Future Directions in Zoological Medical Education: Expectations, Potential, Opportunities, and Mandates
The Future of Training for Aquatic Animal Health Veterinarians
Kathleen Hughes Hartman g Roy P.E. Yanong g Craig A. Harms g Gregory A. Lewbart
ABSTRACT This article describes educational approaches for training veterinary students, veterinary graduates, and practicing veterinarians in the area of aquatic animal health and lists a range of general research, training, internship/residency, and continuing-education resources.
INTRODUCTION medical care and husbandry practices for pet fish were While aquaculture is a centuries-old method of farming performed by the hobbyists themselves, or with assistance that is practiced throughout the world, veterinary involve- from a local pet-store clerk or aquarium maintenance ment in aquaculture and aquatic animal medicine is person. Many of these lay people are very knowledgeable a relatively recent development. As aquaculture and conscientious, but there are no minimum training products make up an increasing and significant part of standards for their vocation, as there are in the veterinary our seafood, ornamental, and pet industries, the need for profession. Veterinarians are taught the principles of sound veterinary input will continue to grow. In addition medicine, surgery, and animal husbandry. Furthermore, to an increase in the volume and monetary value of the same fundamental disciplines, such as critical care, aquaculture products, the variety and number of aquatic microbiology, parasitology, nutrition, pathology, and species that are now commercially raised has also been surgery, that are applied to terrestrial animals may also be increasing. applied to aquatic animals. In the United States, several veterinary schools offer courses In addition to private practitioners expanding their practices in aquatic animal medicine, including courses or learning to include fish and other aquatic animals, the job market for experiences focused on aquaculture and aquatic animal industry and institutional aquatic animal veterinarians has health; currently, however, most veterinary students and expanded greatly over the past decade or so. Most major veterinarians receive their aquatic animal medicine training public aquariums have at least one staff veterinarian, through extracurricular programs and independent study. and many have several, including interns and residency While we realize that there is little room in most veterinary trainees. Even the smallest aquariums have a part-time curricula for expansion, including at least some introduc- veterinarian or a consulting arrangement with a veterinar- tory course- and laboratory work related to aquatic ian or university. Many zoos, which employ hundreds of animal medicine could be of great benefit to veterinary veterinarians in the United States, now have extensive students. Pertinent topics would include aquaculture of aquatic animal exhibits, and zoo veterinarians commonly invertebrates and finfish, clinical management of captive treat fishes, aquatic reptiles, aquatic birds, and aquatic fishes, clinical management of aquatic reptiles, and clinical mammals. As the aquaculture industry has expanded, management of captive marine mammals. Even if these opportunities for veterinarians, including aquatic animal topics could not be included in the core curriculum, a one- pathologists, have increased. Veterinarians now play key or two-credit elective course could meet these needs roles in state and federal governmental agencies, including, and serve as a foundation for future academic pursuits but not limited to, the National Marine Fisheries Service (even post-DVM). (NMFS), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US Fish and The keeping of fish as pets is a hobby with a long history. Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the US Geological Survey In recent years, particularly during the past decade, (USGS). Aquatic animals, especially invertebrate and fish ornamental pond fish, including koi and goldfish, have species, are becoming increasingly important laboratory become increasingly popular in various parts of the world, animals. This is an area of substantial growth, and there is, including the United States. In fact, more fish are kept as and will likely continue to be, a need for experienced pets in the United States than any other single group of aquatic animal practitioners and researchers. animals, including dogs, cats, small mammals, birds, and reptiles.6 The pet fish hobby has also become more It is anticipated that the job market for aquatic animal sophisticated in recent years, and growing numbers of veterinarians will continue to expand, especially as inter- veterinarians are gaining clinical experience with pet fish as national commerce in aquatic animals continues, public well as incorporating pet fish medicine into their clinical aquariums continue their rise in popularity, aquaculture practice.2–6 Prior to 1980, except in rare instances, most and appropriate bio-security measures become more
JVME 33(3) ß 2006 AAVMC 389 sophisticated, aquatic animals gain importance as labora- Roy P.E. Yanong, VMD, is Associate Professor/Extension tory research models, and conservation efforts on behalf Veterinarian, Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, Department of of threatened and endangered aquatic species expand in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida/IFAS, 1408 both scope and focus. 24th St. SE, Ruskin, FL 33570 USA. E-mail: [email protected]. As our knowledge of aquatic animal diseases and Craig A. Harms, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM, is Assistant Professor therapeutics increases, more and more veterinarians will of Aquatic, Wildlife, and Zoological Medicine, Department of be trained and qualified to work responsibly with these Clinical Sciences and Center for Marine Sciences and animals. Peer-reviewed articles on the clinical management Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina of aquatic species case problems now appear in many State University, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, NC 28557 veterinary journals. Nearly every major veterinary confer- USA. E-mail: [email protected]. ence includes aquatic animal medicine in its program, and Gregory A. Lewbart, MS, VMD, Dipl. ACZM, is Professor of several veterinary schools now offer continuing education Aquatic Animal Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, (CE) courses on this subject. In addition, many textbooks College of Veterinary Medicine,North Carolina State University, and review articles contain valuable information on pet 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 USA. fish medicine. The appendices to this article provide an E-mail: [email protected]. array of resources now available for aquatic veterinary education: Continuing Education Opportunities in Aquatic Animal Medicine (Appendix A), Available Internships and APPENDIX A: CONTINUING EDUCATION Residencies (Appendix B), General References for Different OPPORTUNITIES IN AQUATIC ANIMAL MEDICINE Areas of Aquatic Animal Medicine (Appendix C), Aquatic Animal Health/Medicine Journals (Appendix D), Aquatic Animal Health Continuing Education Programs and some other useful Aquatic Medicine Resources Formal CE courses are typically organized through an (Appendix E). academic institution. Courses vary in costs and length as well as in topic emphasis. Not all the courses listed below have been approved for official CE credit, so please refer to NOTE the specific course site for complete information. a Portions of this article contain modified text pre- Cornell University:
4 Purchase HG, Gloyd J, Pitts JL. Opportunities for Internet-Based Continuing Education veterinarians in aquaculture. J Am Vet Med Assoc The Internet has become an important communication and 202:734–737, 1993. educational tool. The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) 5 Smith CA. Pet fish medicine offers new challenges. offers several online opportunities for CE in aquatic animal J Am Vet Med Assoc 205:1267–1271, 1994. medicine. There are two courses on fish medicine, one in basic fish medicine
390 JVME 33(3) ß 2006 AAVMC ([email protected]) or S. Hartford (919-513-6421; National Aquarium, Baltimore, MD: