A toolkit for the assessment of training needs and gaps of the national Veterinary Services in field epidemiology

Abstract

A training needs assessment (TNA) toolkit was developed by adapting the Hennessy-Hicks questionnaire to evaluate field veterinary epidemiology training needs within the national Veterinary Services of Jordan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Turkey, and Ukraine. The toolkit comprises two questionnaires that assess frontline and intermediate field epidemiology core competencies defined by the FAO and can be used to evaluate training needs at both individual and organisational levels. Frontline veterinarians in the five countries completed the questionnaires electronically. Additionally, face-to-face workshops held in Jordan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Turkey-attended by key informants, line managers, and frontline veterinarians-provided opportunities for deeper discussion and refinement of training needs. Training Needs Indexes (TNIs), defined as the difference between criticality and current performance levels and derived from responses of frontline veterinarians and their supervisors, indicated that most of the 32 frontline and 30 intermediate competencies were considered critical for effective performance. However, current performance ratings varied across countries, with higher scores in Jordan, Turkey, and Ukraine, and lower scores in Malaysia and the Philippines. TNIs from group discussions were higher than those from individual online responses, suggesting that veterinarians may overestimate their performance when self-assessing. Differences in frequency ratings reflected the diverse roles of frontline veterinarians across countries, shaping which competencies were prioritised for further training. The toolkit's reliance on self-assessment was identified as a limitation, though this can be mitigated by supplementing individual assessments with group discussions. Competencies with high TNIs at both levels were classified as priorities to guide future training activities.

Keywords: Competencies; Field veterinary epidemiology; Frontline-level; Hennessy-Hicks; Intermediate-level; Training needs assessment; Veterinary Services.