Veterinary students’ attitudes on One Health: implications for curriculum development at veterinary colleges.
Abstract: One Health knowledge has been identified by the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) as a core competency for all graduating veterinarians. Many veterinary colleges, however, are still in the preliminary stages of exploring how best to incorporate One Health principles into their existing curricula. In February 2012, we conducted a survey among second to fourth-year Professional Veterinary Medicine (PVM) students at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences to assess One Health needs and attitudes. Out of 407 students, 93 (22.9%) completed the survey. Although 74.2% of respondents were very or somewhat familiar with the One Health Initiative, only 34.4% reported some level of involvement with One Health-related activities. Over 80% of respondents rated the One Health Initiative as very important for public health, wildlife health, and food-animal medicine or surgery; less than 30% rated the One Health Initiative as very important for equine medicine or surgery and small-animal medicine or surgery. The majority of respondents were very interested in educational activities involving inter-disciplinary interactions with both human and ecosystem health professionals. Our findings can help guide the development and implementation of One Health-focused curricula at veterinary colleges.
Publication Date: 2013-03-12 PubMed ID: 23475413DOI: 10.3138/jvme.0612.057RGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article describes a study about veterinary students’ attitudes towards One Health: a cross-disciplinary approach to health that includes human, animal, and ecosystem health. This study will help guide the development of One Health curriculum in veterinary schools.
Study Rationale and Methodology
- The motivation behind this study was the identification of One Health knowledge as a critical competence for all graduating veterinarians by the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC).
- Despite the importance of One Health, many veterinary colleges are still determining how to integrate its principles into their current curriculum.
- A survey was conducted among the Professional Veterinary Medicine (PVM) students at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in February 2012 to understand the One Health needs and attitudes.
Survey Response and Findings
- Out of 407 students, 93 (22.9%) responded to the survey.
- A considerable percentage (74.2%) of respondents showed they were very or somewhat familiar with the One Health Initiative.
- However, just over a third (34.4%) reported involvement in One Health-related activities.
Opinions About the Importance of One Health
- More than 80% of respondents rated the One Health Initiative as very important for areas like public health, wildlife health, and food-animal medicine or surgery.
- In comparison, less than 30% rated the initiative as very important for equine medicine or surgery and small-animal medicine or surgery.
Interest in Interdisciplinary Interactions
- The majority of respondents expressed a strong interest in educational activities that involved interactive sessions with health professionals dealing with both human and ecosystem health.
Implication for Curriculum Development
- The findings from the study provide insights that can be utilized to guide the development and implementation of a One Health-focused curriculum in veterinary colleges.
Cite This Article
APA
Wong D, Kogan LR.
(2013).
Veterinary students’ attitudes on One Health: implications for curriculum development at veterinary colleges.
J Vet Med Educ, 40(1), 58-62.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0612.057R Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- National Park Service Office of Public Health, Albuquerque, NM, USA. david_wong@nps.gov
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Curriculum / standards
- Education, Veterinary / standards
- Health Status
- Humans
- Public Health
- Schools, Veterinary / organization & administration
- Students, Health Occupations / psychology
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Veterinary Medicine / standards
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