Publikationsdatenbank

Code of ethics fom students for students of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin (2023)

Art

Vortrag

Autoren

Thöne-Reineke, Christa (WE 11)

Fischer-Tenhagen, L.

Langforth, Susann (WE 8)

Meemken, D. (WE 8)

Kongress

Veterinary Ethics Conference

27. – 29.09.2023

Quelle

Veterinary Ethics Conference Proceedings Booklet

— S. 76–78

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/fileadmin/v/veterinaryethics2023/Proceedings_Booklet_Veterinary_Ethics_Conference_2023.pdf

Kontakt

Institut für Tierschutz, Tierverhalten und Versuchstierkunde

Königsweg 67
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 61146
tierschutz@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Background:
The evolving human-animal relationship (Kompatscher, 2019), the increased social demands towards animal welfare and the high self- and externally
imposed moral expectations of the veterinary profession lead to ethical challenges for both veterinarians and veterinary students that go beyond the
legally defined framework (Thöne-Reineke et al., 2020). The different roles of animals as pets or livestock render ethical considerations imperative.
Veterinarians play a crucial role concerning animal welfare (Thöne-Reineke et al., 2020). With their distinctive expertise and responsibilities towards animal wellbeing on the one hand, but also encountering human demands on the other hand, they are often challenged by complex ethical considerations (Kersebohm et al., 2017). Considering these challenges, the German veterinary association agreed to a code of ethics – the Codex Veterinarius for Veterinarians of the German Veterinary Medical Association (2015) and on recommendations for implementation of the "Code of Ethics of Veterinarians in Germany" (2015). The primary target group of these codes are veterinary practitioners. However, during their intern- and externships, even veterinary medical students may be confronted with situations in which animals experience unnecessary suffering and pain, such as in the curative field or in abattoirs. In order to provide the students with knowledge and skills to handle these situations well, a code of ethics was developed by students of veterinary medicine at the Freie Universität Berlin for their fellow students in an interactive interdisciplinary elective course.

Students’ involvement:
The course was organized and supervised by the Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, the Institute of Food Safety and Food Hygiene (Working Group Meat Hygiene) and the Clinic for Animal Reproduction. Altogether, 10 students of the 6th semester took part in the course during the summer semester of 2021 with 14 teaching hours in total. Due to the corona pandemic, the course was implemented online. The course started out with an introduction of the participants which collected their ideas and expectations. Next, presentations of case studies encompassing the areas of a) veterinary training, b) farm visits and c) abattoir externships were 77 provided by members of the supervising institutes as an introduction to these three elected topics. The students were then divided into 3 groups of each 3-4 students and were asked to develop a code of ethics concerning the respective area, a guide for farm visits as well as reporting forms concerning suspected animal welfare violation under the guidance of the member of the respective institute. The above-mentioned codes of ethics served as templates and the following aspects were addressed: confidentiality agreement concerning third parties, corporate identity with the School of Veterinary Medicine, interaction with students and lecturers as well as dealing with topics relevant to animal welfare.

Outcomes:
The final “Code of Ethics from Students for Students of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin” consists of three parts: First, a general part with an ethics statement comprised ten points. In addition to this written format, it was incorporated into the interactive teaching and learning platform tet.folio for intramural teaching with case studies made available to students in online phases, together with a form for reporting suspected cases of animal welfare violations. The Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science with its animal welfare officers serves as contact. Secondly, a decision tree for veterinary practice and farm visits was developed to guide students in cases of suspected animal welfare issues and to indicate a standardized and appropriate response. The students suggested it may be helpful to involve a more senior professional in the evaluation of the issue. Primary contact person is the veterinarian in charge at the respective externship facility or his or her experienced technical assistants. If agreed upon a possible welfare issue being present, an action plan was established, apart from life-threatening situations requiring immediate reaction. In case of animal suffering, severity has to be evaluated and appropriate actions are suggested. Thirdly, a flyer with information relevant to animal welfare during stunning was developed in preparation for the abattoir externship. Animal welfare-relevant incidents at abattoirs were prepared in tet.folio using case studies. These are made available to students online in preparation of the abattoir externship, during which the students are familiarized with the recommended behaviour in case of suspected animal welfare violations. In addition, a reporting form was developed for cases in which the students may not receive sufficient support by the veterinarian in charge, in this case by the local official veterinarians. The form can be submitted to the Working Group Meat Hygiene of the Institute of Food Safety and Food Hygiene for further support and guidance. Since no form has been submitted to date, it can be assumed that potential cases of suspicion have all been resolved directly on site. Nevertheless, this tool serves as a safety measure for students during their externships. The strong commitment of the students in this elective course should be particularly emphasized, as it has contributed considerably to the success of this code of ethics by students for students. This code of ethics was adopted 78 by the Faculty Council of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin, published on the school´s homepage and will from now on be part of the curriculum of newly enrolled students in their first year.