An exploration of ethical dilemmas experienced by veterinary medical students in their clinical training

The goal of this qualitative study was to identify ethical dilemmas that veterinary medical students experience in their clinical training and seek to understand how these dilemmas relate to the students' perceptions of the moral status of animals. Furthermore, this study explored the actions taken by the students as a result of experiencing a dilemma and the reasons given for taking (or not taking) action.;Thirteen fourth-year veterinary studentsattending Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine were selected from among forty-two students who expressed interest in participating in the project. Each student was interviewed twice in open-ended, semi-structured interviews that were used for data collection. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using a modified constant comparative method.;The resultsof this study indicate: (1) The majority of dilemmas experienced by veterinary students involve animals as the primary focus of ethical concern; (2) Animal suffering (causing it, prolonging it, or failing to alleviate it) is of central concern in most of the ethical dilemmas described by veterinary students; (3) What becomes an ethical dilemma for veterinary students depends, in part, upon their view of the moral status of animals; (4) Most students' constructions of animals are based upon the type of relationship animals and humans share.;Students took action most often in cases where theyfelt an animal was suffering. Not taking action was justified by questioning their own judgment in the face of more experienced clinicians, being intimidated, or not considering it their place as students to question someone else's decision. No significant gender differences were found in relation to ethical dilemmas experienced by veterinary students.;These findings have implications forveterinary education. The connection between attitudes towards animals and the philosophical assumptions from which they are derived needs to be made. Particularly in light of society's changing attitudes towards animals, the teaching of veterinary medical ethics needs to take a critical approach to the analysis of both the individual students' values and the values extolled by the profession. An adjunct to the veterinary ethics course taught in the non-clinical years with something like an 'ethical rounds' during clinical training would allow students to discuss and evaluate real-life ethical dilemmas while they are experiencing them.