Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on May 18, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports
News & Reports bva
Survey hears the voice of the veterinary profession THE BVA has begun to release the results of its first ‘Voice of the Profession’ survey, which was conducted earlier this year. The survey, which was carried out on the BVA’s behalf by the independent research company Alpha Research, was completed by 1208 vets, including 689 who work with companion animals. Among the results released so far by the BVA is the finding that 98 per cent of the companion animal vets who responded to the survey believed that their clients’ behaviour was influenced by what they found online. Forty per cent of these respondents said that owners’ online research was unhelpful, with only 6 per cent saying that it was more helpful than unhelpful. The survey also asked companion animal vets what the three most common health issues were in the animals presented to them. Skin diseases (mentioned by 70 per cent of respondents), gastrointestinal disorders (54 per cent) and musculoskeletal problems (45 per cent) were the top three issues raised, followed by obesity or obesityrelated disease (31 per cent), dental disease (24 per cent) and ear disease or infections (18 per cent). More than 80 per cent of the companion animal vets responding to the survey said that they had clients who brought their pets in later than ideally they should have done. The main reasons for this, as cited by the vets, included financial reasons, a lack of understanding, and owners attempting to treat or medicate their animals themselves. ‘It worries me to hear that so many people are relying on guesswork or unverified internet sources for health advice for their pets,’ said Robin Hargreaves, the BVA President. ‘While there is some useful information about pet behaviour and health available online, particularly from the established animal charities, the best source of information for animal health concerns will always be your vet who knows your pet.’ Other results released by the BVA concern veterinary students and young veterinary surgeons. Of the 121 veterinary students who responded to the survey and to the question ‘Knowing what you know now, would you choose to pursue a career as
a vet again’, 83 per cent said that they had not changed their mind about their intended career. Less than 1 per cent of veterinary students had changed their minds. However, when the same question was answered by 317 graduate vets aged between 26 and 34 years, 21 per cent said that they would not now choose to be a vet. A further 32 per cent said that they were uncertain if they would still choose to be a vet. Of those saying that they would not now choose to be a vet, more than half cited poor pay compared to equivalent professions as one reason for their answer. A similar proportion cited long hours or poor work-life balance. ‘We see the commitment and enthusiasm of young people during their studies and training for the veterinary profession and this is reflected in the findings of the BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey,’ said Mr Hargreaves. ‘Young people enter the profession because
they care about animals and their owners and are prepared to go through very tough studies and training to achieve their dream of becoming a vet. But we know that the reality of the profession can be different from expectations as a student.’ Highlighting some of the pressures on young veterinary surgeons, Mr Hargreaves said that the BVA was committed to supporting vets throughout their careers. The BVA had a number of initiatives, such as the Young Vet Network, aimed at young veterinary surgeons, but, he said, ‘More needs to be done. This includes working with schools and universities at the very start of young vets’ careers to ensure they are aware of the challenges ahead and to support them to develop the resilience to deal with those challenges and continue to enjoy and contribute to the profession we love.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.g5316
August 30, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 183
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on May 18, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Survey hears the voice of the veterinary profession Veterinary Record 2014 175: 183
doi: 10.1136/vr.g5316 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/8/183.1
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To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports
News & Reports bva
Survey hears the voice of the veterinary profession THE BVA has begun to release the results of its first ‘Voice of the Profession’ survey, which was conducted earlier this year. The survey, which was carried out on the BVA’s behalf by the independent research company Alpha Research, was completed by 1208 vets, including 689 who work with companion animals. Among the results released so far by the BVA is the finding that 98 per cent of the companion animal vets who responded to the survey believed that their clients’ behaviour was influenced by what they found online. Forty per cent of these respondents said that owners’ online research was unhelpful, with only 6 per cent saying that it was more helpful than unhelpful. The survey also asked companion animal vets what the three most common health issues were in the animals presented to them. Skin diseases (mentioned by 70 per cent of respondents), gastrointestinal disorders (54 per cent) and musculoskeletal problems (45 per cent) were the top three issues raised, followed by obesity or obesityrelated disease (31 per cent), dental disease (24 per cent) and ear disease or infections (18 per cent). More than 80 per cent of the companion animal vets responding to the survey said that they had clients who brought their pets in later than ideally they should have done. The main reasons for this, as cited by the vets, included financial reasons, a lack of understanding, and owners attempting to treat or medicate their animals themselves. ‘It worries me to hear that so many people are relying on guesswork or unverified internet sources for health advice for their pets,’ said Robin Hargreaves, the BVA President. ‘While there is some useful information about pet behaviour and health available online, particularly from the established animal charities, the best source of information for animal health concerns will always be your vet who knows your pet.’ Other results released by the BVA concern veterinary students and young veterinary surgeons. Of the 121 veterinary students who responded to the survey and to the question ‘Knowing what you know now, would you choose to pursue a career as
a vet again’, 83 per cent said that they had not changed their mind about their intended career. Less than 1 per cent of veterinary students had changed their minds. However, when the same question was answered by 317 graduate vets aged between 26 and 34 years, 21 per cent said that they would not now choose to be a vet. A further 32 per cent said that they were uncertain if they would still choose to be a vet. Of those saying that they would not now choose to be a vet, more than half cited poor pay compared to equivalent professions as one reason for their answer. A similar proportion cited long hours or poor work-life balance. ‘We see the commitment and enthusiasm of young people during their studies and training for the veterinary profession and this is reflected in the findings of the BVA Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey,’ said Mr Hargreaves. ‘Young people enter the profession because
they care about animals and their owners and are prepared to go through very tough studies and training to achieve their dream of becoming a vet. But we know that the reality of the profession can be different from expectations as a student.’ Highlighting some of the pressures on young veterinary surgeons, Mr Hargreaves said that the BVA was committed to supporting vets throughout their careers. The BVA had a number of initiatives, such as the Young Vet Network, aimed at young veterinary surgeons, but, he said, ‘More needs to be done. This includes working with schools and universities at the very start of young vets’ careers to ensure they are aware of the challenges ahead and to support them to develop the resilience to deal with those challenges and continue to enjoy and contribute to the profession we love.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.g5316
August 30, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 183
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on May 18, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Survey hears the voice of the veterinary profession Veterinary Record 2014 175: 183
doi: 10.1136/vr.g5316 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/175/8/183.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
