Entrepreneurship education and veterinary medicine: enhancing employable skills

Abstract

Purpose -This paper has the purpose of exploring the potential for entrepreneurship education within veterinary medicine. It aims to examine some of the key themes in the entrepreneurship education literature, discuss the make-up of the UK veterinary sector, consider veterinary curricula requirements and illustrate how entrepreneurship education can benefit veterinary students. Design/methodology/approach -The approach adopted by the authors includes a literature review, in-depth discussion and the development of hypotheses for further study. Findings -Entrepreneurship education has the potential to make a valuable contribution to veterinary medicine curricula. This is due to the fact that the majority of veterinary graduates will work in or even own/co-own a veterinary business (i.e. a small veterinary practice) at some point in their career. In this context, the authors illustrate how entrepreneurship education can enhance both employable and day one/year one skills. The high entry requirements for veterinary programmes and the gender shift towards a predominantly female under-and postgraduate population add further interesting dimensions to the paper and present possible avenues for further research.Research limitations/implications -This is a conceptual paper and it is fully recognised that the concepts and hypotheses proposed need to be further developed and tested at the empirical level. Some interesting avenues for future research that could contribute significantly to this field are also identified. Originality/value -The paper highlights the potential value of incorporating entrepreneurship education within veterinary curricula. It also identifies how such incorporation can enhance students' employable skills and deliver many of the skills included in veterinary medicine's day one/year one competences' agenda.

Predictors of burnout among Belgrade veterinary students: A cross-sectional study

“…Modifying the curriculum at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which includes lectures on skills for overcoming stress and stressful situations, may enable future veterinarians to improve their skills in the workplace and their mental health, which would contribute to a higher satisfaction at their workplace. The integration of communication and coping skills and leadership, within education in the curricula of veterinary schools may improve the present situation [45,46]. On-line learning resources [47] together with online tutoring support [48] can incorporate student-centered learning in basic subjects which can help students to overcome stress.…”

Practices and Beliefs of Private Practitioners Surrounding Discounted Veterinary Services and Products

“…A veterinary practice is a service business and comes with all the demands that one expects from such an enterprise [10]. Despite the recognized importance of business skills to the success of the veterinary profession, training in this area has historically been quite limited [11][12][13][14][15]. This deficiency in business acumen has been noted among several studies including a 2009 national survey in which veterinary students were asked to respond to an online basic business concepts 'quiz' [12].…”

The Veterinary Business Landscape: Contemporary Issues and Emerging Trends

“…Thus, to date, women have not featured prominently as business leaders within the veterinary profession, nor have they been perceived as potential entrepreneurs or innovators. This point is particularly important, because based on what we know about women and business ownership/entrepreneurship generally (see, for example, Brush, 1997;Brush, Carter, Gatewood, Green & Hart, 2001;Henry & Treanor, 2010), it is unlikely that current levels of veterinary entrepreneurship will be maintained or, indeed, increased in a female dominated veterinary sector.…”

“…Indeed, there appears to be growing recognition that any type of entrepreneurship education can be extremely beneficial for students regardless of their discipline area. Such education not only prepares individuals for starting new businesses but, in increasingly competitive environments, equips students with the knowledge, skills and competences to engage in a more enterprising, innovative and flexible manner (Hynes & Richardson, 2007: 733), preparing them for a world where they will increasingly need to manage their own careers in an entrepreneurial way (Hytti & O'Gorman, 2004: 11-12) and add value to their employers' businesses (Henry & Treanor, 2010). …”