EDITORIAL

FIELD PRACTICE EXPERIENCES IN VET SCHOOL

Veterinary Medicine in the University of Ibadan is no doubt one of the most difficult courses to study in perhaps the most difficult university for any student in Nigeria. The rigors of having to learn so many within a limited timeframe during the session cannot be overemphasized. To make thing worse, unlike other students in the university, the curriculum of Veterinary Medicine students run at every moment for five years. While the students from other faculties utilize most of their end of session break to relieve themselves of academic stress in preparation for another session, Veterinary Medicine students are obliged to have a field practice at the end of every academic year. If that much relevance is given to the field practice, Vet News Organisation takes a brief reflection of the students’ experiences across all levels about the 2015/16 industrial training, with emphasis on those who had it at the facilities provided or approved by the faculty.

Our correspondence from DVM I class who had her field practice at the Teaching and Research Farm, University of Ibadan remarked: “Each unit had their fun and strenuous times. At each unit regular cleaning of the pens was done. At the piggery unit, castration of the male piglets was performed. At the poultry unit, we had to immunize over 2000 birds in about three hours, that day was very hectic, I must say. At the dairy unit, we were taught how to restrain cattle as well as milk the cows. It was a very tiresome time at the feed mill because we had to mix feeds and carry very heavy bags of feed, but the knowledge acquired compensated. No much work was done at the rabbitry unit but we were given a lecture on cuniculture.”

While she may have had a lot of positives about the field practice, some of her classmates remain very critical about the stress they had to face. They complained about being used as unpaid laborers. They were asked to cut grasses almost on daily basis, sweep and pack dung, wash feeders and drinkers and all sorts of exploitation. The most annoying part of it is that those who have been employed to do these jobs suddenly became the supervisors while these hapless students were left to do their works.

The DVM II students who had their IT at the laboratory units of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital lamented the use of expired laboratory reagents such as agar to teach them. Also, some safety laboratory equipment such as fire extinguishers are also thought to have expired. They however acknowledged the zeal and effort their tutors put into making sure they get the best possible despite these limitations.

The DVM III students had their IT at the Bodija abattoir, Ibadan. The abattoir, which is notorious as one of the worst abattoirs in the world, supplies meat to the majority of the Ibadan metropolis. Being under the constant threat of prejudice by the belligerent abattoir workers, the students were very limited in what they could do. They, most times, were made to just stand in the sun and watch the rather unsightful conditions in which the meat is processed. The elusive part of it all is why the faculty prefers Bodija abattoir and admonishes the students to have their training there. Most of the students don’t even have any idea yet what a standard abattoir should look like. Throughout the field practice, it was more of endurance and pain than an actively learning process it was supposed to be.

For the DVM IV students, their last IT as undergraduates was soiled by gross lack of organisation. It was so bad (that) a lot of them believe their class is being targeted. Our correspondence who disclosed to us under the condition of anonymity remarked: “The last IT we had prior to this, despite the fact there were no restrictions to where the industrial training could be done, a lot of us were asked to repeat it just because they had the training at facilities other than the Bodija abattoir. The memory of this remained fresh in our memory, thus we endeavored to inquire from the authorities where we could have the clinic IT. They told us the same thing they said last year—you could do it anywhere. Midway through the industrial training, we were all called back to Ibadan. Those of us who were having our field practice in standard facilities in Lagos, Abuja, Ondo and other distant places were called back. We had to cancel the program instantly and then joined them here.”

The disappointment was not limited to those who had their IT some other places alone. The majority of those who had their IT at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, UI started as soon as they finished their examinations. They were admitted and were told to start immediately. They got their first surprise after two weeks when they were told to start the training all over again, citing that they started too early. There was no previous agreement about when to start the IT, and isn’t it ridiculous that the same facility which approved their arrival date and asked them to commence the training later condemned these students for starting too early? In the end, some students had to spend eight weeks on what they were supposed to spend six weeks on. We can only hope the management realize the various detriments this policy would have on us.

Written by Martial