WOAH and FAO Collaborate on Veterinary Curriculum Assessment at S. Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University (KATRU)
WOAH developed comprehensive “Recommendations on the competencies of graduating veterinarians (“Day-1 graduates”) to ensure the quality of National Veterinary Services” and “Veterinary Education Core Curriculum” that veterinary students must fulfill before completing their veterinary professional programs.
In June 2024, a joint WOAH/FAO initiative was undertaken to assess the veterinary curriculum at KATRU. Sixteen teaching staff and 8 students, including final-year DVM, Master’s, and PhD took an active part in the assessment.
Before this activity, extensive research was conducted to select an appropriate assessment tool and request various documents from the university, including the current curriculum, syllabuses, and educational standards.
Several tools for assessment were developed during the various WOAH VEE twinning projects in the past; From these, we selected to use the Evaluation Tool for WOAH Day 1 Graduating Veterinarian Competencies developed by the Ohio State University (OSU) and its Twinning partner, the University of Gondar. It can be used to systematically assess new veterinary graduates’ skills and knowledge outlined in the WOAH recommendations.
The Evaluation Tool consists of a series of charts and tables, in which the components of the 11 specific and 8 advanced competency guidelines are expanded by breaking down the components of the WOAH recommendations into more narrow subcomponents, many of which are highlighted in the WOAH Veterinary Education Core Curriculum Guidelines. In total, the tool presents 156 learning outcomes (LOs).
This approach allows to specifically and systematically qualify and quantify competence in each particular area of veterinary medicine, providing clear examples and definitions of knowledge and performance expectations that allow to qualify a new veterinary graduate from highly competent to insufficient or not competent or absence of the learning outcomes in the curriculum.
Moreover, for the first time during this KATRU assessment, the WOAH has adapted and piloted its recently developed curriculum alignment matrix specifically designed for education assessment of veterinary paraprofessionals (para-veterinarians, VPPs) curricula to apply it to a veterinary curriculum. The results from using this tool, alongside other established evaluation tools, are currently being analyzed to determine respective strengths and weaknesses for future curricula assessments.
Before the assessment tools were created, the mere distribution of recommendations to universities did not efficiently harmonize curricula with WOAH standards. Reviewing WOAH recommendations universities believed that their curricula were already in compliance with them. However, going through a detailed examination of learning outcomes (LOs) in the tool revealed significant gaps sometimes due to misunderstandings of key definitions and concepts. For example, there were common confusions between terms like veterinary Competent Authority and Veterinary Statutory Body (VSB), animal health, and animal welfare, largely because these definitions were not yet embedded in national legislation and some bodies were absent in the country. Additionally, the experience with the faculties demonstrated that gaps exist in areas such as risk analysis and international trade.
The key conclusions focused on the following areas:
Future Steps:
This initiative marks a significant step towards improving veterinary education and ensuring that graduates are well-equipped to meet the demands of National Veterinary Services. We look forward to continued collaboration with the universities and progress in this vital area.
By enhancing the veterinary curriculum and addressing existing gaps, we can ensure that future veterinarians are fully prepared to uphold and advance animal health and welfare standards globally.
