needs, CSU CVMBS has undertaken a major initiative to improve the veterinary practice management and business skills training of veterinary students by offering a variety of options to gain this knowledge: a combined MBA/DVM degree program, a Business Certificate Program for Health Professions, and core curriculum courses. In this way, students can select the amount of focus they want to place on career development and business skills as they earn their DVM degree, to best ensure that they become successful veterinarians.     

Undergraduate veterinary education at University College Dublin: a time of change

The final-year Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (MVB) class of 2005 were the first cohort of students to complete the new curriculum at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin (UCD). The new curriculum is a fundamental departure from the traditional curriculum that had served the veterinary profession in Ireland over many years. The change was not a precipitate action but the outcome of a prolonged and thorough examination of the realities of veterinary medicine, its science and its art, in the first decade of a new millennium. Over recent decades, rapid and fundamental changes have been witnessed in the economic, cultural, and ethical environment in which the veterinary profession operates, and these changes, coupled with the "information explosion," dictated an examination of the educational paradigm. The new curriculum exposes the first-year class to veterinary information technology and problem-based learning (PBL). In the second year, students are instructed in clinical examination, history taking, and client communication skills, in addition to further exposure to PBL. The third and fourth years are now systems-based, with coordinated input from microbiologists, parasitologists, pathologists, and clinicians in teaching each body system. The first lecture-free final year in the 104-year history of veterinary education in Ireland consists of clinical rotations and a four-week elective pursued within the faculty or at other recognized institutions. Students must also complete a minimum of 24 weeks' extramural studies (EMS). Critically, the development and assessment of all courses in the new undergraduate degree program has been driven by carefully thought out learning outcomes. The new curriculum will provide graduates with the essential knowledge and skills required for entry into the veterinary profession. Society expects these qualities from veterinarians in the interests of the communities they serve during their professional careers. In addition, the curriculum should foster the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, instill the desire and ability to work in teams, and develop life skills. It is hoped that the academic innovations will arouse the intellectual curiosity and commitment to lifelong learning that future graduates will require if they are to retain the confidence of the society in which they work in the future.