Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences placed 26th out of 26 U.S. veterinary schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
Does that mean Oklahoma State offers a substandard education? No. The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges pointed out that all 26 accredited and ranked schools “provide a high-quality education.”
Carlos Risco, DVM, DACT, dean of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, said a number of innovative strategies will move the college forward.
He released the following statement:
“We have increased our faculty numbers to ensure our veterinary students continue to receive a high-quality educational experience. They receive hands-on experience through many programs including our Shelter Surgery Program, where a senior veterinary student performs a minimum of 40 spay/neuter surgeries as a primary surgeon and 40 spay/neuter procedures as an anesthetist. We are building our Minimally Invasive Procedures program, which exposes our veterinary students to new veterinary medical techniques that minimalize pain and discomfort associated with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. Less pain, faster healing, decreased anesthesia risk and better outcomes are a few of the reported MIP advantages.
“A complete curriculum review is underway. We have also expanded our facilities to include construction of a new, state-of-the-art classroom building and a new equine exercise physiology laboratory at our Equine Research Park for teaching and research purposes. A clinical skills lab is also planned for the near future.
“Our students consistently perform higher than the national average on the national veterinary board exam (NAVLE). Oklahoma State is well known for graduating career-ready veterinarians who are highly sought after in the workplace. Upon graduating in 2018, 68 percent of the class went into private practice while 28 percent of the class continued their training through internships. (One pursued a Ph.D. and three were undecided.)
“Oklahoma State faculty continue to be productive in their research pursuits, collaborating among departments as well as across the OSU campus and with the OU Health Sciences Center and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. In the last five years, faculty generated 569 publications, which have been cited 3,158 times, or 5.6 citations per publication. Eleven percent were among the top 10 percent cited papers worldwide and 30.5 percent were in the top 10 percent most frequently cited journals.
“Based on analysis of the 2017 Comparative Date Report from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, when research funding is normalized to faculty numbers among U.S. schools of veterinary medicine, the CVHS ranks eighth out of 29.”
Veterinary students help Dr. Erik Clary with a bandage change on Milo, who was born with upside-down front paws because of a congenital dislocation of both elbows. Dr. Clary, a board-certified surgeon and an associate professor in the Oklahoma State University veterinary college, worked with his team to realign Milo’s elbows using pins to stabilize the joints.