international harmonization of veterinary medicine studies anastasia s. tsingotjidou*, christos a....
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International Harmonization of Veterinary Medicine Studies
Anastasia S. Tsingotjidou*, Christos A. Batzios** and
George C. Papadopoulos*
* Lab. of Anatomy and Histology, ** Lab. of Animal Production Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of
Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
The Bologna declaration (1999) addresses the following main themes towards globalization in education:
the recognition of degrees and degree structure
the establishment of a system of credits,
the promotion of mobility of students and
co-operation in quality assurance
the promotion of the European dimension in higher education and the attractiveness of the European Higher Education Area
lifelong learning
Veterinary Medicine Schools are participating in this process of globalization:
In Europe, this has been achieved through the active involvement of
and
the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe (FVE)
the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE)
EAEVE
promotes the standardization of veterinary education
and
contributes to the production of knowledgeable veterinarians
Veterinary education entails diverse fields including:
The animal body
Growth and development
Animal production
Food hygiene, with its obvious direct implications for societal well-being
Function and dysfunction
Mechanisms of disease
Animal health and disease
Animals, vets and society
Clinical rotations
Curriculum for veterinary education should also offer:
Participation in research
Participation in clinical activities very early in the education process
Traditional teaching of courses, integrated
teaching or problem based learning represent
educational alternatives.
It is necessary to look at learning outcomes,
as defined according to market needs of the
individual countries, while complying with
European regulations
Educational direction
The rapid advances and almost ubiquitous availability of information and communication technologies
coupled with government-led initiatives to increase student numbers and widen participation has led many universities
to rethink curriculum design
Curriculum contents
Veterinary education should take into account the following events:
The importance of the agricultural/animal industries is declining in most European countries, while the demand of the owners of companion animals is increasing
Society in general, and in particular the gender profile of the profession, is changing
There is an important role for the veterinarian in relation to the new emerging diseases of animal origin with human implications, as well as aspects of the safety of food of animal origin
Concerns about the environment and natural resource development must be taken into consideration
Veterinarians may be employed in various disciplines ofprivate and industrial sector
(e.g.: milk and meat production),
academia and research institutions, civil-community areas
(e.g.: agricultural ministries, food and drug administration, community veterinarians)
One should keep in mind that
…. on day one after graduation, the new veterinarian
cannot have all the competences and skills in all areas
in which the veterinary profession is involved
Failing to act will lead to consequences like:
Omni-competence will increasingly become omni-incompetence
The veterinarian will increasingly become a veterinary technician
The level of competence in all branches of veterinary practice will fall
In Europe there are over 30 different countries having veterinary medicine programs
The situation in Greece:- Traditional one-tier system
The situation in other European countries :- Some have adopted two-tier system
In the United States, over 20 veterinary medical schools exist and in many cases the acceptance to these schools is as competitive as the admission to medical schools
Today, curriculum reform is an on-going process in most Veterinary Schools by:
Increasing direct self-learning periods
Reducing formal teaching
Increasing practical and extra-mural services
Introducing electives/optional oriented to animal species and future specialization areas
A joint initiative was created consisting of 22
Veterinary Education Institutions from 20 E.U. and
associated countries, EAEVE and FVE, who
considered that the adaptation of curricula and
educational methods should be studied and
tackled on a long term basis and according to social
and market needs
The paradigm of VET2020
An existing network (VET2020) (
www.fmv.utl.pt/vet2020) working closely with an
Italian firm (Nomisma) are collecting data, the analysis
of which will identify problems and non-agreement
issues
Common general frames for curriculum development
will be established
Declaration on the harmonization of Ph.D.
programs in Medicine and Health Sciences (
www.mefos.hr/mefos/pds/zagreb_declaration_us.html)
EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ONHARMONIZATION OF Ph.D. PROGRAMSIN MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES University of Zagreb – Medical SchoolZagreb, Croatia, April 24 - 25, 2004
Accreditation (or certification) is a result of the review of an educational or an institution following certain quality standards agreed beforehand
In the long run, accreditation:
Provides students with clearly defined and appropriate programs
Facilitates student mobility and the pre-recognition of degrees and
Facilitates recognition of degrees, thus facilitating graduate mobility
European Evaluation and Accreditation
EAEVE initiative Self evaluation reports of the Veterinary Schools Visits by expert teams (interdisciplinary
academicians and professionals) Report by the expert team (suggestions and
observed deficiencies) Reply and attempted remedies are approved or
disapproved by the expert team Appearance of the School in the list of approved
or non-approved Veterinary Schools Official Accreditation of the approved School by
the member states waits a major political decision
The Italian paradigm (Dr. Romagnoli):
To establish criteria to evaluate quality in academia To write an annual report on quality in academia To promote the adoption of techniques for evaluation of
quality To assess the quality of data coming from universities To establish a yearly program of evaluation of quality in
academia To evaluate proposals of establishing new Universities To assess the status of academic teaching, right to
study and free access to university To establish new criteria to distribute national
resources to universities To advise the Ministry on quality of all academic
activities related to teaching, research and administration
The integration of diverse components of veterinary training within an interdisciplinary approach counterbalances the increasing specialization of knowledge which is critical for progress
Furthermore, the aim of this effort should include the retention of the independence of academics along with the rich diversity of European education systems
CONCLUSIONS-FUTURE AIMS