of the institution would have reflected the racist societal precedents of white exceptionalism and exclusivity . These white-superior values are still subtly echoed throughout the UK ’ s educational systems and society , as institutions fail to acknowledge or develop any new practices or understandings to combat the inequalities ( Sanders & Rose-Adams , 2014 ). Within the veterinary profession , despite the efforts of the RCVS diversity and inclusion groups , superficial discussions have not resulted in any formal policies ( Loeb , 2020b ), meaning there are neither internal nor external pressures to enact change .
Facts and figures
The most recent figures for ethnic diversity within the UK veterinary profession are 3.5 % BAME and 96.5 % white for VSs ( Figure 1 ) ( Robinson et al ., 2019b ) and 1.9 % BAME and 98.1 % white for VNs ( Figure 2 ) ( Robinson et al ., 2019a ). Both are significantly below the national average of 14.4 % BAME ( Vet Record , 2020 ). This issue of under-representation seems to be systemic throughout the veterinary career path as 95.1 % of students in VM courses are white ( Advance HE , 2018 ). A more recent figure in a report by Association of Veterinary Students ( AVS ) and British Veterinary Association ( BVA ) ( 2020 ) states 92 % are white ( Figure 3 ), in addition to 94.9 % of academic staff in VM also being white ( Figure 4 ) ( Advance HE , 2018 ).
Figure 2 . Diversity data for veterinary nurses .
For such a small minority of the profession , the second most reported type of discrimination in the BVA report ( 2019 ) was racism , which received 2,445 responses to two separate surveys , where 9 % of racist occurrences were experienced by students who were also least likely to report incidents due to not having the confidence to complain . It may be assumed that acts of racism would
Figure 3 . Diversity data for students studying veterinary medicine .
come from clients , but the report found that 47 % came from senior colleagues and , in some cases , veterinary staff would face gaslighting by senior staff , undermining or ignoring a complaint about racism from a client ( BVA , 2019 ). This type of psychological manipulation means staff are less likely to report racism in the future due to second-guessing their own experiences . When students on placement are exposed to this conduct , it creates a negative precedent for their future careers and aspirations , along with discrimination-related stress , which is linked to anxiety and depression ( Mills , 2019 ).
Figure 1 . Diversity data for veterinary surgeons .
A third of veterinary students are reported to show signs of depression in their first year of studies
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