Enhancing Veterinary Education Through a Novel Animal Welfare and Behavior Course at a New Veterinary University.

Proficiency in animal welfare is among the core competencies of graduating veterinary students. With growing societal concern surrounding welfare topics, it is imperative that veterinarians are knowledgeable advocates for animals' welfare. However, animal welfare has not been consistently integrated into veterinary school curricula; some studies suggest that existing courses may not have achieved their intended outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate incoming veterinary students' perceptions regarding animal welfare before and after completing a newly developed first-semester course in animal welfare and behavior. Perceptions were assessed through an anonymous, voluntary questionnaire containing 40 individual statements gauging students' concern for animal welfare. A "total welfare concern" (TWC) score, indicative of predilection toward animal welfare, was calculated for each student based on responses collected before (PRE), after (POST), and 2.5 years after (LAST) course completion. A total of 105 students completed the PRE questionnaire, 81 completed the POST, and 59 completed the LAST. The Wilcoxon signed rank test for matched pairs was used to compare median TWC scores between matched PRE, POST, and LAST data points. Results showed that the median TWC score increased from PRE to POST (n = 69, p < .001) and from PRE to LAST (n = 32; p < .001), with no significant difference between POST and LAST (n = 32; p = .64). These findings suggest that students' attitudes toward animal welfare and empathy toward animals increased after the course and remained elevated throughout their education. This novel first-semester course appears to have provided students with a foundation and evaluative framework for continued attentiveness to animal welfare.