In the autumn 2024 application round, 71 applications were received for the 59 places available in specialist training in veterinary medicine.
“While all fields attracted applicants, general veterinary medicine stood out. It is a new specialist field designed to support the work of, in particular, municipal veterinarian and veterinarians working in animal welfare control,” explains Education Planning Officer Anu Kanerva.
Training reformed to meet employer and specialist needs
Finnish specialist veterinary training was redesigned with effect on 1 August 2023. The status of the specialist qualification as a degree was relinquished, and the training was integrated into the framework of professional specialisation education and postgraduate vocational training.
“The reform has enabled us to diversify the training content and introduce new implementation methods, taking into account the needs of both employers and the specialising veterinarians themselves,” explains Professor Mirja Ruohoniemi, who oversees specialist training in veterinary medicine.
The redesigned training can be completed in three years, most of it in a workplace setting.
The reform sought to, for example, promote the completion of specialist veterinary training in the target duration, increase the share of specialist veterinarians within the profession and reinforce the professional applicability of the training.
The fields of specialisation offered are equine medicine, small animal medicine, infectious animal diseases, production animal medicine, general veterinary medicine, and environmental health and food control.
For more information on the training content as well as application instructions, please see the webpage