REFORMATION OF VETERINARY STUDENT EDUCATI ON - A CRITICAL-VIEW FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A PRACTICING VETERINARIAN

The paper critically reviews proposals made by the German Veterinary A ssociation and the German Association of Official Veterinarians concer ning a revision of veterinary student education and a revision of the rules and regulations of the German Veterinary Register from the viewp oint of a practising veterinarian. The central intention of the revisi on of veterinary student education is a reduction of student numbers i n laboratory and clinical courses, respectively. This is the only way to improve practical training. The fact that 60 percent of the graduat es has recently been female, must be considered when amending rules an d regulations pertaining to registration. As in Utrecht, a 6-month int ernship at a veterinary school or -college prior to the finals should be introduced Private internships are an additional burden for veterin ary practices and clinics. They can only be offered, when necessary st eps have been taken to provide appropriate conditions. The proposal of the German Association of Official Veterinarians to increase the time scheduled for teaching of meat and food hygiene is discarded. It is n ot possible to direct student interest towards a different career by t his means. However, more efforts appear to be necessary to emphasize t he importance of meat and food hygiene and to interest students in thi s field of work by influencing public opinion towards seeing veterinar ians as the leading experts in questions of animal and consumer protec tion. As for the students, aspects of animal and/or consumer protectio n should be mentioned in all lectures, clinical demonstrations and oth er courses so that students will put a higher value on both. The histo ry of veterinary medicine as a scientific discipline of the arts, as a corrective in an academic training directed more to the natural and t echnical sciences, and as an important part of the professional ''cult ure'' of veterinarians, should have more weight both in student educat ion and in the proposed revision of the rules and regulation of the Ge rman Veterinary Register. The German Association of Official Veterinar ians is asked to withdraw its proposal concerning the revision of the rules and regulations of the German Veterinary Register.