Importance of Welfare and Ethics Competence Regarding Animals Kept for Scientific Purposes to Veterinary Students in Australia and New Zealand

Authors

Teresa Collins, Murdoch UniversityFollow
Amelia Cornish, University of SydneyFollow
Jennifer Hood, Murdoch UniversityFollow
Chris Degeling, University of WollongongFollow
Andrew D. Fisher, University of MelbourneFollow
Rafael Freire, Charles Sturt UniversityFollow
Susan J. Hazel, University of AdelaideFollow
Jane Johnson, Macquarie UniversityFollow
Jennifer K.F. Lloyd, James Cook UniversityFollow
Clive J.C. Phillips, University of Queensland, AustraliaFollow
Vicky Tzioumis, University of SydneyFollow
Paul D. McGreevy, University of SydneyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-14-2018

Abstract

Veterinarians are in a strong position of social influence on animal-related issues. Hence, veterinary schools have an opportunity to raise animal health and welfare standards by improving veterinary students’ animal welfare and ethics (AWE) education, including that related to animals used for scientific purposes. A survey of 818 students in the early, mid, and senior stages of their courses at all eight veterinary schools across Australia and New Zealand was undertaken on their first day of practice (or Day One Competences) to explore how veterinary students viewed the importance of their competence in the management of welfare and ethical decision-making relating to animals kept for scientific purposes. From highest to lowest, the rankings they assigned were: Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) Procedures or Requirements; 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction); Humane Endpoints; Euthanasia; “What Is a Research Animal?”; and Conscientious Objections. Female students rated Conscientious Objections, Humane Endpoints, and Euthanasia significantly higher than male students did across the three stages of study. The score patterns for these three variates showed a trend for the male students to be more likely to score these topics as extremely important as they advanced through the course, but female students’ scores tended to decline slightly or stay relatively stable. No gender differences emerged for the three variates: 3Rs (Replacement, Refinement and Reduction); AEC Procedures or Requirements; and “What Is a Research Animal?”. This study demonstrates that understandings of the regulatory and normative frameworks are considered most important in animal welfare and ethics competence in veterinary students. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate what importance veterinary students place on their competence regarding animals kept for scientific purposes.

Comments

Open access article

Recommended Citation

Collins, T., Cornish, A., Hood, J., Degeling, C., Fisher, A., Freire, R., ... & Tzioumis, V. (2018). Importance of welfare and ethics competence regarding animals kept for scientific purposes to veterinary students in Australia and New Zealand. Veterinary sciences, 5(3), 66.