Courageous Conversations: discrimination faced by students undertaking production animal clinical EMS

Every student that embarks on the process of training to become the next veterinary surgeon commits to undertake 38 weeks of extramural study (EMS). EMS is divided between preclinical/animal husbandry, where the students gain an appreciation of different animal production systems, and clinical EMS, where they see practice with those of us at the proverbial coal face. Students will spend at least 26 weeks with veterinary surgeons in one form of clinical or non-clinical practice or another, and face many of the same challenges we face. These students will also have their own challenges and concerns such as assimilating lots of new knowledge, settling into a new team for a short time, often adjusting to a new location, and trying to make a good impression with us.

We as vets are also facing our own daily challenges. We have daily task lists, often too long with not enough time whatever our sector. We have the responsibility of everyone's safety on farm or in the room. We have our personal lives to balance with families and other commitments. We have the constant challenge of trying to deliver the same standards of care while meeting social distancing and PPE requirements. And some of us have the business to run and keep staff employed in difficult times. Unfortunately, as research shows (BVA, 2019), discrimination is another challenge many of us face that many others do not even recognise.