Veterinary education

The New Zealand Veterinary Association Te Pae Kīrehe (NZVA) continues to advocate for members on matters relating to veterinary education following the release of the Veterinary Schools of Australia and New Zealand (VSANZ) report, Rethinking Veterinary Education.

Background

VSANZ is made up of eight schools across Australia and New Zealand who work collaboratively to advance veterinary education and research.

In 2022, VSANZ commissioned a comprehensive review of veterinary education in Australia and New Zealand, in response to chronic and acute challenges facing veterinary education in Australasia. The review was undertaken by an expert panel comprising Dr Helen Scott-Orr AM PSM (Chair), Professor Grant Guilford (NZVA Board chair), and Professor Susan Rhind (UK). The review examined the:

• key skills, knowledge and attributes that veterinarians will need in the next decade
• key challenges and opportunities faced by veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand, options for structural reform to make schools financially sustainable, and the opportunity to develop a new kind of professional Australian and/or New Zealand veterinary qualification with modularisation or specialisation options
• strength of research performance of Australasian veterinary schools and the nexus between a school’s research capability and its capacity to educate veterinarians suited to the modern workforce.

A variety of stakeholders, including the NZVA, were involved in the review. The NZVA prepared a submission to support the review on behalf of members. Following a member survey about the review, we held an online focus group meeting to finalise the submission in October 2022. You can watch a recording of this meeting below.

Read the NZVA submission

'Rethinking Veterinary Education' report

In July 2023, VSANZ issued the independent review panel’s report, which found that veterinary education in Australasia is at a crisis point, with inadequate funding and deteriorating wellbeing among students, staff and graduates.

The report makes 25 recommendations for veterinary schools, their universities, accrediting bodies, veterinary professional associations and governments. We have identified 11 recommendations that we think are most relevant to our professional members. You can read a summary of these recommendations and how they might impact the NZVA and our members below.