Henry J. Baker

Educational Theory and Practice

We live in an era of ever-expanding volume and com-plexity of knowledge and technology. As our under-standing of what is possible expands, so do our expecta-tions of what veterinary graduates should be capable ofachieving. These increased expectations have been articu-lated in a variety of public policy statements such as thecore competencies listed in the Association of AmericanVeterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) self-study docu-ment

Our Troubled Colleagues

How is it possible that students enter the veterinary curriculum full of excitement, anticipation, and promise, only to end with cynicism, exhaustion, and foreboding? Students are subjected to a grueling intellectual marathon; self-imposed competition for class rank; issues surrounding mortality, death, and suffering; and continuous evaluation and disappointment if they are not consistently at the top of their game. Add to this the challenges that all students face, including relocation, financial strain, sleep deprivation, and transition from a carefree life of adolescence to the sometimes crushing responsibilities of adulthood. Is there any wonder why anxiety, depression, and attempts to escape twist their views of life?

40 years of service to veterinary medical education.

This year, the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education ( JVME) celebrates its fortieth year of continuous publication in service to the faculty members of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and other veterinary educators. In 1966, the AAVMC was formed by the deans of eighteen US and three Canadian colleges to focus attention on the specific issues impacting the veterinary education institutions of North America. As a logical extension of this initiative, JVME was founded in 1974 to communicate the deliberations of these leaders and eventually become the sole publication dedicated to all aspects of veterinary medical education. In the first issue of JVME, founding editor Dean William W. Armistead defined the goal of JVME as follows:

Good Ideas are Forever

Like diamonds, good ideas are forever. This is what enables sound educational theories to survive the test of time. For example, around 450 BCE, the Athenian philosopher Socrates conducted what has become known as the Socratic method of pedagogy, where small groups of students asked thought provoking questions that encouraged critical thinking while the ‘‘teacher’’ ensured focus and continuity of the discussion. Fast forward 2000 years when Sir William Osler,a considered the ‘‘Father of modern medicine’’ and the first Physician-in-Chief of the new Johns Hopkins Hospital, took medical students out of the lecture hall to bedside clinical training that required ‘‘listening to patients,’’ asking provocative questions, challenging dogma, and practicing critical thinking. Sound familiar? Osler adopted the Socratic method as the cornerstone of his new and novel idea called ‘‘residency training,’’ a ‘‘good idea’’b in medical education that was adopted widely and which persists today. Similar examples of ideas that have weathered well in time might include problem-based learning, student-centered instruction, evidence-based decisions, inter-professional interaction and collaboration, and many other innovations being practiced in contemporary veterinary education.