Survey of College Climates at All 28 US Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

In April 2011, a nationwide survey of all 28 US veterinary schools was conducted to determine the comfort level (college climate) of veterinary medical students with people from whom they are different. The original hypothesis was that some historically underrepresented students, especially those who may exhibit differences from the predominant race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, experience a less welcoming college climate. Nearly half of all US students responded to the survey, allowing investigators to make conclusions from the resulting data at a 99% CI with an error rate of less than 2% using Fowler's sample-size formula. Valuable information was captured despite a few study limitations, such as occasional spurious data reporting and little ability to respond in an open-ended manner (most questions had a finite number of allowed responses). The data suggest that while overall the majority of the student population is comfortable in American colleges, some individuals who are underrepresented in veterinary medicine (URVM) may not feel the same level of acceptance or inclusivity on veterinary school campuses. Further examination of these data sets may explain some of the unacceptably lower retention rates of some of these URVM students on campuses.

A survey of negative mental health outcomes, workplace and school climate, and identity disclosure for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and asexual veterinary professionals and students in the United States and United Kingdom

“…The percentage of veterinary professionals who self-identify as LGBTQ+ is unknown, but a 2011 survey of students at the 28 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States at that time reported that 6.5% of respondents self-identified as LGBTQ+. 11 This is higher than the percentage of individuals who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender in a sample of the general population assessed in 2016. 12 Given that the LGBTQ+ population is well-represented in the veterinary profession and that previous research 13,14 has demonstrated that individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ have a higher risk for negative mental health outcomes (defined as outcomes that include psychiatric diagnoses [eg, depression or suicidal ideation], behavioral outcomes that have potential mental health causes [eg, suicide attempts], and general psychological distress), it is important to assess the mental health of LGBTQ+ individuals who are studying and working in veterinary medicine.…”

“…Three questions were adopted from a previous survey. 11 Respondents were asked to indicate, on a scale from 1 (very supportive) to 5 (very unsupportive), their response to the following question: how supportive and understanding do you feel your workplace (school) is of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/ or transgender employees (students)? They were also asked to indicate, again on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (frequently), how often they were exposed to homophobic remarks and how often they were exposed to negative remarks about gender expression at work or school.…”

Raising campus awareness on issues of globalization in veterinary medical education

“…Current demographic student representation at RUSVM is very similar to other North American veterinary schools (Greenhill & Carmichael, 2014). Although the majority of faculty reported being White, 44% indicated being an international, non-US legal resident and listed their country of residency within Europe, Asia, Africa, or the Caribbean.…”

“…The survey was designed to assess campus climate defined as, "…the Artemiou E, Gilbert G, Fuentealba C, Greenhill L MedEdPublish https://doi.org/10.15694/mep.2018.0000021.1 level of comfort existing within the respective campuses considering individual differences". (Greenhill & Carmichael, 2014) The survey contained 50 questions. Specifically, it addressed seven topics of interest; 12 demographic questions, eight comfort questions, six language questions, seven harassment questions, six curriculum questions, seven curriculum support questions, and four faculty and student relationship questions (Greenhill & Carmichael, 2014).…”

“…(Greenhill & Carmichael, 2014) The survey contained 50 questions. Specifically, it addressed seven topics of interest; 12 demographic questions, eight comfort questions, six language questions, seven harassment questions, six curriculum questions, seven curriculum support questions, and four faculty and student relationship questions (Greenhill & Carmichael, 2014). RUSVM was the first international AVMA accredited college of veterinary medicine participating in the second climate study.…”