Plans and Hopes for Veterinary Education in Mexico

Transcription

1 Special Reports Plans and Hopes for Veterinary Education in Mexico Juan J. Taylor Preciado g Jorge Galindo Garcia g Daniel A.F. Villagomez Zavala ANTECEDENTS OF VETERINARY EDUCATION IN MEXICO Some ancient documents indicate that before the conquest of Mexico by Spain, there existed people who were dedicated to the treatment and care of wild and domestic animals, including birds, dogs, and fish; these animals were used for dress, pleasure, and the feeding of humans and other animals. In 1519 Hernan Cortez, in his conquest of Mexico, 1 is thought to have brought with him 11 horses, five mares, and a few dogs. Later, around 1540, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were introduced to the Mexican region of the continent, and this then required that there be individuals with knowledge needed for their reproduction, care, and treatment. 2 During colonial times and through the first years of independence from Spain, Mexico had no educational institutions to prepare people for the conservation and care of animals. In due course, several initially unsuccessful attempts were made to introduce formal veterinary education. In 1839, in the process of reorganizing the Mexican army, President Anastasio Bustamente decreed that a veterinary school be created, but that school never functioned. 3 President Lucas Alaman followed with a second decree in October 1843 to establish a veterinary school, a plan also doomed to failure. Finally, on August 17, 1853, President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was able to successfully establish the National College of Agriculture, creating schools devoted to both agriculture and veterinary medicine. The veterinary school, now called the School of Veterinary Medicine, of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) was the first of its kind established in the Americas; it was eventually followed by Canada s University of Guelph in 1862 and by the University of Iowa in the United States in Remarkably, given Mexico s early stage of development, the veterinary school at UNAM was formed less than 100 years after the first European school was founded in Lyon. 4 In those early days, veterinary training in Mexico was devoted primarily to the care and treatment of horses, which were used in military activities, commerce, and transportation. One hundred years later, in 1957, in response to the perceived need for training in general livestock care and treatment, the second school of veterinary medicine in Mexico was established at the Universidad Veracruzana. Instructors there came predominantly from UNAM, and therefore the curricula were similar. Currently there are 40 colleges of veterinary medicine in Mexico (see Table 1), which have trained most of the 64,136 veterinarians practicing in Mexico today. 5 VETERINARY PRACTICE IN MEXICO To examine the present and future of Mexican veterinary education, it is important to look briefly at Mexico s current veterinary employment market. In the last 40 years, and especially in recent years, there has been a downturn in employment of veterinarians in both public and private practice and an increase in the numbers involved in specialty practices (see Figure 1). In the public arena, government programs have been reduced to cover only basic and animal-related sanitary aspects of animal care and public health needs. In the private sector, Mexican livestock industries are employing fewer and fewer veterinarians to treat more and more animals. In contrast (as is happening elsewhere, and particularly in Mexico s North American neighbors), there is an increasing demand for specialty practices to provide veterinary care for companion and sport animals. 6 VETERINARY MEDICAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS IN MEXICO Four fundamental national organizations exist in Mexico that have direct or indirect influence on veterinary medical education: the Mexican Association of Veterinary Colleges, the Federation of Veterinary Associations of Mexico, the National Council of Veterinary Education (CONEVET), and the Mexican Veterinary Academy. The Mexican Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges The importance and influence of the Mexican Association of Veterinary Colleges on veterinary education in Mexico cannot be overstated. The association was founded by the Fourth National Veterinary Congress in 1972 to address the problem of students continuing to withdraw from veterinary training programs throughout Mexico and the disparity in these numbers between institutions. Since that meeting, the association has attempted to deal with this problem by the following means: 1. Standardizing terminology used in veterinary education 2. Defining and establishing the general objectives for veterinary training 3. Defining the professional profile of the veterinarian 4. Structuring curricular plans around training in production processes, animal health and hygiene, and food technology 5. Determining and discussing the necessary resources for veterinary education JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC 389

2 Table 1: Founding dates of Mexican veterinary colleges College State, City Foundation Type Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (C.U.) México D.F Public Universidad Veracruzana Veracruz, Veracruz 1957 Public Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas Tamaulipas 1957 Public Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco Tabasco 1958 Public Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas Zacatecas 1962 Public Universidad de Guadalajara (CUCBA) Jalisco, Guadalajara 1964 Public Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango Durango 1965 Public Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo Michoacan 1967 Public Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán Yucatan 1970 Public Centro de Estudios Universitarios de Monterrey Monterrey, Nuevo León 1970 Private Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit Nayarit 1972 Public Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México Estado de México 1972 Public Benemerita Universidad Autónoma de puebla Puebla 1973 Public Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes Aguascalientes 1973 Public Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Monterrey, Nuevo León 1973 Public Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (FES Cuautitlán) Estado de México, Cuautitlán 1974 Public Universidad Autónoma de Bajacalifornia Baja California Mexicali 1974 Public Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Xochimilco) México D.F Public Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro Coahuila 1975 Public Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas Chiapas 1976 Public Universidad La Salle Bajío Guanajuato 1977 Private Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Chihuahua 1977 Public Universidad Veracruzana Veracruz, Tuxpan 1978 Public Universidad Autónoma "Benito Juarez" de Oaxaca Oaxaca 1978 Public Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero Guerrero 1979 Public Universidad de Colima Colima 1979 Public Universidad de Guadalajara (CUSUR) Jalisco 1980 Public Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa Sinaloa 1980 Public Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora Sonora 1982 Public Universidad Mesoamericana Puebla 1982 Private Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (Unidad Académica Profesional) Estado de México 1984 Public Escuela Superior de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, A.C. Puebla 1984 Private Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala Tlaxcala 1984 Public Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro Queretaro 1985 Public Universidad Realística de México Puebla 1991 Private Universidad Autónoma de Piedras Negras (Centro Universitario del Norte) Coahuila, Piedras Negras 1994 Private Universidad de Matehuala S.C. San Luis Potosí 1997 Private Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero (Unidad Costachica) Guerrero, Unidad Costachica 1997 Public Universidad Autónoma de Campeche Campeche 2002 Public Universidad de Guadalara (Cualtos) Jalisco, Tepatitlán 2002 Public 390 JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC

3 livestock producers associations. Details of the status of accreditation and certification are presented in a subsequent section of this article. Figure 1: Veterinary employment market for the last four decades in Mexico (percentage distribution). Particular practice means veterinary professionals working in a hospital or practice of their own 6. Determining and discussing the role of the veterinarian needed for societal activities 7. Furthering continuing education and post-graduate studies 8. Performing ongoing evaluation of each of the above From its earliest beginnings, the association has strived to offer Mexico s schools and universities an objective vision of veterinary education. The key past actions of the association include the following:. In 1984, the association organized the First Forum on Education, Professional Practice, and Professional Prospectives.. In February 1987, special attention was paid to integrating new models in veterinary education. Computing science was recognized by the association as an important tool in the future of veterinary medicine and veterinary education.. In 1994, discussions of evaluation and accreditation of veterinary schools and professional certification of individual veterinarians were initiated, culminating in March 1995 with the creation of the National Council on Veterinary Education (CONEVET). 7. In 1996, the Veterinary Curriculum Harmonization program strategized how to facilitate student and educational mobility. All of these have been key steps in improving veterinary education in Mexico. The National Council on Veterinary Education (CONEVET) The National Council on Veterinary Education (CONEVET) was formed in March 1995 with the purpose of guaranteeing the quality of veterinary colleges and veterinary services. 7 9 The main objectives of CONEVET are (1) to establish an accreditation program for the evaluation of the veterinary colleges and (2) to create a certification program for professional practitioners. Participants in the council include the Mexican Association of Veterinary Colleges, the Mexican Federation of Veterinary Associations, the Mexican Veterinary Academy, and representatives from several CURRENT STATUS OF VETERINARY EDUCATION IN MEXICO Establishment of Schools of Veterinary Medicine The first veterinary school was founded to meet military veterinary needs. Since then many of the veterinary schools in Mexico have been established predominantly in response to the need for trained professionals in livestock care management, and this trend is continuing. For some of the new veterinary schools, the impetus for their creation has been to meet perceived wishes of local governments to have their own veterinary college; some other schools have been established by private groups for predominantly economic reasons. Presently, all that is required to establish a veterinary school in Mexico is for a university, or an educational institute working in cooperation with a university, to request the approval of the Public Education Secretary for the establishment of a school. Students In Mexico, as in other countries, the actual cost of veterinary education is very high. 8 However, almost all veterinary schools in Mexico are heavily subsidized by the government, and the costs to students for their veterinary education are very low. In these veterinary schools, students receive a generalist education in veterinary medicine that includes training in public and animal health; animal production and hygiene; and food technology related to a diverse range of domestic species including horses, milk and meat cows, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, dogs, and cats. Upon graduation, students are awarded a veterinary degree by the university, which is then registered with the General Directorate of Professions of the Mexican federal government. This registration allows graduates to practice anywhere in the country. Some graduates also take the EGEL (Examen General de Egreso de la Licenciatura), an optional graduate examination administered by the National Center for Evaluation (CENEVAL). Although the Mexican veterinary school curriculum has commonly emphasized multiple areas, in recent years there has been a notable increase in the number of graduates going into small animal veterinary medicine (dogs, cats, and other companion animals). Concomitantly, there has been a declining interest in food animal and other production animal medicine. Driving forces for these changes likely include a preference of graduates to live and work in an urban rather than a rural environment; a desire to achieve better economic, social, and cultural status; and an interest in being able to continue further studies in specialty practice. Most students now focus their training on areas of veterinary medicine where they think there will be more job opportunities, greater economic possibilities, and more prospects for professional development, a distribution that does not necessarily meet the country s needs. Curriculum In Mexico, no two veterinary schools have the same curricular plan, although work is underway to harmonize JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC 391

4 the curricula between schools so as to facilitate student mobility from campus to campus and improve academic and scientific interaction between the schools. The veterinary curriculum in Mexican schools is most often designed to provide a general veterinary education, allowing graduating students to apply their training to a variety of sectors in the Mexican veterinary employment market. Some sectors of Mexican society, and especially the food producers, have suggested that veterinarians should be given a more specialized and, in consequence, a higher level of specific training. This trend has tended to be resisted by the schools in favor of providing a more generalized education, with the option for students to continue more specialized studies after graduation. Presently, the curriculum in Mexican veterinary schools is based on one of three organizational models:. By subject: The most common organizational model in Mexican veterinary education is to teach by subject area. Subjects are approached serially from theoretical and general practical knowledge in the pre-clinical sciences to specific clinical experiences. For each species, the curriculum covers what is called the veterinary profile, which includes medicine, surgery, animal production, animal health and hygiene, and food technology. Other areas of clinical practice include zootechnics (including maintaining and improving animals under domestication), breeding, genetics, nutrition, housing, and the technology of animal husbandry and livestock production.. Modular: In the 1970s, a model of veterinary education was proposed and developed in Mexico known as the modular studies plan, whereby subject coverage was much more integrated and also covered broader areas of veterinary medicine. At present, eight schools use this model.. Mixed: Two schools in Mexico currently use a mixed-model curricular plan that incorporates elements of both by-subject and modular models, starting with a by-subject approach, then leading into more integrated studies. 10 Instructors One of the most important factors in Mexican veterinary education is the instructors themselves. Of the approximately 2,000 professors in veterinary colleges (the number of whom keeps rising as more schools are created), about 1,300 teach full time, 90 teach part time, and 600 teach specific subjects exclusively. 5 Full- and part-time instructors must not only present classes (some theoretical, others practical) but must also establish research expertise and publish; perform university extension activities; and mentor students. All this must be accomplished with limited economic resources. The majority of Mexican veterinary instructors are veterinarians who have entered academia by a variety of routes. In the best-case scenario, they have completed extensive post-graduate studies or have outstanding professional credentials. Most, however, are not only lacking in professorial experience but also have had no formal training to teach. As noted, approximately onethird of veterinary instructors in Mexico teach only in very specific subjects. These professors, who also often continue in their own veterinary practices, contribute important and invaluable practical veterinary experience to the education of future veterinary graduates. Continual educational updating is required of any professor, no matter what their professional and/or professorial status, to maintain educational quality. Infrastructure and Equipment Table 2 provides a brief summary of the infrastructures of Mexico s 40 existing schools of veterinary medicine. While some general analysis of the necessary resources for veterinary education has historically been performed, the quality of the infrastructure and availability of equipment in many Mexican veterinary schools has been overlooked and is deficient. Often there are few available classrooms, laboratories, and libraries, and in some schools, elementary resources as basic as computers with access to the Internet are lacking. 5 Improving the Quality of Education and the Growing Educational Links within Latin America In the last few years, attempts to improve the quality of Mexican veterinary education have had to address the conjuncture of various elements such as organizational structure; application and graduation profiles; pre- and post-degree program curricula; equipment; continuing, open, and remote education; and research and university extension programs in order to provide graduating veterinarians with appropriate knowledge and skills to perform their duties with a high degree of professional quality. In the near future, a veterinary medicine program will need to be developed that focuses on medicine and animal health, animal production, food technology and quality, and public health. A flexible curriculum has been proposed with varied resources to provide a variety of specific skills and abilities. In addition, the program needs to address topics such as food hygiene, bioethics, ethology, and English as a second language. The program must also incorporate bio-security issues, for two main reasons: not only could Mexico be subject to terrorist attacks, but the North American Free Trade Agreement agenda requires addressing these issues. Like other veterinary schools around the world, those in Mexico are attempting to offer students curricular plans flexible enough to cover the needs of the profession itself and society in general for the years to come. This effort requires defining the status of the current profession as accurately as possible, as well as developing the ability to predict its future needs. With these goals in mind, development of veterinary medical education for the last eight years, first within Mexico and then broadening to the whole of Latin America, has been aimed specifically at curricular innovation. In June 1996, the effort began toward standardizing curricular plans, culminating in 1998 in a document entitled Analysis of the Curricular Designs of the Veterinary Medicine Career: Toward the Construction of a National Benchmark. In November 2002, a second paper was developed, Homologation of Study Plans and Programs for the Schools and Faculties of Veterinary Medicine with Modular, Bimodal, and Alternative Models. The goals of these two papers were to begin to agree upon a defined profile of the new international veterinarian, 392 JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC

5 Table 2: Mexican veterinary college infrastructure College Classrooms Laboratories # of Computers Internet Library Titles Hospital Ranch Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (C.U.) Yes 23,000 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes Yes 3,113 Yes Yes Instituto Tecnológico de Sonora N/A Yes 0 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Bajacalifornia Yes 2,700 Yes No Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas Yes 4,000 N/A Yes Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco Yes 2,582 N/A Yes Universidad Veracruzana Yes 4,000 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas No Inf. Yes N/A Yes Yes Universidad de Guadalajara (CUCBA) Yes 13,285 Yes Yes Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango N/A 4 25 Yes 5,500 Yes Yes Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo Yes 791 Yes Yes Centro de Estudios Universitarios de Monterrey N/A N/A N/A N/A 30,000 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán Yes N/A N/A N/A Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit Yes 834 N/A Yes Universidad autónoma del Estado de México (Unidad Académica Profesional) Yes 701 Yes Yes Universidad autónoma del Estado de México Yes 8,430 Yes Yes Benemerita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla Yes 1,700 N/A Yes Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Yes 2,487 Yes Yes Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Utitlán) Yes 180,000 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas Yes 3,000 N/A Yes Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Xochimilco) N/A N/A N/A N/A Yes No Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro Yes 6,850 Yes Yes Universidad La Salle Bajío Yes 2,300 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Yes 630 Yes Yes Universidad Veracruzana Yes 4,000 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma "Benito Juarez" de Oaxaca Yes 0 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero Yes 292 N/A Yes Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero (U. Costachica) N/A 98 N/A N/A Universidad de Colima Yes 3,000 Yes Yes Universidad de Guadalajara (CUSUR) Yes 1,830 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa 15 2 N/A N/A 2,471 Yes Yes Universidad Mesoamericana Yes 2,000 Yes N/A Escuela Superior de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia N/A 300 Yes Yes Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala N/A 661 N/A N/A Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro Yes 538 N/A Yes Universidad Realística de México Yes 70 Yes N/A (continued) JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC 393

6 Table 2: Continued College Classrooms Laboratories # of Computers Internet Library Titles Hospital Ranch Universidad de Guadalajara (Cualtos) Yes 120 N/A N/A Universidad Autónoma de Campeche Yes 129 N/A N/A Universidad Autónoma de Piedras Negras (Centro Universitario del Norte) N/A N/A N/A Yes Universidad de matehuala S.C. 7 3 N/A N/A N/A Yes Yes N/A ¼ no information available. to analyze the current professional curricula, and to redefine the content of those curricula. To further these goals, the first pan-american conference to discuss Latin American veterinary medical education and professional guidelines was held in Veracruz, Mexico, in November For five days, government and university representatives from nearly all the Latin American countries met with representatives from international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Instituto Interamericano de Cooperacion para la Agricultura, and the Organizacion Panamericana de la Salud/Panamerican Health Organization to discuss the Latin American veterinary professional profile, certification, program accreditation, continuing and long-distance education, shared post-graduate studies, and the privatization of veterinary services. 11 At this meeting, the model Latin American veterinarian was defined as follows: a professional who, in attempting to improve life quality and sustain human development, possesses an ethical, scientifically oriented and humanitarian spirit, and in this light [must] be able to address preexisting realities in the variety of fields of national and international society and culture in relation to all things directly or indirectly related to animals and humans, as well as have a fundamental knowledge base that includes a wide variety of veterinary science and an ability to thrive in a wide variety of specific sectors of the veterinary world. (author s translation) 11 Results from the conference suggested that the homologated curricular plan should contain five areas, four subject oriented and one integrated:. Medicine and animal health. Production and livestock economics. Hygiene and food technology. Public health. Integrated area: language, culture, bioethics, scientific methodology Specific activities within any given curricular plan related to these areas were then identified, with consideration for both domestic and wild animal species and for professional responsibility: 12. Clinical diagnosis: The systematic application of methods and procedures in a laboratory (clinical or field setting) with a strong understanding of anatomy, physiology, and animal behavior that allows veterinarians to identify and measure, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the effects of the disease process on animals and to effectively determine prognoses.. Medical therapy and surgery: Selection and use, after clinical diagnosis, of physical, chemical, and surgical methodologies, employed by veterinarians to create beneficial, verifiable, and measurable actions, whose purpose is to correct the anatomical, physiological, and behavioral medically adverse and harmful conditions of diverse animal species.. Anesthetic surgery and zootechnics: Abilities and skills developed by veterinarians for the application of surgical techniques and procedures, and with the instruments used for these procedures, to correct anatomic and physiologic defects of the different animal species.. Promotion of animal comfort: Management practices applied by veterinarians to correct or improve acquired and inherited biological factors that define patterns of behavior of different species of animals with respect to their feeding, reproduction, and relationship to humans and other animals, as well as for their own health and hygiene.. Genetic improvement: Acquired capacity of the veterinarian to evaluate, select, transmit, or modify different genetic attributes and characteristics of any particular species of animal to create a genetic improvement in their offspring. Such modifications are aimed at developing a more archetypal animal with respect to corporal aptitude, health, performance, and productivity.. Reproduction: Applying understanding of morphologic, physiologic, and general behavior of animal species to improve and increase reproductive capacity and, as appropriate, to correct dysfunctions or illnesses that affect animal reproductive organs and offspring during their intrauterine or prenatal development. 394 JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC

7 . Forage sources administration: Ability to effectively intervene in the production and conservation of food sources, including gamines, leguminous and oleaginous, for feed animals.. Feeding and nutrition: Ability to select and combine nutrients, nourishment, and feeding protocols to improve animal health and productivity.. Building design and installations for animals: Application of zootechnic and ecological building design to create, modify, or stabilize animal surroundings in order to meet anatomical, physiological, and productive needs.. Epidemic management: Conducting epidemiological studies to promote animal and public health as well as to promote preventive medicine in animal production in rural and urban communities, with the creation and establishment of programs for prevention, control, and elimination of diseases in animals and from animal products.. Transformation and protection of animal source products: Technical, analytical, and health activities performed by the veterinarian to compare and evaluate the complement of national and international standards for products from animal sources.. Animal and public health administration: Modalities and approaches to be used by the veterinarian for public health management and the application of federal and local rules to regulate animal and public health activities.. Administration of animal and related industries: Understanding the role, responsibilities, and approaches to be applied by veterinarians to help and improve the administration of animal and related industries and to control and fulfill the objectives for which they were created.. Rural development: Understanding of the role, approaches used, and responsibilities in the areas of animal health and productivity whereby the veterinarian should contribute to the well-being of rural populations, and to their economic, social, and cultural improvement.. Environmental protection: Awareness of the environmental impacts of human contact with animals for economic, social, and cultural purposes.. Teaching and research: Contributions through research and technology to promote an increase in the general veterinary science knowledge base that will help resolve issues of animal health and production and human health. Accreditation and Certification Accreditation Accreditation benefits society and enhances the ability of a college to provide students with enough training and financial resources to allow them to operate at a high level. With accreditation also comes the national and international recognition and cooperation necessary to better develop academic and scientific collaboration. Nine years ago, an accreditation program for veterinary medical schools was inaugurated in Mexico under the auspices of CONEVET. The present goal of this program is to increase and ensure high-quality standards in all veterinary programs. To become accredited, a veterinary college in Mexico must be evaluated by external (both national and international) evaluators and meet or exceed 108 specific criteria. 9 To date, 10 Mexican veterinary colleges have been accredited (see Table 3). The process will continue, and it is hoped that in the next five years, at least 10 more veterinary schools will be accredited. CONEVET plans to recommend that all veterinary schools failing to meet accreditation standards within the next five to seven years lose their accreditation status. The federal government is being asked to initiate a program aimed at continuing and further supporting accreditation standards. Graduate Examination In Mexico, because each school of veterinary medicine has its own curriculum and programs, graduates possess varying degrees of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Now, under the aegis of CONEVET, a voluntary certification program is in operation. To date, 650 veterinarians have been certified. It is hoped that in the near future, an examination at graduation from each program will be required in order for graduates to be licensed to practice veterinary medicine. Accreditation and certification are presently voluntary, and the numbers of participants in both programs remain low. 8 Continuing Education Programs The advancement of medical knowledge is truly amazing. It is believed that the amount of scientific knowledge doubles every five to seven years. 13 In Mexico, as in other countries, a constant concern exists about the importance of lifelong learning. In upcoming years, this process will develop substantially in veterinary medical education. For instance, the UNAM has created a Center of High Technology for Virtual Education (CATED) in the state of Tlaxcala to support and develop online courses. To ensure the success of this initiative, ongoing surveys will need to be conducted to assess the needs of veterinary medical professionals. Faculty Development, Research, and Graduate Programs In Mexico, funding for research programs, which has never been sufficient, has recently been reduced even further. As a result, students graduate lacking many necessary professional skills. To help make up for this deficit, faculty must directly involve themselves in generating and communicating new medical knowledge. Simply sharing the knowledge gained from medical advances by publishing is not enough. Faculty must invest more time in both basic and technical research, as well as involving themselves in sabbatical programs. Furthermore, it is important to launch an intensive recruitment campaign aimed at outstanding undergraduate students interested in graduate programs. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS A modern curriculum requires a coordinated effort between academia and national and international organizations. Because globalization requires a broad scope of knowledge, it is no longer possible to continue to limit the training of JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC 395

8 Table 3: Veterinary medical colleges accredited in Mexico Name 1. Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México 2. Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 3. Research Institute of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California 4. Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán 5. Veterinary Sciences División, Universidad de Guadalajara. 6. Veterinary Sciences Centre, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes 7. Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Durango 8. Veterinary Medicine Academic Center, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas 9. Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez 10. Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León Date Note: The last universities accredited were the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez and the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (both in 2005). The accreditation of the Universidad Autónoma de Veracruz is in process. our students to a specific geographical location. Problems relating to animal health do not recognize political boundaries; veterinary specialists must be prepared to address global issues and to be active participants in the global community. Latin America In the last decade the participation of the veterinary colleges of Mexico in international activities has been very dynamic, particularly in two areas. First, at a 1997 conference sponsored by CONEVET, the Latin American veterinary professional profile and the curricular axes were formally defined. Second, the Pan-American Council of Education in Veterinary Sciences (COPEVET) was founded in 2001, incorporating actual veterinary schools and faculties of veterinary medical education in Mexico and in Central and South America. COPEVET s objective is to accredit pre-degree programs, provide veterinary professional certification, and standardize veterinary curricula in Latin America. Participants in the council include representatives from all Latin American countries who are invited to observe at Mexican veterinary schools and colleges on an ongoing basis. European Union A close relationship between the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) and COPEVET has developed to promote veterinary program evaluation, with representatives from each association observing education and training in the other s countries. The United States and Canada Because of the commercial relationship between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, annual meetings have been held with representatives from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges in order to fortify relationships and promote information interchange. In addition, observers from the AVMA and CONEVET are regularly invited to view veterinary education evaluative processes in Mexico and the United States respectively. Faculty and Student Mobility Student rotations through different veterinary medicine programs are common and have taken place for several years in Mexico; ongoing globalization further promotes this practice. Australia, Japan, the United States, and Germany have invested heavily in such programs. For example, the Socrates/Erasmus program, developed in the European Community for student and faculty exchange, had one million students (in a variety of educational areas) registered in Standardization of veterinary school curricular plans in Mexico, Central America, and South America will further facilitate these faculty and student exchange programs. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE: VETERINARY EDUCATION AND ITS FUTURE PERSPECTIVE IN MEXICO AND LATIN AMERICA In order to best approach the subject of the future of veterinary education in Mexico, at least two elements must be considered that are strongly bound to each other in the Mexican veterinary environment: 1) national and international livestock production; and 2) implementing general improvements in the overall quality of Mexican veterinary education. These two areas must be considered together and within the educational challenges that lie ahead. They are of such breadth and depth that significant transformation in the Mexican veterinary educational system must occur quickly and effectively so that higher-quality programs can be designed and implemented. In dealing with livestock production, part of the aim of Mexican veterinary education is to help develop ties between human resources and production of goods and services. In the immediate future, Mexican veterinarians will have to face fallout from open commerce and market competition along with increasing pressures on the farming and livestock industries to modernize their production processes. These challenges require a strengthening of the profile of the Mexican veterinarian. Although the existence of agricultural subsidies and international commerce treaties to guarantee the strengthening of such a profile remains uncertain, the Mexican veterinary educational system must still address these issues in its curricular plans. In terms of the general educational system, the unsatisfactory quality of current Mexican veterinary education must be attributed partly to the general deterioration in curricular 396 JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC

9 format that occurred during the period of college expansion and is now the compelling reason for a drive toward improved curricular quality and innovation. Perfect quality and innovation must be always be used as benchmarks to aim for in teaching, research, and continuing education. In committing to the future of Mexican society, activities pertaining to achieving quality and innovation must be relevant to established goals and contain a broad vision of the future as well as avoiding the pitfalls of old patterns and immediate gratification. Taking these aspects into consideration, diverse meetings and forums have been held in an attempt to visualize the perspective of veterinary education in the decades to come, using the following parameters as subjects of discussion. Quality of Education For the last several years, efforts have focused on improving the quality of veterinary education in Mexico. This requires a concerted effort in many aspects of organization; student profiles; pre- and post-degree curricula; infrastructure and equipment; continuing, open, and remote education; research; and extension, arriving at an evaluation of all processes to reach the formation of a veterinarian with the knowledge and skills needed to carry out his or her professional activities at a high level. Curriculum for the Veterinary Medicine Undergraduate Program In the near future, Mexico will continue to develop a veterinary medicine program focusing on medicine and animal health, animal production, food technology, food quality, and public health. We propose a flexible curriculum with optional courses to satisfy specific needs. In addition, the program will address such topics as food hygiene, food technology, bioethics, animal health, ethology, and English as a second language. The program will incorporate bio-security issues, for two reasons: first, Mexico could be subject to terrorist attacks; second, the North American Free Trade Agreement addresses bio-security issues. A modern curriculum implies a coordinated effort between academia and national and international organizations. It is not possible to train our students for a specific geographical region because globalization requires a broad scope. Animal health problems do not recognize political boundaries, and therefore the veterinary specialist must be able to solve them wherever they arise. The mentality that it is more important to prevent a disease than to cure it should be taught to all veterinary students. In addition, students must develop the ability to search for information as well as to apply it in order to solve a problem. As a result, the core curriculum should include general courses to ensure an excellent basic general education. The program should also include online courses, continuing education and graduate programs, and an international perspective. As the German Council suggests, the objective is to generate veterinary professionals willing to keep updating their knowledge throughout their careers. 15 We must continue to evaluate and update our process. To achieve this, communication must be maintained by continually surveying farmers, livestock industry professionals, and the broad spectrum of people to whom veterinarians provide a service. The core curriculum should be evaluated regularly by external reviewers. Finally, the combination of staff members abilities and livestock industry demands will in themselves help to shape the program. 16 Several examples of successful partnerships between academia and industry exist; however, each new relationship must be developed and promoted much more strongly. Technical Veterinary Medicine Programs Both the livestock industry and the Mexican Department of Education have supported the establishment of a technical veterinary medicine program to train veterinary technicians in assisting the veterinary professional. Presently, this program, as part of the National Health Service, primarily trains veterinary technicians in the fields of poultry and pork production. In the future, an expanded veterinary technician training program must be effectively defined to ensure non-competition between the technician and professional veterinarian, as well as extending the professional degree program to those undergraduates who have previously dropped out. CONCLUSION Ideally, education in veterinary medicine should offer the broadest possible perspective on the profession. A flexible curriculum will allow students to specialize in different areas of interest. The mission of veterinary education in Mexico should be to combine teaching, research, and public service. After graduation, veterinarians should be encouraged to seek out all available options, from private practice to industry and government. Likewise, there must be a close partnership among the different players. Research programs should focus on solving problems encountered by farmers and the growing livestock industry. The development of adequate graduate programs will provide the basis for veterinary medical skills necessary to operate an efficient and cost-effective practice. A continuing education agenda will guarantee lifelong learning, and the rotation of faculty and students through different programs will ensure the development of new knowledge and skills. Defining and implementing the certification process will improve program quality. Veterinary education worldwide has been greatly influenced by advances in electronic and digital technology. In the area of veterinary education, Mexico cannot isolate itself from these advances. On the contrary, our veterinary programs need to become actively involved in the process. The new veterinary curriculum must include the use of informatics, telecommunications, and continuing education programs in order to encourage the participation of faculty members and students. Finally, identification of appropriate funding resources is critical to making all these goals a reality in the Mexican veterinary education system. JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC 397

10 REFERENCES 1 Biography of Hernan Cortez < net/biography/c/hernancortez.html>. Accessed 09/19/05. 2 Ramírez RN, Berruecos JM. La educación dela medicina veterinaria y zootecnia en México. In Coordinación Nacional para la Planeación de la Educación Superior en México. Comités Interinstitucionales para la Evaluación dela Educación Superior, 1995: Mendoza JC. Historia de la Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia de la Universidad de Guadalajara 1964/1994. Guadalajara: Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Dunlop RH. Bourgelat s vision for veterinary education and the remarkable spread of the veterinary meme. J Vet Med Educ 31: , Taylor JJ. Historia de la Educación Veterinaria en México. Guadalajara: Asociación Mexicana de escuelas y facultades de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Subsecretaria de Educación Superior e Investigación Científica, Universidad de Guadalajara, Subsecretaría de Educación Superior e Investigación Científica / Dirección General de Profesiones. Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Colección Progresión XX XXI de las Profesiones. México D.F.: Secretaria de Educacion Publica, Consejo Nacional de Educación de la Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CONEVET). Metodología de Acreditación de Programas de Licenciatura. México: CONEVET, CONEVET. Manual de Operación para Visitadores. México D.F.: CONEVET, Berruecos JM, Trigo FJ, Zarco LA. The accreditation system for colleges of veterinary medicine in Mexico and a comparison with the AVMA system. J Vet Med Educ 31: , Taylor JJ. Análisis de los diseños curriculares de la carrera de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia en México: Hacia la construcción de un marco de referencia nacional. Guadalajara: Asociación Mexicana de escuelas y facultades de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad de Guadalajara, Pan-American Veterinary Sciences Association (PANVET). Primera Reunión Panamericana de Educación y Ejercicio Profesional en las Ciencias Veterinarias. México D.F.: PANVET, 1997 p PANVET. Boletín Informativo: Perfil y Ejercicio Profesional de las Ciencias Veterinarias en Latinoamérica. México D.F.: PANVET, Arellano C. Modernización de la investigación y educación superior veterinaria en América Latina. In Primer Seminario Internacional de Educación en Ciencias Veterinarias. Valdivia, Chile: Federación Panamericana de Facultades y Escuelas de Ciencias Veterinarias (FPFECV), 1999 p Fernandes TH, Vilela CL. Student and teaching staff mobility. Paper presented at the World Meeting of Leaders in Veterinary Education, México, August 14 16, Schmidt M, Martens H. Veterinary training: Approach of the Berlin Faculty in a European context. Paper presented at the World Meeting of Leaders in Veterinary Education, México, August 14 16, Laki P. La Formación de Profesionales para Profesionalizar a los Agricultores, y para el difícil desafío de producir mejor con menos. Santiago, Chile: UN FAO, AUTHOR INFORMATION Juan de Jesus Taylor Preciado, MV, MSc, PhD, is Rector of the Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km Carretera Guadalajara-Tepic, México. jjtaylor@ cucba.udg.mx. Dr. Taylor was Professor of Animal Nutrition and Dean of the Veterinary Sciences Division of the University of Guadalajara from 1995 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2004; President of the Mexican Association of Veterinary Medicine Colleges from 1996 through 1998 and from 2002 to 2004; President of the Mexican Council on Veterinary Education from 1999 to 2001; and since 2004 has been President of the Federación Panamericana de Facultades y Escuelas de Ciencias Veterinarias. Jorge Galindo Garcia, MV, MSc, is Head of the Animal Production Department, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km Carretera Guadalajara-Tepic, México. Daniel A.F. Villagomez Zavala, MV, PhD, is Director of the Biotechnology Laboratory, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Km Carretera Guadalajara-Tepic, México. 398 JVME 32(4) ß 2005 AAVMC