Optimism, self-esteem, satisfaction with social support, and coping strategies were examined in relation to study-related subjective workload, stress, and life satisfaction. Questionnaires were distributed to students in the second, third, and fourth years of the five-year BVSc program at Massey University. One hundred fifty usable responses were received. Most respondents were female. Students with more optimism and self-esteem were less stressed than those who were more pessimistic or lower in self-esteem. Students who reported having heavy subjective workloads were more stressed, whereas students with higher self-esteem experienced more well-being. Men and women did not differ on any of the study variables, and there were no differences between students in different years of study. Recommendations include retaining initiatives to build well-being that are already in place. Support resources exist within the university, but students are often reluctant to seek help, so staff need to continue to identify students in need of additional help who might benefit from referral to a health practitioner. Where practicable, support service providers may be able to contribute actively to teaching. As well as helping students build effective social and coping strategies, this approach will provide students with additional information about the services that are available. Students may not see workshops on interpersonal skills or stress management as relevant unless they are linked to their immediate concerns.

The workloads, study methods, and motivation of students in a five-year BVSc program were studied using questionnaires and focus groups. Students in each year of the program were asked, on three occasions over an academic year, to record details of their out-of-class study time for each course they were taking and to record the study methods they used, how they prioritized their time between subjects, and how they allocated time to study and leisure activities. Mean response rates were 57% (range: 43–85%). Overall mean out-of-class study time ranged from 19 hours per week in Year 2 to 28 hours per week in Year 4. Study time was related to the level of interest the student had in the subject, the demands of assessments, and the number of subjects being studied. Study methods were related to students’ perceptions of the requirements of the subject as well as to their interest in it. Reliance on memorization and the use of set study materials were the predominant methods for courses with low interest scores, whereas higher interest was associated with a broad range of study methods. Leisure time was ring-fenced, especially when workloads were high. Students’ motivation was high when they were studying subjects that were new or were seen as relevant to clinical practice; when working with animals or with enthusiastic faculty members; and when involved in subjects more tightly focused on the ultimate goal of becoming a practitioner. It was poor when students were faced with high workloads, disciplines becoming “stale,” excessive detail, and low perceptions of relevance. Constant assessment activities were also seen as a burden. In terms of good learning practices, workload and the demands of assessment were considered to be antagonistic. A tension between these perceptions of students and the values of faculty in terms of the development of critical thinking skills in the program is evident.

The importance of professional skills teaching and assessment within veterinary education has recently been highlighted in the veterinary education literature. This academic discourse follows the acknowledgement by both veterinary employers and graduates themselves that new graduates often lack the professional skills and attitudes needed for success in clinical veterinary practice. Traditionally, veterinary curricula have focused solely on teaching content knowledge and clinical skills; however, veterinary education curricula clearly must also contain dedicated instruction in veterinary professionalism. This must include instruction in communication skills, emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, teamwork abilities, dispute resolution strategies and the awareness that multiple approaches may be required to resolve challenges. It has become unrealistic to expect students to rely on observation and role modelling to foster the development of professionalism. There is a need to incorporate explicit learning activities that reinforce the knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviours that characterise veterinary professionalism. While role modelling remains a key aspect of the veterinary professionalism learning that takes place through the informal/hidden curriculum, many students have often had more experiences with negative role models than with positive ones. This can lead to the development of a tolerance or normalisation of negative behaviours and a decline in students’ perceptions of professionalism. This article aims to continue recent conversations on professional skills teaching within veterinary education, define what is meant by veterinary professionalism and consider the plethora of terminology used when trying to establish a definition, highlight those attributes of veterinary professionalism deemed important by veterinary stakeholders for career success and employability, and explore the challenges of incorporating the teaching and assessment of professional traits into veterinary education.

Potential measures suitable for assessing welfare in pasture-based beef cow–calf systems in New Zealand were identified from Welfare Quality and UC Davis Cow-Calf protocols. These were trialled on a single farm and a potential protocol of 50 measures created. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the measures included in this protocol on multiple farms in order, to develop a credible animal welfare assessment protocol for pasture-based cow–calf farms systems in New Zealand. The assessment protocol was trialled on 25 farms over two visits and took a total of 2.5 h over both visits for a 100-cow herd. The first visit in autumn included an animal welfare assessment of 3366 cows during pregnancy scanning, while the second visit in winter included a questionnaire-guided interview to assess cattle management and health, and a farm resource evaluation. Through a process of eliminating unsuitable measures, adjustments of modifiable measures and retaining feasible measures, a protocol with 32 measures was created. The application of the protocol on the farms showed that not all measures are feasible for on-farm assessment, and categorisation of identified animal welfare measures into scores that indicate a threshold of acceptable and non-acceptable welfare standards is necessary.

Knowles and colleagues have described teaching methods as being either teacher centered, with dependent learning (pedagogy), or learner centered, with independent learning underpinned by the learners’ experience and intrinsic motivation (andragogy). This paper argues that both models can be recognized within veterinary undergraduate programs. Veterinary students enter the program with a high level of intrinsic motivation and are prepared to invest considerably in comprehending the material that is presented to them. While this should result in learners whose behavior fits the assumptions underlying andragogy, information overload, poor communication of the relevance of material, teaching by transmission, and examination by memorization often confine learning to the dependent learning characteristic of pedagogical approaches. Students’ experience and practical ability should develop as they progress through the program. Drawing upon experience provides opportunities for both fleshing out and putting in context the declarative knowledge from the didactic components of the curriculum. Where this is achieved (either in the clinical or preclinical curriculum), students’ motivation and interest is stimulated, resulting in andragogical responses of enhanced motivation and engagement with the subject. Pedagogy and andragogy can, however, be complementary, rather than antithetical. Students enter a new subject with minimal experience and little knowledge about it, so a pedagogical methodology may be the most efficient way of initiating understanding. However, as understanding develops, an andragogical method becomes more appropriate, progressively developing students’ independence of learning. The cycle may repeat itself during the program, with the balance changing along with changes in knowledge, goals, experience, and context.

Veterinary professionals need to maintain currency with the rapidly expanding knowledge, techniques, and diagnostic skills available to the profession, while also accommodating the developing needs and expectations of clients and other veterinary stakeholders. Today, societal influence and expectations impose a heavy demand on veterinary practitioners, making it essential for tertiary veterinary education to equip veterinary graduates with the skills necessary to face these challenges and flourish in their profession. This paper explores four challenges faced by veterinary education in the development, maintenance, and upkeep of professional skills training: the divarication between employer expectations and veterinary education, the impact of demographic changes on the profession, the influence of institutional structures on the teaching of professionalism, and the risks associated with outdated models of professionalism training. The teaching of professionalism in veterinary education must continually evolve. One issue that may hinder this process is a divergence between the expectations of employers and tertiary institutions regarding the employability skills required by veterinary graduates. Veterinary professionalism education must also consider changing demographics within the profession and within society to provide all new graduates with the skills and tools necessary to succeed in the workplace, establish a sustainable work–life balance, combat burnout in new graduates, and be equipped to serve the general public. Failure to do this could result in professionalism teaching becoming complicit in a socialization process that perpetuates gender and cultural inequalities. This paper outlines some of the changes that have occurred in the veterinary profession and their implications on veterinary professionalism education. The article champions the necessity for veterinary professionalism education to evolve in concert with the constant changes in the profession.