Employer and new graduate satisfaction with new graduate performance in the workplace within the first year following convocation from the Ontario Veterinary College

Abstract

Mailed questionnaires administered to employers of graduates and to graduates of the Ontario Veterinary College in 2000 and 2001, 7 to 10 months after convocation, surveyed new graduate performance in the workplace. Proficiency at 9 species-specific (in 4 practice contexts) and 7 nonspecies-specific clinical activities were rated as “high,” “some,” or “low.” Fifteen nonvocation- specific attributes, reflecting interpersonal, communication, and business skills, and the new graduate's competence to do his/her job were rated as “very good,” “good,” or “poor.” Ninety or more percent of employers reported “high” to “some” proficiency in 8/9, 5/9, 3/9, and 1/9 activities relative to small animal, food animal, equine, and exotic animal practice, respectively, and in 5/7 nonspecies-specific clinical activities. Ninety or more percent of employers assessed workplace proficiency as “very good” to “good” in 13/15 nonvocation-specific work skills and overall competence to do the job for which the new graduate had been hired.

Introduction

In 1997, the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), during deliberations with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, agreed to gauge and annually report the level of employer satisfaction with new graduate performance in the workplace within 1 y of graduation. With OVC being committed to implement a new curriculum in September 2000, it seemed prudent to collect such data on new graduates from OVC classes '00 to '03 (the last classes that would complete the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program under the current curriculum) for use as benchmarks against which to compare performance in the workplace of new graduates from the new outcomes-based curriculum (1).

However, just assessing employer satisfaction with the overall performance of the new graduate in the workplace would not provide sufficient data to assist faculty as they revised and/or developed courses for the new curriculum. Accordingly, it was also decided to query new graduate proficiency relative to a multitude of very specific tasks and activities involved in the practice of species-specific clinical veterinary medicine and other nonpractice-related veterinary vocations. To achieve these 2 objectives, new graduates and employers of new graduates were surveyed by mailed questionnaire each year in early November. Such data collected approximately 7 to 10 mo after convocation would reflect the perceptions of employer and recent graduate, after the latter had been adequately oriented to the workplace and had experienced a wide variety of client and case interactions, and other workplace demands.

Materials and methods

Design of surveys

An Employer Survey and a New Graduate Survey, of similar layout, were designed by the author with significant input from the late Dr. Sid Gilbert, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, who was co-director of the Centre for Educational Research Assessment, University of Guelph. Both surveys were developed to gauge new graduate performance in the workplace relative to the knowledge base, technical skills, and professional behaviors that had figured prominently in the development of the OVC outcomes-based curriculum.

The mailed surveys were administered in early November and again in December 1999 to the class of OVC '99 and their employers. Based on suggestions and concerns expressed by respondents, the wording of some questions in these surveys was revised. In early November and again in early December 2000 and 2001, the revised questionnaires (2) were sent to new graduates of the classes of OVC '00 and '01, and their employers.

In both questionnaires, section 1 (questions 1–4) established the time and extent of the workplace appointment and the nature of the workplace activities. Section 2 (question 5A) contained 43 closed-ended statements that addressed the performance of 16 specific activities, 9 of which were evaluated in each of 4 practice contexts (food animal, equine, small animal, and exotic animal practice). The remaining 7 activities were evaluated without regard to a specific practice context. Section 3 (question 5B) was comprised of 16 closed-ended statements; 15 queried specific proficiencies relative to activities that were not job specific, and 1 the new graduate's overall ability to do the job for which he/she had been hired. Section 4 invited respondents to comment on the completeness of the questionnaire and to make specific recommendations to improve the DVM program at the OVC.

All questions in sections 2 and 3 of both surveys used a 5-point Likert response scale (3) to gauge the intensity of assessments of specific proficiencies and to generate the most specific assessments without burdening the respondents with too wide a range of choices. Both surveys presented a series of statements and asked the respondent to rate new graduate proficiency as very high, high, some, low, or very low (question 5A), or superior, very good, good, poor, or very poor (question 5B). Regardless of the question, respondents were given the option of indicating “not applicable” (NA), if the activity or task was not relevant to the new graduate's occupation. This option was always the first choice listed and was the 1st of 3 strategies employed in the questionnaire design to expedite completion. The 2nd strategy was to introduce each statement or task with the phrase “Relative to…” in order to immediately identify the clinical context (food animal, equine, small animal, or exotic animal practice) and permit the respondent to decide whether the question was relevant and should be answered, or checked “NA”. The 3rd strategy to expedite survey completion was the consistent use of the same order, relative to clinical context, when reiterating the same question; for example, “Relative to food animals…,” “Relative to equine...,” “Relative to small animals…,” “Relative to exotic animals…,” and “verbal communications (effectively, appropriately, and empathetically with clients) with regard to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of health problems” (question 5A-A). Finally, respondents had the option of whether or not to sign their survey.

Compilation, summary, and statistical analysis of survey data

Returned surveys that met inclusion criteria (job had been held for at least 4 mo and surveys returned by the following February 28) were assigned a unique code number. Responses to all closed-ended statements were entered into a spreadsheet. Four data sets, employer responses and new graduate responses for 2000 and 2001, were compiled. The 2000 and 2001 employer and new graduate responses to each question were pooled first, and then the response categories were collapsed from 5 (very high, high, some, low, and very low, or superior, very good, good, poor, and very poor) to 3 categories high (Σ very high + high), some, and low (Σ low + very low), or very good (Σ superior + very good), good, and poor (Σ poor + very poor).

To better appreciate how the new graduate's time was spent relative to the various species of animals encountered in private small animal and private mixed practice, employer data from the 2000 and 2001 surveys were combined, and the mean, median, and range of activities, expressed as a percentage, were calculated by species categories for these practice types (Table 1).

Table 1.

Means of the percentage of responses from employers and new graduates were calculated for all closed-ended questions and compared using a Mann Whitney 2-sample test of differences in mean rank scores with significance set at P < 0.05 (4). Means of the percentage of employer responses to the 9 questions concerning new graduate proficiency in each specific practice context (food animal, equine, small animal, and exotic animal practice) were calculated and compared using the Mann Whitney 2-sample test of differences in mean rank scores with significance set at P < 0.001.

Responses to the open-ended questions in the surveys are not included in this report.

Results

Survey response rates

Since many of the surveys, both Employer and New Graduate, were not signed, it was not possible to compare groups of employers' responses with those of their employees' responses. Accordingly, employer responses and those of the new graduate were compiled as 2 distinct, but not necessarily related, populations. Employer response rates for 2000 and 2001 were 70% and 73%, respectively; new graduate response rates for 2000 and 2001 were 67% and 63%, respectively (Table 2).

Table 2.

Vocations of new graduate respondents to the 2000 and 2001 surveys

Respectively in 2000 and 2001, 94% and 95% of the new graduates were employed full-time as veterinarians. The other respondents in each year held positions as part-time veterinarians. The types of positions (jobs) filled by the graduates who responded to the 2000 and 2001 surveys are summarized in Table 3. Only 1 respondent in the 2 y of the survey reported that his or her employee did 100% food animal practice, and no employer reported that his or her employee did 100% equine practice.

Table 3.

Year 2000 surveys: Employment statistics 7 to 10 mo after convocation

When these surveys were completed, 52 of 54 (96%) employers indicated that the new graduate was still in their employ. The reasons given by the others for the new graduate having left were personal reasons (n = 1), performance reasons (n = 1), or both. At the time of survey completion, 64 of 66 (97%) new graduate respondents had held the same position since graduation, 1 had held 2 different jobs, and 1 had held 3 jobs. The reasons given by the new graduates for changing jobs were that the contract ran out (n = 1) and contract ran out and personal reasons (n = 1).

Year 2001 surveys: Employment statistics 7 to 10 mo after convocation

When the 2001 surveys were completed, 50 of 53 (94%) of employer respondents reported that the new graduate was still in their employ. The reasons given by the others for the new graduate having left were contract ran out (n = 1), personal reasons (n = 1), and personal and performance reasons (n = 1).

When the 2001 surveys were completed, 56 of 59 (95%) of new graduates had held the same job since graduation, 2 had held 2 positions, and 1 had held 3 positions. The reasons given by the new graduates for changing jobs were personal reasons (n = 2) and personal and performance reasons (n = 1).

Perceptions of employers and graduates of the OVC classes '00 and '01 regarding performance of the recent graduate in the workplace

Small animal practice — Perceptions of the recent graduate's proficiency relative to 9 specific clinical activities in small animal practice are provided in Figure 1. The largest percentage of employer responses in this context fell in the “high” category for all 9 clinical activities. Further, in 6/9 activities the “some” category represented 22% or less of the responses and the “low” response category ranged from < 3% (5 of 9 activities, Figure 1A–D, F) to 3% to 12% (4 of 9 activities, Figure 1E, G–I). Comparison of the employer and new graduate perceptions of the clinical performance of the recent graduate in small animal practice revealed no significant differences relative to any of the 9 clinical activities assessed.

Figure 1. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates in a small animal practice context as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical proficiency, classified as “high” (Σ very high + high survey category assessments), “some” (survey category assessment), or “low” (Σ low + very low survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: A: Verbal communication with clients. B: Correctly diagnosing and treating common health problems. C: Formulating and ranked list of differential diagnoses. D: Animal rapport and handling skills. E: Dealing with emergency/critical care cases. F: Anesthesia skills. G: Promoting/providing health maintenance services. H: Surgical skills. I: Necropsy skills.

Food animal practice — Perceptions of recent graduate's functional capabilities relative to 9 specific clinical activities in food animal practice are provided in Figure 2. In 8/9 activities the largest percentage of employer responses fell in the “high” category, the next largest percentage in the “some” category, and the fewest in the “low” category. The exception to this trend was relative to necropsy skills, where the percentage of employer responses in both the “high” and “some” categories were similar. The percentage of employer responses that fell in the “low” proficiency category ranged from < 8% (3 of 9; Figure 2C, F, I), to 10% to 15% (4 of 9; Figure 2A, B, D, E) to 24% (2 of 9; Figure 2G, H). Comparison of employer and new graduate perception's of the clinical performance of the recent graduate in food animal practice revealed no significant differences relative to any of the 9 clinical activities assessed.

Figure 2. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates in a food animal practice context as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical proficiency, classified as “high” (Σ very high + high survey category assessments), “some” (survey category assessment), or “low” (Σ low + very low survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: A: Verbal communication with clients. B: Correctly diagnosing and treating common health problems. C: Formulating a ranked list of differential diagnoses. D: Animal rapport and handling skills. E: Dealing with emergency/critical care cases. F: Anesthesia skills. G: Promoting/ providing health maintenance services. H: Surgical skills. I: Necropsy skills.

Equine practice — Perceptions of recent graduate's functional capabilities relative to 9 specific clinical activities in equine practice are provided in Figure 3. In 4/9 of these activities, the largest percentage of employer responses fell in the “some” category, and 4/9 activities, it fell in the “high” category. The percentage of employer responses relative to new graduate proficiency that fell in the “low” category ranged from 8% to 12% (5 to 9; Figures 3A–D, F) to 15% to 19% (3 of 9; Figure 3E, G, I) to 33% (1 of 9; Figure 3H). Comparison of employer versus new graduate perceptions of the clinical performance of the recent graduate in equine practice revealed no significant differences.

Figure 3. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates in an equine animal practice context as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical proficiency, classified as “high” (Σ very high + high survey category assessments), “some” (survey category assessment), or “low” (Σ low + very low survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: A: Verbal communication with clients. B: Correctly diagnosing and treating common health problems. C: Formulating a ranked list of differential diagnoses. D: Animal rapport and handling skills. E: Dealing with emergency/critical care cases. F: Anesthesia skills. G: Promoting/providing health maintenance services. H: Surgical skills. I: Necropsy skills.

Exotic animal practice — Employer and new graduate perceptions of recent graduate's functional capabilities relative to 9 specific clinical activities in exotic animal practice are provided in Figure 4. The percentage of employer responses tended to be more evenly distributed amongst the 3 categories or skewed more towards the “low” category. Comparison of employer and new graduate perception's of the clinical abilities of the recent graduate in exotic animal practice revealed significant differences relative to all 9 clinical activities; new graduates self-assessments of their clinical proficiency being consistently poorer compared with those of their employer.

Figure 4. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates in an exotic animal practice context as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical proficiency, classified as “high” (Σ very high + high survey category assessments), “some” (survey category assessment), or “low” (Σ low + very low survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: A: Verbal communication with clients. B: Correctly diagnosing and treating common health problems. C: Formulating a ranked list of differential diagnoses. D: Animal rapport and handling skills. E: Dealing with emergency/critical care cases. F: Anesthesia skills. G: Promoting/providing health maintenance services. H: Surgical skills. I: Necropsy skills.

New graduate proficiency relative to specific tasks/techniques, skills, and behaviors common to all types of clinical and nonclinical vocations

Employer and new graduate perception's of new graduate performance relative to 22 activities common to most vocations are summarized in Figures 5a, 5b, and 5c. In 18/22 (82%) of these activities, the largest number of employer responses fell in the “high” or “very good” categories. In 3/22 of these activities, (ultrasound skills, Figure 5a M; job-related financial management, Figure 5b U; and awareness of public concerns challenging the business/industry's future, Figure 5b AA), the largest number of employer responses fell in the “some” or “good” categories. In 1/22 of these activities, endoscopy skills (Figure 5a N), the largest number of employer responses relative to new graduate clinical proficiency fell in the “low” category.

Figure 5a. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates regardless of veterinary vocation as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical and nonclinical proficiency, classified as “very good” (v. good) (Σ superior + very good survey category assessments), “good” (survey category assessment), or “poor” (Σ poor + very poor survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: J: Selection and interpretation of ancillary diagnostic tests. K: Medical record recording skills. L: X-ray skills. M: Ultrasound skills. N: Endoscopy skills. O: Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of zoonotic diseases. P: Dealing with animal death and euthanasia. Q: Ability to effectively work with others. R: Neatness in work area.

Figure 5b. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates regardless of veterinary vocation as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical and nonclinical proficiency, classified as “very good” (v. good) (Σ superior + very good survey category assessments), “good” (survey category assessment), or “poor” (Σ poor + very poor survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: S: Conflict management skills. T: Job related time management. U: Job related financial management. V: Job related file management skills. W: Retrieving/compiling/analyzing data. X: Professional writing skills. Y: Preparation/ delivery of slide/computer presentations. Z: Public speaking skills. AA: Awareness of public concerns challenging business/industry's future.

Figure 5c. Perceptions of employers (Emp) and graduates (Grad) of the Ontario Veterinary College classes '00/'01 of the clinical proficiency of recent graduates regardless of veterinary vocation as derived from mailed surveys administered 7 to 10 mo after convocation. Clinical and nonclinical proficiency, classified as “very good” (v. good) (Σ superior + very good survey category assessments), “good” (survey category assessment), or “poor” (Σ poor + very poor survey category assessments), is reported as a percentage of total responses as regards: BB: Self-motivation to do the best job possible. CC: Ability to function independent of supervision. DD: Enthusiasm for learning. EE: Demonstrated creativity relative to problem solving. FF: Overall performance/competence to do the job for which he/she was hired.

Relative to X-ray skills, ultrasound skills, endoscopy skills, diagnosis and treatment of zoonotic diseases, retrieving, compiling and analyzing data, and professional writing skills, new graduates self-assessments of their proficiency were poorer compared with those of their employer's P < 0.05. Relative to the ability of the new graduate to do the job for which he/she was hired, 74% of employer assessments fell in the “very good” category, 16% in the “good” category, and 10% in the “poor” category.

Discussion

Employer assessments of the surgical skills of new graduates in a small animal context compared with the performance of those graduates in undergraduate surgical courses have previously been rated by Greenfield et al (5). However, to the author's knowledge, employer and new graduate evaluations of the multitude of workplace proficiencies expected of the recent graduate from veterinary college have not been reported.

It is accepted in the social research field that questionnaires, compared with other research instruments, are particularly well suited to describing population characteristics and ranges of attitudes and opinions (6). Thus, it was appropriate to use a survey instrument to ascertain employer and new graduate satisfaction with new graduate performance in the workplace. These assessments should be considered authentic, since they were done in the workplace under conditions that truly reflected the experiences and challenges that the new graduate faced in his or her regular and not-so-regular workday (7). Also, such assessments should be made by someone not directly involved in the formal education and training of that graduate (7). Although our surveys satisfy the authenticity issue in that they were done in the workplace, it could be argued that employers, as assessors, are not entirely independent of the training process. From the time the new graduate was hired until the survey was completed, the employer, his or her designate, or both, mentored the new employee. Since a primary purpose of the surveys was to determine employer and new graduate satisfaction with new graduate performance in the workplace within 1 y of graduation, this deficiency must be accepted. However, a major and legitimate criticism that performance assessment in these surveys was based on direct observation of professional behavior and, therefore, was confounded by inter-rater variability is acknowledged (8). The employer data were derived from 107 different employers, who were untrained as assessors of performance.

Given the response rates to both the Employer and New Graduate Surveys in both years, opinions expressed relative to new graduate performance in the workplace should in general be representative of all employers of graduates of the classes of OVC '00 and '01 and of the workplace performance of all new graduates in those classes. Two findings from these surveys concerning the actual workplace appointment should be noted. First, the percentage of part-time appointments were 6% and 5% for the 2000 and 2001 surveys, respectively. It would be interesting in future surveys to probe the reasons for such arrangements. Second, 4% (2000) and 6% (2001) of employers reported that the new graduate they had hired was no longer in their employ. Likewise, a small percentage of new graduates reported that they had held more than 1 job by the time the survey was completed; 2 of 66 (3%) in 2000 and 3 of 59 (5%) in 2001. In 2001, in about half of these situations, performance was listed by the new graduate as the reason for the job change; future surveys need to delve into this issue more deeply and determine the exact nature of the performance issue(s) that necessitated such job changes.

The 9 clinical proficiencies that employers and new graduates were asked to assess in the context of small animal, food animal, equine, and exotic animal practice and the 23 clinical and nonclinical activities that were considered common to all veterinary vocations were based on entry level competencies, as described for Canadian veterinarians (1).

The major question that needed to be answered by these surveys was whether or not employers and new graduates were satisfied with the recent graduate's overall performance/competence to do the job for which she or he had been hired? The majority of employers (90%) and new graduates (100%) perceived new graduate performance/competence to do the job as “good” to “very good.” Bearing in mind that although “performance” is what is observed and that “competence” is inferred from it, “professional competence” in a veterinary context involves much more than possession of a specific knowledge base, proficiency at specific technical and other skills, and demonstration of behaviors deemed appropriate by the profession and the public (9). For the veterinary professional to do the job in a global sense, he or she must be able to communicate effectively in a wide variety of circumstances with other lay and professional persons; to negotiate effectively while demonstrating empathy, sound judgement, insight, and foresight in sometimes unique and unusual circumstances; and to demonstrate critical thinking, as well as an awareness of perspectives, attitudes, and behaviors valued by the veterinary profession and the public. If as Lester (10) contends, capability in the workplace is “learned, not taught,” the question the profession must address is when this should happen? It is reasonable to expect that after 7 to 10 mo on the job, graduates' work skills and performance would have improved beyond the levels achieved at the time of graduation. What needs to be addressed in a future survey is the nature of the performance concern that caused the new graduate to change jobs within the 1st year of graduation.

Another purpose of the surveys was to provide more specific and focused information to assist faculty in curricular revision and development. Based on employers' perception of the new graduate's ability to perform 9 specific clinical activities in 4 clinical settings, it was possible to rank their proficiencies as follows, starting at the highest: proficiency relative to small animals — 30% to 100% of workplace activity in small animal practice (median value 50%), and 30% to 70% of workplace activity in mixed practice (median value 30%); proficiency relative to food animals — 1% to 80% of workplace activity in mixed practice (median value 10%); proficiency relative to equine animals — 5% to 30% of workplace activity in mixed practice (median value 10%); and proficiency relative to exotic animals — 2% to 40% of workplace activity in small animal practice (median value 4%), and 2% to 30% of workplace activity in mixed practice (median value 4%).

Comparison of employer perceptions of new graduate proficiencies in food animal versus small animal practice revealed no differences in 7/9 activities. However, new graduate performance in terms of anesthesia skills and promoting and providing health maintenance services were perceived as significantly poorer in food animal compared with small animal practice (P < 0.001).

Comparison of employer versus new graduate perceptions of the clinical performance of the recent graduate in equine practice revealed no significant differences. These surveys revealed that the proficiency at equine surgery of 33% of new graduates was assessed as “low.” In addition, the performance of a larger percentage of new graduates was perceived as “low” relative to promoting and providing health maintenance services related to equine practice; it would be helpful to have more specifics as to what these surgical and health maintenance deficiencies were. The exact nature of these deficiencies should, if possible, be investigated in future surveys. It is possible that practitioners' expectations of new graduates relative to equine surgery, for example, may exceed the entry level competencies for Canadian veterinarians (1). For example, umbilical hernia repair but not surgical inguinal hernia repair, castration but not cryptorchidectomy, external fracture fixation but not internal fracture fixation, and arthrocentesis but not arthroscopy are listed as entry-level competencies for Canadian veterinarians. Obviously, equine practitioners need to be aware of these entry-level performance requirements on which the DVM 2000 curriculum will be based, and the OVC faculty involved in the discipline of equine surgery need to be aware of the employer and new graduate concerns about new graduate proficiency relative to equine surgery. The OVC needs to address these problems by ensuring better communication of the expected entrance level competencies for new graduates from the DVM program between the faculty and students at the OVC and the veterinary profession at large.

New graduate proficiency at specific activities and tasks related to entry level competencies in exotic animal practice (1,11) were perceived by both employers and new graduates in both 2000 and 2001 as being poorer than those of other types of clinical practice. The tendency for new graduates' assessments of their proficiency relative to all exotic animal practice activities to be poorer than those of their employer stands in stark contrast to similar comparisons made in the context of small animal, food animal, or equine practice. Interestingly, Greenfield et al (5) also noted this trend in their survey relative to surgical skills of the undergraduate, but not the recent graduate after a few months in practice.

Although new graduate proficiency relative to patient management and diagnostic techniques common to all types of clinical practice (large, equine, small, and exotic animals), such as selection and interpretation of ancillary diagnostic tests and techniques, medical record writing, X-ray skills, ultrasound skills, endoscopy skills, and diagnosis and treatment of zoonotic diseases, assessed, for the most part, in the “high” and “some” categories, except for the proficiencies of a small fraction of new graduates that were rated as “low.” The 2 exceptions were new graduate proficiency relative to ultrasonography and endoscopy. However, both of these procedures are listed relative to entry level competencies as “Tests and procedures that graduates should be aware of but not necessarily able to perform”(1). The author recognizes the need to review and revise the wording of these questions or to delete these questions from future surveys.

Interestingly, new graduates and employers rated > 95% of new graduate performance in the “high” or “some” categories relative to animal death and euthanasia, job-related file management, data compilation and analysis, professional writing skills, enthusiasm for learning, and creativity relative to problem solving. This should be noted by faculty involved in developing and implementing the DVM 2000 curriculum, which is intended to add further emphasis to these types of activities that are common to all jobs to which the new veterinary graduate might aspire.

That new graduate performance relative to job-related time management, job-related financial management, ability to work effectively with others, self motivation to do the best job, and ability to function independently of supervision was perceived differently by employers and the new graduates is most interesting. Does this difference reflect the younger generation's perception or expectation of reality in the workplace? If so, such employer concerns may be difficult to address within the context of new curricular development. Hopefully, with the addition of 3 courses in the “Art of Veterinary Medicine” the DVM 2000 curriculum will address these concerns in part. These 3 courses will specifically address such issues as effective interpersonal communication, conflict management and resolution, people and business management, and greater awareness of the breadth and importance of professional ethics, regardless of vocation.

Does the recent graduate from the OVC have the knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected of an entry-level veterinarian by employers? Hopefully this report provides some meaningful data with which that question can be more thoughtfully considered.