Multinational Perspectives on Professionalism Skills in the Veterinary Medicine Curriculum: Teaching, Assessment and...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Education
• Professionalism Studies
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Professionalism skills (PS) are core veterinary graduate competencies, yet consensus on essential skills and pedagogical approaches is limited.
• Professionalism is increasingly viewed as a longitudinal, identity-forming process beyond discrete skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a multinational overview of how veterinary teaching institutions teach and assess PS.
• To identify factors influencing the sustainability of professionalism curricula in veterinary education.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining a quantitative survey (n=95) and qualitative data from focus groups and interviews across six veterinary education regions.
• Survey data examined current PS teaching, assessment practices, and implementation challenges.
• Qualitative data explored institutional support, stakeholder perspectives, and curriculum change factors.

Main Results:

• 93% of institutions embed PS, with communication skills most frequently taught. Hybrid delivery models are common (44%).
• Written assessments are prevalent for ethics, welfare, and evidence-based veterinary medicine.
• Key barriers to sustainability include inadequate educator training (46%), limited curriculum space (44%), and insufficient faculty engagement (39%).

Conclusions:

• Veterinary professionalism curricula require robust educator support and institutional commitment for sustainability.
• Fostering professionalism as an identity-forming process necessitates addressing curriculum integration, faculty development, and systemic support.