Integrating Climate Change into Competency-Based Veterinary Education.

Abstract

There is an urgent need for the expansion of climate change education for all health professionals, including veterinarians. Recognizing this, the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges released a position statement in 2023 urging the incorporation of climate change education into veterinary curriculums. However, there are currently no guidelines on how to implement this. Here we propose an educational framework, developed through a review of the literature and expert input, upon which to build veterinary-specific climate content. The framework includes four complementary domains: animal health management, resilient veterinary systems, mitigation of veterinary-related climate hazards, and broad community engagement on climate change. These domains are connected by two important threads, foundational knowledge and continuous learning, that highlight the dynamic nature of climate science and current and anticipated health impacts. The framework aims to serve as a starting point for developing, and sharing, climate change educational resources in veterinary medicine.