Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria
BackgroundThis study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the pandemic’s impact on the veterinary profession and education in Austria.MethodsTwo online surveys were conducted from November 2022 to January 2023, inviting all veterinarians and veterinary students in Austria to share their experienc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1460269/full |
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| author | Elke Humer Elke Humer Stefanie Winter Thomas Probst Christoph Pieh Rachel Dale Deianira Brühl Viktoria Neubauer Viktoria Neubauer |
| author_facet | Elke Humer Elke Humer Stefanie Winter Thomas Probst Christoph Pieh Rachel Dale Deianira Brühl Viktoria Neubauer Viktoria Neubauer |
| author_sort | Elke Humer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundThis study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the pandemic’s impact on the veterinary profession and education in Austria.MethodsTwo online surveys were conducted from November 2022 to January 2023, inviting all veterinarians and veterinary students in Austria to share their experiences on the impact of the pandemic on their veterinarian work and education in a free text question.ResultsA total of n = 289 veterinarians and n = 272 veterinary students provided an answer. In summary, 39.8% of veterinarians reported no impact by the pandemic, while others experienced changes in workload (19.7%), changes in client behavior (14.9%), implementation of safety measures (13.1%), and organizational changes (13.1%). Additional impacts included effects on mental health, private life, finances, as well as physical health. Changes were more frequently mentioned in veterinarians working with pets compared to those working with livestock. In the student panel, only a minority reported no significant impact (8.1%) but 44.9% reporting changes due to online and hybrid learning. Key issues included impaired learning conditions (34.9%), and social distancing (34.6%) leading to social isolation. Some students appreciated increased flexibility and reduced commuting (10.7%), while others experienced mental health challenges (10.7%). Further impacts were related to the implementation of safety measures (5.5%), organizational changes (4.8%) and impaired physical health due to infection (1.1%). Negative changes related to distance learning were mainly reported by students in the final study phase, whereas those in the first study phase reported more positive aspects related to online/hybrid learning.ConclusionOverall, this study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on veterinary education and professional practice in Austria, revealing diverse challenges for students and relatively lower but still notable effects on practicing veterinarians. Future research should monitor these impacts longitudinally and explore the integration of beneficial practices into standard veterinary education and care, such as effective digital learning platforms and appointment-based systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f8d8b8fd8f5c4d50a13b64b9cf63cfe1 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-f8d8b8fd8f5c4d50a13b64b9cf63cfe12025-08-20T02:12:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692024-11-011110.3389/fvets.2024.14602691460269Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in AustriaElke Humer0Elke Humer1Stefanie Winter2Thomas Probst3Christoph Pieh4Rachel Dale5Deianira Brühl6Viktoria Neubauer7Viktoria Neubauer8Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, Krems an der Donau, AustriaFaculty of Psychotherapy Science, Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, Krems an der Donau, AustriaDivision of Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, AustriaDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, Krems an der Donau, AustriaDepartment for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University for Continuing Education Krems, Krems an der Donau, AustriaCentre for Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, AustriaCentre for Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, AustriaFFoQSI GmbH - Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, Tulln, AustriaBackgroundThis study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the pandemic’s impact on the veterinary profession and education in Austria.MethodsTwo online surveys were conducted from November 2022 to January 2023, inviting all veterinarians and veterinary students in Austria to share their experiences on the impact of the pandemic on their veterinarian work and education in a free text question.ResultsA total of n = 289 veterinarians and n = 272 veterinary students provided an answer. In summary, 39.8% of veterinarians reported no impact by the pandemic, while others experienced changes in workload (19.7%), changes in client behavior (14.9%), implementation of safety measures (13.1%), and organizational changes (13.1%). Additional impacts included effects on mental health, private life, finances, as well as physical health. Changes were more frequently mentioned in veterinarians working with pets compared to those working with livestock. In the student panel, only a minority reported no significant impact (8.1%) but 44.9% reporting changes due to online and hybrid learning. Key issues included impaired learning conditions (34.9%), and social distancing (34.6%) leading to social isolation. Some students appreciated increased flexibility and reduced commuting (10.7%), while others experienced mental health challenges (10.7%). Further impacts were related to the implementation of safety measures (5.5%), organizational changes (4.8%) and impaired physical health due to infection (1.1%). Negative changes related to distance learning were mainly reported by students in the final study phase, whereas those in the first study phase reported more positive aspects related to online/hybrid learning.ConclusionOverall, this study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on veterinary education and professional practice in Austria, revealing diverse challenges for students and relatively lower but still notable effects on practicing veterinarians. Future research should monitor these impacts longitudinally and explore the integration of beneficial practices into standard veterinary education and care, such as effective digital learning platforms and appointment-based systems.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1460269/fullCOVID-19pandemicveterinariansveterinary studentsAustriacorona virus |
| spellingShingle | Elke Humer Elke Humer Stefanie Winter Thomas Probst Christoph Pieh Rachel Dale Deianira Brühl Viktoria Neubauer Viktoria Neubauer Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria Frontiers in Veterinary Science COVID-19 pandemic veterinarians veterinary students Austria corona virus |
| title | Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria |
| title_full | Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria |
| title_fullStr | Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria |
| title_short | Veterinary medicine under COVID-19: a mixed-methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in Austria |
| title_sort | veterinary medicine under covid 19 a mixed methods analysis of student and practitioner experiences in austria |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic veterinarians veterinary students Austria corona virus |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1460269/full |
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