Creating the Next Generation of Evidence-Based Veterinary Practitioners and Researchers: What are the Options for Globally Diverse Veterinary Curricula?

Veterinary educators strive to prepare graduates for a variety of career options with the skills and knowledge to use and contribute to research as part of their lifelong practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). In the veterinary curriculum, students should receive a grounding in research and EBVM, as well as have the opportunity to consider research as a career. Seeing a lack of a cohesive body of information that identified the options and the challenges inherent to embedding such training in veterinary curricula, an international group was formed with the goal of synthesizing evidence to help curriculum designers, course leaders, and teachers implement educational approaches that will inspire future researchers and produce evidence-based practitioners. This article presents a literature review of the rationale, issues, and options for research and EBVM in veterinary curricula. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 key stakeholders across the eight Council for International Veterinary Medical Education (CIVME) regions. Emergent themes from the literature and interviews for including research and EBVM skills into the curriculum included societal need, career development, and skills important to clinical professional life. Approaches included compulsory as well as optional learning opportunities. Barriers to incorporating these skills into the curriculum were grouped into student and faculty-/staff-related issues, time constraints in the curriculum, and financial barriers. Having motivated faculty and contextualizing the teaching were considered important to engage students. The information has been summarized in an online "toolbox" that is freely available for educators to inform curriculum development.