Should students have to learn about all the fields of veterinary medicine?
Most veterinary curricula aim at graduates being omnicompetent veterinarians. Several areas can only be touched superficially.
To alleviate the teaching load and to improve the competence of a graduate in a limited area of the broad spectrum, tracking
has been introduced at some universities. The students can choose, for instance, either farm-animal, equine, or companion-animal
medicine. The ultimate and, in my opinion, most desirable form of tracking is to allow students to choose their area of interest
when entering veterinary school. However, the core of veterinary education should remain comparative pathobiology, as all
disciplines of veterinary medicine stem from it.
Are you a cat or a dog person?
Initially I was fonder of dogs than cats. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate the special characteristics of cats. It has also been a pleasure to see that in the last two decades studies in cats have revealed several newly recognized clinical
entities.
REFERENCES
1. Rijnberk A, Eigenmann JE, Belshaw BE, et al. Acromegaly associated with transient overproduction of growth hormone in a
dog. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1980;177:534-537.
2. Vandenbroucke JP. Case reports in an evidence-based world. J R Soc Med 1999;92:159-163.
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