Veterinary Training
Since 2015, the LSPCA has been supporting LUANAR by providing practical training to their veterinary and para-veterinary students in Malawi, offering a unique hands-on skills platform for students of veterinary medicine, animal health, and livestock production. Students utilize the equipment and knowledge from the LSPCA Veterinary Hospital to enhance their studies and gain valuable experience, which prepares them for real-world veterinary challenges. Additionally, LSPCA hosts 2 vet interns per year for practical experience in the LSPCA Veterinary Hospital. We also train assistant veterinary officers independently and sometimes in conjunction with students.
Key Interventions include:
- Conducting training sessions in 100 villages annually for 80 local veterinary assistants.
- Providing early clinical induction for an average of 15 students annually from LUANAR’s five-year degree course in Veterinary Medicine.
- Disseminating animal welfare messages through over 200 farm clinics annually.
- Facilitating Elective Clinical Placements for international veterinary students in Malawi.
- Contributing to the review of the veterinary curriculum to ensure comprehensive coverage of animal welfare principles.
- Offering training sessions for trainers that emphasize emerging global issues like One Health, equipping participating stakeholders with essential skills and knowledge for contemporary challenges in animal care and public health.
The LSPCA has effectively managed the veterinary training project with support from Welttierschutzstiftung (WTS) since 2015. The Vets United Training program, which focuses on improving animal welfare through education, has a comprehensive animal welfare curriculum that underpins all the related interventions. This partnership not only strengthens LSPCA’s training programs but also significantly enhances the quality of education provided to veterinary and animal health students.