Educational preparedness of veterinarians for foreign animal diseases

1352 Views: Perspectives in Professional Education JAVMA, Vol 222, No. 10, May 15, 2003

Perspectives in Professional Education

At the 105th annual meeting of the United StatesAnimal Health Association (USAHA) held in

November 2001, the Committee on Foreign andEmerging Diseases appointed a Committee onEducationa to report on the educational preparednessof veterinarians in foreign animal diseases (FADs).The following represents an edited version of thereport submitted to the Committee on Foreign andEmerging Diseases at the 106th annual meeting of theUSAHA held in October 2002.

A renewed focus on veterinary education inFADs has arisen following major epidemics in sever-al counties and from emerging threats of potentialanimal biowarfare. The outbreaks of bovine spongi-form encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease inEurope and Asia, as well as the heightened risks ofagroterror worldwide, have emphasized the need forpreparedness in the United States and elsewhere,including improvement in veterinary education.1-4 Inpart, these events are a reflection of an era of global-ization, representing a renaissance for world trade,economics, communication, travel, and education,coupled with recrudescing international politicaluncertainty and instability.5 In this new world mar-ket, values of food animals and their products haveescalated, followed by increased international move-ment of these commodities. As a consequence, a seri-ous worldwide vulnerability to accidental or inten-tional introduction of exotic diseases into susceptiblepopulations has developed. In conjunction with thisincreased vulnerability is a lack of distinctionbetween infectious and emerging diseases, invasiveand exotic diseases, food safety and security, publichealth hazards, and bioterrorism. Each of these areas

is becoming identified not only as a major risk to thesuccess of free trade but also as an issue of nationalsecurity.6 Rules and guidelines are being required forglobal economies and trade, whereby internationaltrade or movement of animals and their productsmust follow trade agreement rules, such as those setforth by the World Trade Organization and the OfficeInternational des Epizooties. These agreements arebased on science and the concept of veterinary equiv-alency, whereby veterinary services, regulations,diagnostic tests, and education must be equivalentamong the participating countries. It will becomeincreasingly important for US veterinarians to be bet-ter educated in the global context of animal healthand in the science that will be driving policy aimedat protecting animals from FADs and promotingworld trade.6 If an FAD is acquired, veterinarians willneed to be aware of the trade implications and bur-den subsequently placed on developing nations.These veterinarians will provide the leadership nec-essary to protect the United States from FADs whilepromoting economies and trade in an era of global-ization and agrowarfare.

The Current Status of US VeterinaryMedical Education in FADs

Our success thus far in limiting FADs in theUnited States has been, in part, as follows:' A reflection of veterinarians’ knowledge of FADs

and their general ability to compare and contrastdiseases among different species.

' A desire to be inquisitive and recognize unusualevents or signs.

' A commitment to understand the potentiallydevastating consequences to society if foreigndiseases should enter the country.

' An ability to respond rapidly and responsibly tounusual observations or events.

The valuable attributes of the veterinarians whohave participated in our national surveillance effortsare a result of education in traditional comparative vet-erinary medicine that encompassed a wide range ofanimal species and infectious disease agents and aneducation that emphasized the broad scope of veteri-nary medicine’s responsibility to society.

Over the past 2 decades, the United States has

Educational preparedness of veterinarians for foreign animal diseases

Mark C. Thurmond, DVM, PhD; E. Paul J. Gibbs, BVSc, PhD, FRCVS; Corrie C. Brown, DVM, PhD, DACVP; G. Gale Wagner, PhD; Terry M. Wilson, DVM, PhD, DACVP; Beth A. Lautner, DVM, MS

From the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School ofVeterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616(Thurmond); the Department of Pathobiology, College ofVeterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610(Gibbs); the Department of Pathology, College of VeterinaryMedicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7388 (Brown);the Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine,Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467 (Wagner);the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service, Veterinary and Emergency Services,Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center, Fort Detrick, MD21702-5004 (Wilson); and the National Pork Board, PO Box 9114,Des Moines, IA 50306 (Lautner).

Address correspondence to Dr. Thurmond.

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JAVMA, Vol 222, No. 10, May 15, 2003 Views: Perspectives in Professional Education 1353

experienced a decline in the quality and quantity ofveterinary education relating to foreign and emergingdiseases, which has fundamentally diminished US vet-erinarians’ ability to recognize and defend against thesediseases. Some schools or colleges may offer only 3 or4 hours (or less) of coursework related to FADs in a 4-year curriculum. At other schools and colleges, facultyrefer to FAD coverage as “hit-and-miss”; some aspectsof an FAD may be presented in virology or pathologycourses, or instruction in FADs may not be offered atall. If instruction in FADs is offered, it may cover onlythe aspects of the disease that are of particular acade-mic interest to the instructor and not necessarilyaddress the fundamental issues of diagnosis, epidemi-ology, and global dynamics sufficiently to teach stu-dents about the complexity of FADs. In a recent surveyof 290 licensed veterinarians in California, only 33%indicated their education prepared them well for anFAD outbreak, and more than half indicated their gen-eral preparedness for an FAD was poor or very poor.b

Veterinary Demographics and Their Influence on the CollegeCurricula for Teaching FADs

Student and faculty issues—Several of the follow-ing factors and trends may contribute to the dimin-ished attention given to FADs in veterinary curriculaand the limited diversity in admissions.

' The demographic trend toward urban lifestyleshas resulted in little, if any, livestock or agricultur-al experience in most faculty and students, whichhas shifted admissions and curricular preferencestoward species tracking (especially in small andcompanion animal practice) and away from com-parative medicine and FADs.7

' Teaching is more specialized and less broadly based,because many instructors prefer to teach specific,narrow topics rather than general areas of medicine.

' Further constricted focus is encouraged by thetenure system and narrowly defined funding agen-cies that require demonstration of specific expertisein a uniquely defined subject area. Requirementsfor such restricted focus discourage broad, encom-passing perspectives of societal needs for animalhealth,7 including instruction in FADs. Faculty andadministrators can become involved in struggles toprotect funding and disciplinary turf, resulting indisciplinary introversion and myopic views of howadmissions and curricula should address the chang-ing needs of veterinary medicine.8 This stagnationof the curricular planning and development processat many schools and colleges has resulted in littleprogress being made in identifying the educationalneeds of future veterinarians,9,10 including theireducation in FADs, and has been referred to as “acrisis of lost opportunity.7”

' Instruction in FADs has been viewed by somefaculty, administrators, and students as unimpor-tant, because knowledge of FADs is no longerrequired to become a USDA-accredited veterinar-ian and, therefore, is not of sufficient importanceto be a required subject.

Negative effect of limited research base forFADs—Because FADs and their agents cannot usuallybe studied in university research environments, andbecause funding for research in nonzoonotic FADs islimited, few faculty are willing or able to pursue FADresearch and, thus, may consider themselves insuffi-ciently qualified to teach FADs. Consequently, studentsare experiencing less exposure to faculty who wouldmotivate and inspire them to learn about FADs, andthere is less opportunity for students to develop anintellectual curiosity or interest in these diseases.

A related trend affecting education in FADs is thatveterinary education has become of secondary impor-tance to income generation from grants and othersources of funding. Development of new positions andfaculty promotion can be substantially influenced by thepotential for the position or faculty member to generateincome. More emphasis is being placed on fosteringprograms with good income generation; for example,indirect costs received by administrations from NIHgrants is 45%, compared with only 19% for USDA grantsfor most schools and colleges. Less attention is given tounderstanding or meeting the instructional needs forfuture veterinarians, including instruction in FADs, andmore to the financial issues of the institutions.

The Knowledge ExplosionThe expansion of new information and knowledge

has meant that the preparation of high-quality, entry-level general practitioners in 4 years leaves little timefor students to explore other avenues of veterinarymedicine, including FADs, globalization, leadership,and animal health policy development.11,12 Because moststudents think they will become small animal practi-tioners, many curricula increasingly emphasize coursesrelated to small animals,b while required hours in FADsand related topics are reduced or eliminated. Even morerestrictive are the curricula of some schools and col-leges that encourage students to pursue a species focusat the expense of a comparative medicine education,which prepares an even more narrowly educated veteri-narian. As faculty with a comparative medicine per-spective diminish in number, schools and colleges ofveterinary medicine are engaging in fewer discussionsand debates about current and long-term needs of vet-erinary medical education, including education inFADs. This is particularly disconcerting and unfortu-nate, considering the diversity of animal health issues isescalating in complexity as globalization expands in anera of increasing uncertainty about biosecurity.13

The Changing Face of Employment and the Admissions Policy

Veterinarians representing several subspecialties ofveterinary medicine have historically had key roles inour FAD defense surveillance network. We have reliedprimarily on large animal veterinarians, particularlyfood animal practitioners, to assume much of theresponsibility for early recognition of FADs and educa-tion of the public about FADs.

Coupled with the diminishing education in FADs,fewer graduating veterinarians have elected to pursuelarge animal practice, which in the past constituted an

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important first line of recognition of and defenseagainst FADs. Between 1991 and 2001, the percentageof new graduates entering a predominantly large ani-mal practice decreased from 10% to about 3%, where-as those entering exclusively large animal practiceremained at about 3%.14 The veterinary profession isnot meeting the historic needs to protect against FADs,and educational institutions have not positioned them-selves (through admissions recruitment or curricula)to address the expanding demand for veterinarianseducated in FADs and the diversity of challenges theprofession faces.7 The emphasis on recruitment of stu-dents interested in small animal private veterinarypractice has ignored the long-standing critical shortageof nontraditional veterinarians, including those whocan assume leadership roles in public and private sec-tor programs addressing threats of FADs. There hasbeen little, if any, accountability on the part of deansand faculty who have promoted curricula and admis-sions that fail to address current and emerging needs ofthe veterinary medical profession, including the educa-tion of veterinary students about FADs.

For whatever reason, a substantial educational dis-connection has occurred between those who develop thecurricula and admissions standards in veterinary schoolsand colleges (the faculty and deans) and societal needsfor veterinary medicine. This disconnection has resultedin a critical gap between the current and emerging mar-ket demand for veterinarians and the type of veterinarianproduced by the prevailing admissions criteria and cur-ricula.7,10,12 As a consequence, we have an acute and criti-cal shortage of veterinarians prepared to address FADs.

Accreditation SystemsAVMA—The AVMA’s Council on Education

(COE) requires that veterinary schools and collegesmeet certain curriculum standards to receive fullaccreditation, as assessed every 7 years.15 Curriculumcommittees at schools and colleges are intended to fol-low these standards in developing their curricula. In2000, a USAHA resolution16 requested that the COEformally mention FADs in the required curriculumstandard; this change was approved by the AVMAExecutive Board in June 2002 and will go into effect inJune 2003. These standards offer general guidelines forcurricula but do not specify that FAD education isrequired of all students. Unfortunately, we believe thateven such standards may not be followed by all schoolsand colleges of veterinary medicine, which likely con-tributes to the diminishing attention being given toFADs in veterinary curricula. Schools and colleges maynot feel compelled to follow COE standards, becausethere may be few, if any, adverse consequences for notfollowing them.

One of the reasons that curricula deficient inFAD requirements may have been allowed to persistis that many schools and colleges lack appropriatemeans for outcome assessment as required by theCOE standards. A commonly held misconception isthat the North American Veterinary LicensingExamination (NAVLE), which must be passedbefore a veterinarian can become licensed to prac-tice, is an appropriate means of assessing whether a

curriculum has adequately prepared veterinary stu-dents in FADs. Although the NAVLE may address acandidate’s knowledge of FADs to a limited extent, itdoes not provide an assessment of a school’s cur-riculum.17 Consequently, a high pass rate on theNAVLE for a particular veterinary school or collegeshould not be interpreted to mean that the curricu-lum is appropriate or that the required core curricu-lum provides necessary education in FADs. After therevised COE standards go into effect, annual inde-pendent assessments should be undertaken of allschools and colleges to evaluate whether all gradu-ating students have received necessary and appro-priate instruction in FADs.

USDA—Historically, the USDA accredited veteri-narians by examination. The veterinarians had todemonstrate that they possessed knowledge andunderstanding of FADs as well as other diseases, suchas brucellosis and tuberculosis. In 1992, however, theUSDA discontinued the examination, and assessmentof a candidate’s knowledge and understanding of FADswas to be based on review by the USDA of courseworktaken while attending a veterinary school or college.18

In recognition of this severe deficiency, the USAHAsubmitted a resolution in 2000 to the USDA requestingrenewal of the examination to test knowledge of FADsand competency for those applying for accreditation.19

The USDA recently initiated a process to begin devel-oping a program to evaluate FAD instruction in veteri-nary schools and colleges.20 Consequently, veterinari-ans accredited since 1992 have not had to demonstrateby examination or review of coursework that they pos-sess any knowledge of FADs. In light of the diminish-ing instruction in FADs offered by veterinary schoolsand colleges, it is unlikely that many USDA-accreditedveterinarians have the necessary educational back-ground to prevent or recognize an FAD. In fact, practi-tioners have acknowledged their lack of education andpreparedness for FADs. In a survey of 290 licensed vet-erinarians in California, most of whom were USDAaccredited, 53% indicated they were either not wellprepared or poorly prepared for an FAD.b Recently pro-posed changes in the National Veterinary AccreditationProgram21 will help foster continuing education inFADs, but accreditation may still be obtainable withoutdemonstrating knowledge of the FADs.

Continuing Education and Access to Information on FADs

Another deficiency in the educational prepared-ness against FADs is the lack of a standardized programby which practitioners and others, including veterinar-ians in the public sector, can review their basic knowl-edge of FADs and learn about new diagnostics, vac-cines, disinfectants, control programs, governmentpolicies, and current geographic distributions of dis-ease. Although some Web-based programs are beingdeveloped,22,23 there is no central secure repository onFADs that accredited veterinarians can access daily forupdated, scientifically well-founded information on abroad spectrum of issues related to each FAD. Therepository would need to be managed by a govern-

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mental agency, with necessary safeguards and citationsof appropriate supporting literature.

Educational Improvements to Address the New and Changing Risks of FADs

Considered together, the recent outbreaks of FMDand exotic Newcastle disease, bioterrorist attacks,decline in the number of large animal veterinarians,diminished curricular importance in FADs, and cur-rent admissions philosophies portend an era ofincreased vulnerability and risk for the United States inacquiring FADs.

Veterinary education in FADs will continue to befundamental in managing and securing animal healthor animal commodities at corporate, industry, and gov-ernment levels. Veterinarians involved in decision-making at corporate or multiherd levels will increas-ingly need to understand risks to animal health or ani-mal health products that will affect the company, theproducer, or society. An understanding of these riskswill be critical in developing and enacting marketingplans, biosecurity programs, and state, national, andinternational policies that will maximize trade and eco-nomic returns by protecting US animal resources andhealth. More career opportunities are developing innational and international animal health-related agen-cies and multinational corporations that deal with foodanimals and their products. Veterinarians involved atthe corporate or industry level need to understand howFADs could affect the short- and long-term viability ofthe business or commodity and be able to developeffective strategies aimed at prevention and, if neces-sary, control. Therefore, a key responsibility of veteri-narians in the next 20 years will be to design andimplement FAD biosecurity programs aimed at pro-tecting their clients’ animal health-related interests.These veterinarians will need to become better educat-ed in diagnostic epidemiology and testing (includingscreening and surveillance for FADs), epidemiologicconcepts of biosecurity, and FAD risk assessment. Forthese veterinarians to be effective at the corporate,industry, or government level, they will also need toreceive leadership training related to FADs. Clearly, thebreadth and quality of veterinary education in FADswill continue to impact our domestic and internation-al trade; our local, regional, and national biosecurity;and our leadership position in making decisions anddeveloping programs of harmonization that affect ani-mal health globally.

A New Role For Veterinarians in Small Animal Practice

If we recognize that the percentage of graduatesentering large animal practices has been declining overthe past 10 years14 and that 75 to 80% of veterinary stu-dents plan to join a small animal practice, then we mustacknowledge that small animal veterinarians will have toassume a new role as an essential element of our first lineof defense, which includes not only surveillance forFADs but education of clients and the public aboutFADs. This new role for small animal veterinarians is jus-tified by virtue of the wide species variation seen bysmall animal practitioners, including exotic birds, pot-

bellied pigs, pocket pets (eg, hamsters, rats, rabbits, ger-bils), and reptiles and because there is an opportunity toeducate a diverse and broad segment of society repre-sented by owners of companion animals. Many of theseanimals may come from other countries (legally or ille-gally) and could have exotic diseases that threaten thehealth of animals and humans in the United States.Unfortunately, proposed changes in USDA accreditationpolicy, whereby accredited companion animal practition-ers could be exempt from knowing about importantFADs of livestock,21 would further diminish competencyof the veterinary profession in addressing FADs. It will becritical that all veterinarians possess the necessary andappropriate global perspective about FADs, recognizeand understand their responsibility to protect animalsfrom FADs,24 know how to evaluate and use technologiesto gain information about FADs, and be able to respondrapidly and appropriately to possible FAD situations.

Concepts for the New Curriculum in Veterinary Schools and Colleges in the United States

The development of education, curricula, andinstruction necessary to prepare veterinary studentsand veterinarians for the new and emerging challengeswe face locally and globally, including new FAD threatsand vulnerabilities, will require a concerted and coor-dinated effort on many fronts. ' Veterinary schools and colleges should develop

comprehensive FAD curricula, including cocur-ricula that address:' FAD diagnosis, prevention, control, eradica-

tion, and epidemiology; domestic and interna-tional impacts of disease; and importance ofdisease control programs for society.

' Complexity of animal industries, trade, inter-national economics, and the impact of FADs.

' Developing a strong international perspective,including overseas instruction.

' FAD externships in government, corporations,industry, the military, and intelligence services.

' Domestic and foreign agroterrorism.' Surveillance and biosecurity.' Hands-on experience (overseas/Plum Island)

with FADs.' Preparing veterinarians as educators in FADs.' Preparing veterinarians as leaders in FADs.' Motivating intellectual curiosity and interest

in FADs.' Global interdependence of animal health. ' Harmonization of medicine, methods, and

policies aimed at FADs.' In coordination with diagnostic laboratories,

schools and colleges should develop strong cur-ricula in diagnostic medicine and epidemiologyspecifically addressing FADs and recognition ofunknown, new, and emerging diseases.

' Schools and colleges should develop recruitmentprograms that will encourage admission of stu-dents to become one of the new types of veteri-narians needed to meet the increasing demandfor veterinary leadership in FADs.

' School and college administrations should develop

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new faculty positions that will address FADresearch and instruction.

' The USDA, cooperative extension services, schoolsand colleges of veterinary medicine, and theDepartment of Homeland Security should collabo-rate to develop a continuing education program forveterinarians, including distance learning methods.

' Continuing education in FADs should berequired as part of state license and USDAaccreditation renewals.

' The USDA-APHIS should increase foreign animaldisease training and courses at Plum Island forpractitioners and students.

' The Student Chapter of the AVMA should take aleadership role in promoting education in FADs.

' The AVMA should take a leadership role in pro-moting FAD education and in providing annualindependent outcomes assessment of FAD educa-tion at all schools and colleges of veterinary med-icine after the revised COE standards take effect.

' The Association of American Veterinary MedicalColleges should take a leadership role in promot-ing education in FADs.

' The AVMA’s COE should strengthen the curricu-lum standard relative to FADs, rigorously reviewschool and college curricula for instruction inFADs, and remove schools and colleges from fullaccreditation status if necessary FAD coveragefor all students is not met.

' The USDA-APHIS and the Department ofHomeland Security should reinstate an accredita-tion examination that assesses knowledge andskills in FADs.

' State veterinarians and veterinary agenciesshould require an examination of accredited vet-erinarians to test knowledge of FADs if the USDAfails to require an examination.

' USDA-APHIS; state veterinarians; cooperativeextension services; universities; the military; theDepartment of Homeland Security; and state,regional, and university diagnostic laboratoriesshould collaborate to develop a central and stan-dardized repository of FAD information thatwould permit access to basic reviews, pho-tographs of lesions, new information, and cur-rent global disease status.

' Schools and colleges should develop programs toeducate faculty in current and emerging needsfor veterinary medical education and in the con-cept that faculty and deans share the responsibil-ity for global leadership in veterinary educationin general and in FADs in particular.

' Veterinary schools and colleges should developmeans of assessing the outcome of their curriculumwith respect to FAD knowledge and understanding.

' All parties should encourage initiatives and fund-ing to boost veterinary medical education andresearch for FADs, as was done recently by theWellcome Foundation in the United Kingdom.25

SummaryVeterinary medical education in FADs has been

and will continue to be critically important if veteri-

narians are expected to fulfill the profession’s prima-ry obligations to society—those of protecting ouranimals’ health, conserving our animal resources,and promoting public health.24 It is imperative thatcurricula and instruction in veterinary schools andcolleges provide the depth and breadth of knowledgeand understanding necessary to prepare all veterinar-ians, including those in private practice, for their keyrole in defending against FADs. Development andimplementation of governmental and military pro-grams to diagnose, prevent, control, and eradicateFADs will require a dedicated cadre of public sectorveterinarians who have a solid educational founda-tion in FADs and understand the contemporaryissues and global challenges we face. Animal-relatedindustries, associations, and organizations willincreasingly rely on well-educated veterinarians tohelp guide them in ways that will protect animals,clientele, consumers, and trading partners fromeffects of FADs. Agencies and organizations con-cerned with conservation of animal resources willrequire veterinary expertise necessary to preventFADs in a multitude of animal species, includingmarine animals, wildlife, endangered species, zoo-logic specimens, and important genetic lines as wellas our domestic companion and livestock species.Species affected by FADs also include human beingsfor those disease agents with zoonotic potential;thus, veterinary education also plays a key role inpublic health.

aCommittee Members (in addition to the authors): Linda L. Logan, DVM,PhD, Round Rock, Tex; Tracey S. McNamara, DVM, DACVP, New York,NY; Lee M. Myers, DVM, MPH, Atlanta, Ga; John A. Smith, DVM, MS,MAM, DACVIM, DACPV, Baldwin, Ga; Harry O. Snelson, DVM, Burgaw,NC; and Alfonso Torres, DVM, PhD, Ithaca, NY.

bThurmond M, Kirk J. Survey of California veterinarians about for-eign animal disease preparedness, University of California, Davis,Calif: Unpublished data, 2002.

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Educational preparedness of veterinarians for foreign animal diseases