Are all vet schools equal? An exploration of postgraduate qualification attainment by alumni cohorts of seven UK veterinary schools.

Abstract

Abstract & IntroductionDo graduates from the different vet schools attain clinical and academic postgraduate qualifications (certificates, diplomas, masters, PhD and Fellowship) at the same rates? This is important because leadership and progress within the veterinary profession, as in human medicine, comes from advancing the frontier of our knowledge through research and clinical specialisation. Postgraduate qualifications are essential training for both and are therefore useful metrics to measure. In this study the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons annual registers of qualified vets from 2000-2021 were analysed. Significant and substantial differences in the proportion of graduates from different universities attaining postgraduate qualifications were observed. Whilst associations identified by this analysis cannot prove causation, they do strongly suggest the wide range of university-specific factors, such as student selection criteria, teaching methods, curriculum design and assessments which contribute to the culture and ethos of the institution have an impact on the career trajectory of their graduates.