Function in a professional context:
The degree programme in Veterinary Medicine trains professional Veterinarians who work to serve the community by protecting the health and welfare of animals and humans alike.
According to the European Veterinary Code of Conduct of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE): “Veterinarians play an essential role in protecting animal health, animal welfare, public health and the environment by providing a wide range of services. A veterinarian has a variety of legal, moral and ethical obligations towards animals and their owners, clients, colleagues, the veterinary team, society and Competent Authorities. On occasion, these obligations may conflict with each other and present veterinarians with a dilemma. In such situations, it is veterinarians’ responsibility to balance their obligations, having regard first to animal health and welfare and to public health”.
Hence, Veterinarians may work in leading roles in a variety of national and international contexts:
• in the clinical care and management of pets and production animals, including avian species, non-traditional companion animals, exotic pets, laboratory animals, wild animals, as well as aquaculture species and insects;
• in the Italian National Health Service and in other national public bodies (Local Health Authorities – ASLs, Animal Health Authorities – IZSs, Armed Forces) and their international equivalents, where they may also carry out research;
• in primary sector (food and animal feed) companies, pharmaceutical and veterinary equipment companies, as consultants, in research development and management, in administration and sales;
• in manufacturing businesses in the area of supply chain certifications or other quality certifications;
• in research at public and private institutes.
The single cycle degree programme in Veterinary Medicine gives access to third-cycle education (specialisation schools and PhD programmes), as well as to first and second-level professional master’s programmes.
Function in a professional context:
Veterinarians who specialise in companion animals engage in clinical care both at veterinary practices (clinics and hospitals) and at the patient’s home and, having acquired specific clinical skills, are able to handle animal diseases in terms of their prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, they are skilled in emergency care and in performing and interpreting clinical pathology diagnostic tests and diagnostic imaging tests.
Veterinarians who specialise in production animals in the various livestock sectors engage in clinical care and are able to handle animal diseases in terms of their prevention, diagnosis and treatment. They are tasked with leading genetic improvement, monitoring and improving animal breeding and feeding conditions, with a view to both optimising the yield and sustainability of livestock production, while respecting animal health and welfare in accordance with the principles of circular economy, and maximising the quality and wholesomeness of products of animal origin.
In the field of public health, Veterinarians are tasked with ensuring the hygiene and safety of animal source foods by applying their skills in livestock farms, slaughterhouses and food processing facilities, taking an integrated supply chain approach that also encompasses residue control plans for products of animal origin. They further perform activities related to the prevention and control of (reportable and non-reportable) transmissible animal diseases and zoonotic diseases, as well as the management of animal populations in urban areas, advocating the responsible use of pharmaceutical agents, and particularly antimicrobial agents. In Italy, graduates may access these jobs after obtaining a postgraduate qualification as non-medical specialists in the healthcare field.
Finally, Veterinarians may actively participate in the design, implementation and coordination of not-for-profit and for-profit research at a national and international level, working in both public (research institutes and universities) and private contexts (scientific consulting firms, pharmaceutical, animal feed and veterinary equipment companies).
Competencies associated to the function:
Veterinary Medicine graduates have skills that allow them to perform all of the functions listed above (some of them subject to obtaining a postgraduate specialist qualification). The disciplinary competencies of graduates include:
• knowledge of the animal in good health and of the basics of veterinary sciences: knowledge and skills in anatomy, physiology, behaviour, restraint of animals in a physiological condition; skills in the detection of clinical signs affecting the various organ systems, in the analysis and interpretation of ancillary (laboratory and diagnostic imaging) tests, in the aetiology and pathogenesis of infectious/parasitic diseases and other diseases; basic competencies in the areas of animal reproduction, lactation and neonatal management; knowledge of nutrition and breeding of animals of veterinary interest; knowledge and skills in veterinary general pathology, pharmacology and toxicology, and animal testing;
• knowledge of production chains, having regard to farming systems, nutrition, welfare, genetic selection and the economy of production chains involving farmed animals (cattle, swine, small livestock species, poultry, aquaculture species); clinical skills in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases in farmed animals, skills in reproductive management and assisted reproduction techniques;
• competencies in the areas of veterinary public health, knowledge of reportable and non-reportable diseases and of the procedure to communicate with the competent health authorities; food inspection skills (including post-mortem examination, individual organ examination and post-slaughtering examination), knowledge of food hygiene and safety certifications, knowledge of national infectious disease, residue and food fraud control plans;
• competencies in the areas of care and welfare of pets, horses and non-traditional companion animals; skills in clinical diagnostic methods, special pharmacology, anaesthesiology and analgesia, clinical and functional nutrition, topographical anatomy and basics of surgery, surgical field preparation, animal restraint and asepsis; skills in special anatomical pathology and necropsy, aetiopathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of diseases; emergency medicine and critical care skills.
In the course of the programme, Veterinary Medicine graduates also acquire transversal skills, including the following:
• to be able to effectively communicate with the clients, public, colleagues, competent authorities and specific social groups, adapting their language to the recipients while fully respecting them, as well as their confidentiality and privacy;
• to be able to fit in and work effectively with a multidisciplinary group in the provision of services, and to make decisions independently;
• to apply the scientific method and the principles of evidence-based medicine in the practice of the profession, being able to critically review the most recent scientific literature and showing commitment to advancing veterinary knowledge according to a One Health approach;
• to deal with unexpected circumstances, solve problems also based on incomplete data, and resiliently adapt to change;
• to pursue lifelong learning and professional development, being aware of their own limits and, when this is appropriate, of their need for assistance and support from other professionals.
Employment opportunities:
A Veterinary Medicine graduate must register with the competent Professional Board to practise as a Veterinarian. Veterinarians may work with pets as freelance professionals, both in their own and third-party facilities. In that context, they can also aspire to managerial roles within large veterinary practices.
Furthermore, a Veterinary Medicine graduate may practise as a Veterinarian working with production animals and in the livestock industry, both as a freelance professional and as an employee.
Veterinary Medicine graduates may further work as employees of the Italian National Health Service (e.g. Veterinarians at ASLs, IZSs, Border Inspection Posts – PIFs, Veterinary Offices for the Fulfilment of Community Obligations – UVACs), after obtaining a Specialisation Decree, and of other national (e.g. Regional and Provincial Services, Institutes for Higher Studies – ISSs, Ministries, Armed Forces), and EU and international public bodies (e.g. WHO, FAO, WOAH).
Veterinary Medicine graduates may work as freelance professionals or employees at private companies (e.g. pharmaceutical, animal feed and veterinary equipment companies, scientific consulting firms), including multinational companies, as well as at non-governmental organisations, as quality assurance specialists in plants for the processing of animal source foods.
Finally, after receiving suitable postgraduate training, Veterinary Medicine graduates may work as Veterinarians at facilities that employ animals for scientific purposes.
