Tracking in Vet School

By: Justin Graham

University of Georgia, Class of 2013

All creatures great and small – the classic James Herriot book has exemplified what has been the traditional view of a veterinarian, readily capable of treating all animals from the barnyard to the household.  Over the years as the general public has clung to this romantic idea, the veterinary profession itself has been gradually diverging and become increasingly specialized.  This divergence has raised the debate over whether vet schools should be focusing on the traditional broad-based, comparative medicine curriculum or on a more specialized, tracking curriculum.  Changing times call for changing paradigms and it is time for vet schools to begin embracing the idea of a specialized profession with a career tracking curriculum.

To say that the first year of vet school is overwhelming would be an understatement.  My personal experience thus far has been akin to solving a jig-saw puzzle in which the pieces are thrown at you, one-by-one, in no particular order and you are expected to put them together in a coherent and timely fashion.  Research and technology have created an explosion of information and new ideas that have changed the way we approach medicine.  To cover everything over the course of 4 years is information overload.  Expectations of students should be based on their intended career paths.  While a good comparative medicine foundation should be fundamental in all curriculum, it is impractical for a student with a speciality career path to be overloaded with irrevelant information outside his or her speciality.  Doing so creates a situation for instructors that is like pouring water into a leaky bucket.

One of the biggest problems with career tracking is that while it allows for a more narrowed and focused career path it also has the potential to create too narrow of a path, making it difficult for a student or practitioner to change career interests later on.  It also has the potential to lead a vast majority of undecided students down a “mixed animal” track so that they don’t shut out options down the road.  Both of these are valid concerns, but most students entering vet school already have an envisioned career path and generally hold steady to that path throughout school and on into practice.  Experience and exposure to other career options early on in their curriculum is crucial and can be a critical factor in helping undecided students find their way or perhaps even leading to a change of heart for some students.

Our society has become increasingly specialized and has led to clients with specialized needs and demands.  The goal of vet schools should be to educate prospective vets to meet these needs and demands.  Some might argue that internships and residencies fulfill these roles.  While that may hold some truth, a career track should begin during the 4 years of vet school…the earlier the better.  Introduction to one’s track should begin during the first or second year with a gradual exposure over the next 2 or 3 years as one builds a solid comparative medicine base and then branches outward from there.  Times have changed and the veterinary profession has as well, school curriculum should address these changes and work towards graduating veterinarians that meet client’s needs and demands.