1. Preparing Veterinarians to Address the Health Impacts of Climate Change: Student Perceptions, Knowledge Gaps, and Opportunities
- Author
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Christina Geldert, Anna E. Pollard, Shehnav S. Sekhon, Lindsay MacDonald, Kaitlin McGuffin, Molly J. Carpenter, Colleen Duncan, Collin G. Kramer, Emily G. Kastendieck, Daena L. Rowlison, and Allison Kohnen
- Subjects
Preventative Medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Climate Change ,Climate change ,Population health ,Veterinarians ,Education ,0403 veterinary science ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Political science ,Global health ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Students ,Curriculum ,Student perceptions ,General Veterinary ,business.industry ,Public health ,Continuing education ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,Public relations ,Perception ,Education, Veterinary ,business - Abstract
Climate change poses a significant and increasing threat to global health. While veterinarians play integral roles in public and environmental health, the profession has been less engaged in the topic of climate change relative to their human medical counterparts. The objective of this study was to synthesize veterinary students’ perceptions and knowledge about the relationship between veterinary medicine and climate change to identify educational gaps and opportunities. An online questionnaire was disseminated to American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)-accredited veterinary colleges through the Student American Veterinary Medical Association newsletter. Respondents were overwhelmingly confident that climate change is happening, is due to human activities, and is impacting both human and animal health. Veterinary students also expressed the belief that veterinarians should take a leadership role on the issue of climate change, especially through promoting environmental sustainability in clinical practice. Despite this enthusiasm, most students reported a lack of educational opportunities within their veterinary programs. The results of this survey highlight opportunities for the development of educational resources on the topic, many of which could complement existing material such as that devoted to practice management, economics, and client communication. Veterinarians have the potential to meaningfully contribute to both mitigation and adaptation efforts around climate change; however, they must be equipped with the tools to do so.
- Published
- 2021