Multi-level impact of continuing professional development on Sri Lanka’s veterinary sector

ABSTRACT

A capacity-building programme between a veterinary school in the UK and the veterinary school in Sri Lanka was developed. Scholarships for two distance learning MSc programmes were offered to Sri Lankan veterinarians: ‘Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health’ and ‘Livestock Health and Production’. In addition, scholarships were offered to academic staff members at the veterinary school to undertake the Postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Education. A blended learning approach was taken, though the majority of learning was by distance. This study used a case-study approach to assess the programmes’ impact at different levels: individual, institutional, institution’s students, the profession, the public and animals. Previous students were interviewed and current students participated in a focus group. Staff of the Sri Lankan university were interviewed. Data were transcribed and qualitative content analysis conducted. Participants had achieved personal satisfaction, gained new knowledge and skills and progressed professionally. These impacts translated to societal impacts including disseminating understanding of One Health, improving animal welfare laws and assisting the development of the undergraduate veterinary curriculum. The graduates from theblended learning programmes are experts at the centre of a new community of practice and have the ability to inspire future generations of Sri Lankan veterinary surgeons.

KEYWORDS:

• Veterinary
• continuing professional development
• Sri Lanka
• impact
• qualitative research
• thematic analysis

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants for taking part in this study, without them it would not have been possible. We would also like to thank the University of Peradeniya for hosting us during the research.

Geolocation

This study was conducted at the University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 20,400, Sri Lanka.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research was possible thanks to both the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK, who funded the collaboration between the RVC, University of London and the University of Peradeniya, and an evaluation study funded by the Centre of Distance Education, University of London, UK.

Notes on contributors

Tierney Kinnison

Tierney Kinnison is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. Tierney’s main areas of research are interprofessional working, learning and education. Tierney is interested in all aspects of veterinary education, especially computer aided learning, simulation and distance education.

Christine Thuranira-McKeever

Christine Thuranira-McKeever is the Director for Distance Learning Programmes at the Royal Veterinary College. She has a research background in socio-economics of animal disease in developing countries. In education, Christine’s key interests are in enhancing distance learners’ study experience, and she’s particularly interested in international institutional partnerships to support distance learning students.

Ruwani Kalupahana

Ruwani Kalupahana is a Senior Lecturer in Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health and the Head of the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She has over 15 years of experience in teaching veterinary undergraduates and post-graduates.

Ayona Silva-Fletcher

Ayona Silva-Fletcher is Associate Professor and Course Director for the MSc in Veterinary Education at RVC and has over 20 years of experience in teaching and research in UK higher education. Initially trained as a veterinarian, Ayona has developed a pedagogical research profile in faculty development, open educational resources and distance education.