Veterinary Medicine Education and Training Advice and Ratings

Find the best veterinary courses and colleges

By Kristina Seleshanko
Whether you're just beginning your studies or seeking excellence from continuing education courses, you'll want to carefully consider veterinary medicine education and training advice and ratings. The veterinary field is a small and competitive one. There are a small number of colleges offering veterinary courses in the United States, making it necessary to have great qualifications to enter them. Once you have those qualifications, however, you'll want to know which veterinary training programs have the best rankings.
Unfortunately, there aren't many reliable sources of information for veterinary education and training rankings. However, this guide will take you step by step through the best available resources and help you determine how to interpret them. Elements to consider include:
1. Where the most useful veterinary school rankings may be found
2. How to understand veterinary training and education ranking
3. Where to find the best continuing education veterinary courses

 

Read the most reliable veterinary medicine education rankings

Two of the most popular and reliable guides to colleges in the United States are "U.S. News & World Report" and StudentsReview. "U.S. News & World Report" is well known for its ranking of American colleges, and it is also the only major source offering ranking of veterinarian colleges. StudentsReview allows you to research what students in colleges across the United States think of the programs and institutions they've attended.
Try: U.S. News & World Report is the only major publication that ranks veterinary colleges. StudentsReview allows you to see what college students have to say about veterinary programs in the United States.

Learn what veterinary education and training rankings really mean

"U.S. News & World Report" allows a residency director scoring and a peer assessment score to make up 40% of its total scoring system. Another 30% is based on the funding the school has for research, and the rest of the scoring is based on the ratio of teachers to students and things like mean VCAT score. StudentsReview allows students to make up their own scoring criteria. Some experts say such rankings mean little, since the American Veterinary Medical Association accredits all the veterinary schools in the United States.
Try: VeterinarySchools.com gives an overview of the U.S. News & World Report ranking system and what it really means for America's vet schools. American Veterinary Medical Association offers accreditation and links to veterinary schools across the United States.

Select online continuing education vet classes

Online continuing education courses vary widely in what they offer; one of the best ways to rank online veterinary classes is to look for a program supported by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, which reviews course outlines and program delivery methods.
Try: WorldWideLearn lists some of the best online continuing education courses for veterinarians. The American Association of Veterinary State Boards lists all their approved continuing education courses, including those online.