RESUMO
With the growth of interest in veterinary ethics, the teaching of ethics to veterinary students has become more important. This study collects comprehensive data about ethics education at veterinary faculties in Turkey to contribute to the international literature. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design is used to collect data via questionnaire. Of the 31 faculty members actively teaching ethics at 24 of the 29 veterinary faculties in Turkey (as of the end of 2021), 30 responded to the survey. By the end of 2021, ethics courses in 24 veterinary faculties in Turkey were conducted between the 7th and 10th semesters with similar content across the examined institutions. Of the 31 faculty members responsible for ethics education, 22 were ethicists. Theoretical lectures and multiple-choice tests were the most preferred methods for teaching and assessment. The most preferred learning outcome to be gained by students was ethical awareness. Integrity by ethicists and morality by faculty members from other departments were considered the most important virtues. The collected qualitative data regarding the strengths of ethics education and areas for improvement were varied and controversial. Ethics training should be an ongoing process throughout veterinary education. Applied ethics education should be comprehensively included in the curricula and carried out with the cooperation of faculty members working in clinical fields.
RESUMO
Reading and research habits, together with individual and social development, some of the most important criteria of a qualified life in our age, are among the characteristics university students are expected to have. As in every profession, veterinary professional development is possible with individual development by continuous studying and researching professional topics starting in students' graduate years. This research provides perspectives from the veterinary students of six faculties in Turkey on reading and research interests. The researchers developed a 39-item questionnaire-type instrument, which was given to 1,359 students studying at Ankara, Aydin, Burdur, Samsun, Erzurum, and Bursa in Turkey; data were analyzed using statistical tests. The number of books veterinary students read in a year did not exceed five by 34% of respondents. Only 22.3% read more than 11 books. Students were most likely to read novels (26.1%) and least likely to read religious books (0.5%). We also found that more than half the students were willing to join the scientific research community (56.3%) and become research assistants (57.8%). The researchers found a positive increase in students' views on reading and research interests as grade level increased, in favor of female and urban-based participants. In conclusion, the authors recommend that students be encouraged to do research, given assignments for researching various scientific topics, and provided environments to gain lifelong learning skills. Individuals who prefer reading and research will likely contribute to their personal and professional development and to their country in general.
