and Employer Perceptions in Veterinary Sciences Education

The Faculty implemented a longitudinal survey in 2009 to measure student, graduate and later also employer perceptions of the BVSc and DVN (and later BVetNurs) professional programmes. Whereas this is a normal requirement for accreditation purposes, the faculty requested that the Department for Education Innovation further interrogate the data obtained over a decade (2009–2019) by looking at trends of perceptions within cohorts of students (following a cohort through the programme) and also investigating trends over a period of time at the same stage of the programme. The aim of the ongoing research is to inform decisions in the faculty regarding undergraduate programmes and curricula, and, as such, it has resulted in a significant impact over the years. Examples include the introduction of the BVetNurs three-year degree programme, replacing the previous two-year Diploma in Veterinary Nursing (DVN); the restructuring of the BVSc curriculum, including the significant reduction of credits; and the introduction of a more structured and gradual clinical skills training programme.

The specific goal of the study, since its inception in 2009, has remained to gauge information about: • the pre-knowledge of students regarding the BVSc degree and equivalent veterinary nursing programme; • the learning experiences of students in different year groups; • student expectations of the specific professional career; • the needs for student support and guidance while studying; • positive and negative factors of their learning experience; • the value and applicability of the curriculum; • future plans of final-year students, and • sufficiency or insufficiency of training to practise the specific profession.

The methodology of the research includes a qualitative and quantitative approach through a questionnaire that is occasionally updated based on previous responses. Employers have been surveyed to determine their perceptions of the quality of the undergraduate programmes, to triangulate the responses by students and graduates. Overall, response rates have been very high, ranging between 70% and 97%. Average response rates have increased with increasing year level within the undergraduate programmes, possibly indicating students’ increased interest in the quality of their education as they progress through the programmes. Students, graduates and employers have all remained positive about their perception of the world-class standards of the undergraduate training programmes offered by the faculty, with a small deviation after the introduction of the current six-year BVSc programme (transitioning from the 3 + 4 year two-degree programme, which was terminated in 2015).

A need to look after the well-being and welfare of animals is significantly increasing as a reason for students to pursue a career in the veterinary sciences, whereas decreasing consideration is given to a combination of medicine, biology, animal science and agriculture as a reason for their career choice. Regarding students’ expectation of their professional career, an increasing trend has been detected in students expecting hard work and long hours, but also an increasing reference to their social responsibility regarding community upliftment and education.

In response to the restructuring of the curriculum, a decreasing perception of excessive workload and a lack of practical experience has been cited by students responding to the survey over the past decade. More awareness of research by implementing a structured research project in the final year of the BVSc programme, and by implementing the BVetNurs degree programme, which opened postgraduate opportunities for students, resulted in a significant increase in students’ future considerations for postgraduate studies.

A final-year veterinary student involved in clinical training in the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital