Plus-Hex CLINICAL
ABSTRACT This paper aims to identify the barriers affecting black , Asian and minority ethnic ( BAME ) students ’ access to , and attainment in , veterinary higher education in the UK . This will help acknowledge and understand why the veterinary sector is the least diverse profession in the UK ( Gyles , 2018 ), with veterinary nursing being worse than veterinary medicine . In Part 1 , the background and contextual information will introduce the reader to the racial issues that can affect access and attainment prior to and when attending university . This includes the current veterinary environment , facts and diversity figures among admission processes , and potential benefits of a diverse student body and workforce .
Keywords BAME , veterinary education , diversity , racial issues , white privilege , Black Lives Matter
Introduction
This paper aims to identify and construct solutions to the barriers to access and attainment in veterinary higher education for BAME students . The experiences that impact on BAME students ’ chances of aspiring to , pursuing and attaining a veterinary qualification are the areas of inquiry . These experiences may include aspects of primary or secondary education , pet ownership , exposure to veterinary or animal-related practice , university admissions processes and experiences during university .
The broad term ‘ BAME ’ describes groups that are marginalised based on the colour of their skin or cultural heritage ; it does not describe one homogeneous group ( Alexander et al ., 2015 ) and discrimination and prejudice will vary among individuals . Intersectionality such as gender expression , sexuality , disability and religion are beyond the scope of this text , as these subgroups face dissimilar discrimination and barriers that deserve individual investigation ( Sanders & Rose-Adams , 2014 ).
The literature identified focuses on veterinary medicine ( VM ) or veterinary surgeons ( VSs ) as research relating to the diversity of veterinary nurses ( VNs ) and the related educational pathways is currently non-existent . However , the concepts identified can be extrapolated to the veterinary nursing degree qualification and aspects of the apprenticeship route , as both require large amounts of work experience ( mostly voluntary ) and high grades .
The reader should be mindful that they are not subconsciously influenced by the deficit model , which pertains to people of colour being genetically unintelligent compared to their white counterparts , allowing academic failures to be attributed to this lack of intelligence ( Sanders & Rose-Adams , 2014 ) rather than to processes designed to advantage white students ; this formed the basis of an unofficial segregation policy for schools in the 1960s ( Subnormal : A British Scandal , 2021 ) and the precedents set by this are still influential today .
Methodology
An extensive research strategy was utilised to obtain the relevant data and resources for this topic . A threepart PICO ( population , intervention , comparison and outcome ) ( Thomas , 2016 ) concerning the topic provided structure to the search ( Williamson & Whittaker , 2020 ). Keywords , substitutes and similar concepts were then used interchangeably to broaden the yield of the search . A total of 12 databases were utilised . Other forms of searching included personal correspondence via email with Fabian Rivers , an accomplished VS who has helped raise awareness of this topic , and the British Veterinary Ethnicity and Diversity Society , part of the RCVS diversity and inclusion groups .
The final papers were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria mainly based on the scarcity of results . Rejected results were due to the difficulty in extrapolating parallels with the veterinary industry . For example , the National Health Service has historically sought employees from Commonwealth countries , unlike the RCVS , which instead has ties with mainly Eurocentric and westernised countries , with only 1.3 % of VSs qualifying in Asia , Africa ( excluding South Africa ) and South America ( Robinson et al ., 2019b ), and fewer than 10 respondents in the VN survey stating a country outside of Europe ( Robinson et al ., 2019a ). The experiences of students were included , as the learning environment in the UK has had an attainment gap between racial groups for over 25 years ( Gillborn et al ., 2017 ), and it would be naive to believe this does not also reflect a barrier to higher education .
Background
Institutional racism within the veterinary sector has recently been debated , with the RCVS President Mandisa Greene stating that she did not believe the profession was institutionally racist and “ change is a marathon , not a sprint ” ( Loeb , 2020a ). The latter statement suggests there is a problem in the profession surrounding race that requires complex changes .
A petition sparked by the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement was created by veterinary practitioners calling for the RCVS to investigate racism within the profession , which gained over 1,200 signatures ( Burns , 2020 ). The RCVS was founded in 1844 ( RCVS Knowledge , 2020 ), a time when former slaves were still seen as a “ loss of property ” by the UK government . Retrospectively , it can be assumed that the foundations
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