Specialist veterinary training is a form of postgraduate professional education. A person who has received the right to practice as a licensed veterinarian in Finland and who, after obtaining the qualifications required for licensing, has served for at least one year in applicable positions in the relevant specialist field can be admitted to complete such training. Language of the programme is Finnish.
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine provides specialist veterinary training in the following fields: equine medicine, small animal medicine, infectious animal diseases, production animal medicine, general veterinary medicine, and environmental health and food control. The specialist training programme in general veterinary medicine may include an emphasis on veterinary inspection.
Specialist veterinary training aims to familiarise veterinarians with the scholarly knowledge and information acquisition of their field of specialisation, as well as provide the skills required in such specialisation, continually maintain their professional skills and develop the field, and serve as veterinary specialists in the veterinary medical service system and other positions in the field requiring specialist expertise.
The scope of the training is 180 credits, and it can be completed in three years of full-time study. Finnish credits are fully compatible with ECTS credits. The right to study is granted for six years.
The completion of the training is based on the achievement of the set learning outcomes. Specialist training in veterinary medicine includes general studies, on-the-job learning, specialisation-specific course-based training and a specialisation project. Most of the training, 120 credits, is on-the-job learning. This corresponds to about two years of full-time work. The training must be completed in a manner appropriate to the training programme at the University and one or more other units determined by the University. For special reasons, the training can be completed entirely at or outside the University.
Those who have completed specialist veterinary training have the right to use the title of specialist veterinarian.