Harder attitude as vet students train
Harder attitude as vet students train
VET students become hardened and more detached towards animals as they go through training.
Research at two vet schools, published in Vet Record, Mar 4, found students attitude towards perceived sentience – the animals ability to feel and suffer – falls as they reach the end of their course. The sentience associated with cows, dogs and cats was found to be lower as students progressed through university.
The researchers – Edinburgh Universitys Elizabeth Paul and Anthony Podberscek from Cambridge University – found that while the students were likely to believe animals could suffer hunger, pain and fear, the animals capacity to suffer boredom was likely to be considered lower by older students.
Empathy towards animals, the emotions felt by vets towards animals, also changed with age, but female students were found to maintain empathy levels, while men felt far less empathy as their course progressed. *