Monitoring the Veterinary Medical Student Experience: An Institutional Pilot Study

Abstract

Veterinary medical school challenges students academically and personally, and some students report depression and anxiety at rates higher than the general population and other medical students. This study describes changes in veterinary medical student self-esteem (SE) over four years of professional education, attending to differences between high and low SE students and the characteristics specific to low SE veterinary medical students. The study population was students enrolled at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine from 2006 to 2012. We used data from the annual anonymous survey administered college-wide that is used to monitor the curriculum and learning environment. The survey asked respondents to rate their knowledge and skill development, learning environment, perceptions of stress, skill development, and SE. Participants also provided information on their academic performance and demographics. A contrasting groups design was used: high and low SE students were compared using logistic regression to identify factors associated with low SE. A total of 1,653 respondents met inclusion criteria: 789 low SE and 864 high SE students. The proportion of high and low SE students varied over time, with the greatest proportion of low SE students during the second-year of the program. Perceived stress was associated with low SE, whereas perceived supportive learning environment and skill development were associated with high SE. These data have provided impetus for curricular and learning environment changes to enhance student support. They also provide guidance for additional research to better understand various student academic trajectories and their implications for success.

Career aspiration in UK veterinary students: the influences of gender, self‐esteem and year of study

“…Although family responsibilities may help explain the gender divide seen in leadership in the profession, one would not expect this to have the same impact on the students’ prior leadership roles (such as in the SU). An additional explanation for the observed gender effect on leadership aspiration may lie in differences in confidence and self‐esteem, observed in this study as well as in another recent report of veterinary students (Miller and others 2015), reports of students in general (Abouserie 1994) and in the population as a whole (Kling and others 1999). The authors found that students of either gender with higher confidence and self‐esteem were more likely to aspire to practice ownership; in the earlier study of self‐esteem in veterinary students, higher self‐esteem students had more positive views of their learning and skills development, and of their educational experience, and experienced less stress, all of which may positively influence their pursuit of leadership roles.…”

DVM students report higher psychological distress than the Australian public, medical students, junior medical officers and practicing veterinarians

“…Female students had a notably higher median K10 score, a finding consistent with previous studies including the NHS of the general Australian population, practicing veterinarians, and medical students . While there are no studies directly exploring the association between gender and stress levels in veterinary students, some studies report that female students tend to have lower self‐esteem (SE) compared to male students . One study found that students with low SE reported higher levels of stress compared to students with higher SE .…”

“…While there are no studies directly exploring the association between gender and stress levels in veterinary students, some studies report that female students tend to have lower self‐esteem (SE) compared to male students . One study found that students with low SE reported higher levels of stress compared to students with higher SE . A US study found that female students also experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety, lower levels of life satisfaction, and lower levels of general health compared to male students .…”

“…Numerous studies have been conducted on the mental health of veterinarians in the light of increased suicide prevalence in the profession compared to other professions and the general population. 2‐4,21 Recently, there has been more focus on veterinary students' mental health with most of study findings revealing that they also had increased stress and anxiety levels . These studies were conducted at multiple institutions while the studies in Australian were limited to two institutions .…”

“…These statistics have prompted researchers to ask whether it is the career choice alone that predisposes to mental health illnesses that ultimately increase risk of suicide, or whether people who become veterinarians are predisposed to or have pre‐existing mental health illnesses even before they begin their professional careers. Recent studies suggest it might be the latter: veterinary students are reported to have increased stress and anxiety levels which are above the cut off levels for the diagnosis of clinical depression …”