Assessment of perceptions of Kampala Veterinarians, Veterinary Medicine students and lecturers regarding internship provisions of the Veterinary Practitioners Act, 2023

Abstract

The Veterinary Practitioners Bill 2023, recently signed by the president into Law on the 14th of May 2024, introduces new provisions for veterinary internships. It emphasizes the need for veterinary medicine graduates to undertake practical training with supervision of experienced veterinary surgeons for 12 months, a prerequisite for registration as Veterinary Surgeons. The objectives of the study were to measure the respondents’ awareness of the new internship requirement and to evaluate their perceptions of its potential benefits, and challenges that may impede or support its successful implementation respectively. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 116 respondents, encompassing veterinary medicine students in year 1 and year 2 academic years, veterinary medicine lecturers, and practicing veterinarians in Kampala. A structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents physically and online through Google Forms. The findings revealed a high overall awareness rate of 93.77%, with complete awareness among practicing veterinarians (100%), and lecturers being least aware at 85.19%. Majority of the respondents were "somewhat aware" (40.91%), others were "moderately aware" (32.73%), with only 6.36% being "extremely aware." Most respondents became aware of the internship program through peer discussions (48.18%). One respondent mentioned that they learned about the internship through their involvement in the bill's formulation. The respondents generally agreed on the benefits of the internship program, particularly its potential to increase graduates' competence in veterinary practice (mean = 1.81), offer practical experience (mean = 1.82), and enable graduates to obtain soft skills (mean 1.90). However, significant possible challenges were agreed upon strongly including the likelihood of inadequate facilitation support (mean = 1.65), difficulty of graduates securing internship placements (mean = 1.93), and insufficient coordination between supervisors and internship facilities (mean = 2.13). The study concludes that while the internship program is anticipated to be of great relevance and benefit to veterinary medicine graduates, addressing the perceived challenges is essential for the successful implementation and sustainability of the program.