Can curriculum innovations create incentives for young veterinarians to practise in remote rural areas?
Research on the problem of decreasing numbers of rural veterinarians has identified that rural practice employment periods following graduation are getting shorter and replacing the graduates who leave is becoming increasingly difficult. One way of addressing these problems would be to develop a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) curriculum that motivates young graduates to seek work in rural and remote communities and ensures they are more 'practice-ready' as soon as they leave university and start working. Developments in a series of curriculum initiatives to address this strategy are discussed, including: encouraging deeper learning in livestock health and production, provision of extramural rotations in rural locations in the final year, offering opportunities to study abroad and emphasising the global impact of farm animal medicine, developing rural support enhancements for students on rural placements, and adjusting admission requirements to increase access for rural students.
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, PMB 3, Camden, New South Wales 2570, Australia. pwindsor@camden.usyd.edu.au
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D000818:Animals; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004520:Education, Veterinary; D006801:Humans; D012423:Rural Health; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D014730:Veterinary Medicine; D000078329:Workforce