Assuntos
Educação em Veterinária , Emprego/estatística & dados numéricos , Pesquisa , Medicina Veterinária , Animais , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. , Surtos de Doenças/estatística & dados numéricos , Surtos de Doenças/veterinária , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Indústria Farmacêutica , Educação em Veterinária/economia , Educação em Veterinária/estatística & dados numéricos , Educação em Veterinária/tendências , Emprego/tendências , Inocuidade dos Alimentos , Alimentos Geneticamente Modificados , Humanos , Pesquisa/tendências , Estados Unidos , United States Department of Agriculture , United States Food and Drug Administration , Medicina Veterinária/tendências , Recursos Humanos , Zoonoses/epidemiologiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Continuing education is mandatory for veterinarians in Germany and Austria. The objective of this study was to analyse interests and preferences of veterinarians in cattle practice as well as to elucidate framework requirements for continuing education, including e-learning. Results should help to improve and to optimise continuing education programs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was conducted as a questionnaire via internet and shared at two local meetings as well as by email to members of the Farm Animal Health Service Styria (Tiergesundheitsdienst Steiermark). All responses were analysed anonymously. RESULTS: A total of 259 questionnaires were returned and 195 were included in the final analyses. The majority of participants (59.0%) were in farm animal practice for more than 10 years. Of the participants, 50.8% declared to have attended up to five continuing education events per year, 27.7% more than five. The majority (71.5%) had no experience with e-learning at that time. With regard to framework requirements for attending continuing education events, the majority (62.8%) of participants preferred events of 2 days over weekends. Total expenses, including costs for travelling and lodging, should not exceed 500 per event (62.8% of participants). The favourite topics were animal reproduction (87.2%), metabolic disorders (85.6%) and mastitis (79.4%). Participants with less than 5 years of professional experience chose significantly more often the topics feed analyses, acupuncture, pregnancy diagnosis and homoeopathy/phytotherapy than participants with longer professional experience. CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide important information about the interests and framework requirements for continuing education for cattle practitioners that should help to improve the offers in continuing education programs.