I took it out of curiosity, as I'm already in the profession, and I'm on the fence about this rating.

It provides a few introductory lectures about animal care, anatomy, clinical activity and history, which are fairly interesting, but it also leaves out all the difficult sides of the profession (which I think aspiring students _needs_ to know about beforehand).

There is a lot of emotional investment in being a Veterinarian, often you have to walk the fine balance between animal's welfare and owner's economic capabilities, or find yourself before some ethical conflicts. This is a moment with rising attention to vet's issues as burnout, 'compassion fatigue', etc. that mostly stem from the fact our profession is (sadly) not all about animals.

All in all, it is a fun course, maybe a bit of a self promotion from the hosting university (which is understandable and didn't influence my rating), but to me it doesn't deliver on the question: "Do you have what it takes to be a vet?"

My 12-year old daughter who is in 6th grade took this course using my account. Her regular studies were interrupted by the community quarantine imposed in our country. She seized this opportunity to pursue a subject that she is passionate about. Since her first rescued kitten a few years ago, my daughter has dreamt of becoming a veterinarian. She was extremely happy to take this course. She religiously spent her mornings attending her "classes", which she would excitedly report about over lunch! I still recall her animated lecture about the heart of a fin whale! I wish to extend my and my daughter's gratitude for making this course available. You have made her dream of "matriculating" at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies come true! More power to you!

This course is very suitable for A level students who want to study Veterinary Medicine at university as it covers the role of a vet as well as teaching some basic skills and knowledge. It is bas

The course is uneven at best, with some modules providing insights and knowledge and others not so much. The presentation in some of the modules is perhaps an example of how not to do it, reading fro a script in a monotonous voice. Some of the material, like the lengthy historical review of Edinburgh's vet school, might be good advertising and interesting, but does not fall under the scope of 'what it takes to be a vet'. Good idea, but, with a few exceptions, less than average execution.

Such an honor to participate in this course! I learned a lot and to be able to have the chance to widen my knowledge about veterinary and to apply it to my studies is I am forever grateful with.

A very good course for students that are interested in becoming a Vet. It pairs with A-level Biology studies very well and gave me a good insight into what the next 5 years will be like.

If you are wondering if you want to become a vet or if you only want to learn the base of the veterinarian profession, I greatly recommend this course. I never got bored during this course.

The course has been really fascinating and interesting, covering a variety of aspects in the veterinary profession. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone thinking of becoming a vet in the future.

I loved this course and was pleased that my faulty science was not a huge stumbling block.

The history aspect of the course provided tremendous context and I cannot agree with students who might believe it to be irrelevant. In order to progress to the future, one must always have an eye on the past. Having said that, long ago I studied the Enlightenment as an integral part of a BA in English Literature!

Realistically, I am too old and lacking in science qualifications to become a vet - but were I to be 35 years younger - I'd strongly consider working hard towards gaining Science A Levels and aim for veterinary school.

Nevertheless, I feel that this course has given me some insight as to how to get the best out of future consultations with my very lovely local veterinary practice.

In addition, I was pleased to see Dr Andrew Gardiner presenting the final part of the course.

Dr Gardiner's book, The A-Z of Cat Health and First Aid is a wonderful resource, particularly in respect of abscesses, a problem which certain other books only cover in connection with dental ailments rather than the very common problem of abscesses on a cat's back, shoulders and face as a result of fighting!

This course was very interesting and gave insight to the kind of material first year veterinary students would be learning plus history of the profession (mostly the school). The professors present actual anatomical (dissected) organs and histology slides. I also thought the husbandry section well done. The clinical portion is a little weak but understandably, given the medium and safety issues. I still enjoyed it. The history portion is a bit too in depth, I feel, and though interesting, spends a great deal of time on the history of the school and founder itself. They are very enthusiastic though, which is a plus. The course does a lovely job of presenting some of the various studies that go into this rigorous education/career, such as client interaction, anatomy, histology, animal husbandry, and examination skills. It is so much more than just a love for animals. I will certainly look into some of the other animal science-related MOOCs offered by Edinburgh. I had no difficulty in completing this course in one week although I do have a medical background.

Great course! My only complaint is that on the last quiz, the information given in the lesson and the quiz questions do not match up, making it a guessing game between two answers on some questions. Such as, the lesson might say something happens between the 1940's and 60's, but then possible answers on the quiz might be 1940-50's or 1950-60's. You get many chances on the quizzes though, so it's really not a big deal, just a nuisance. The heart and lung anatomy section was explained better in the videos than in my university lectures!

I am a vet student at the UoE, so this was very interesting to me and a great review of everything I have learnt so far + new info on the school's history which I didn't even know before. Great course!

This was a great course that explained, in depth, many aspects to learning about veterinary medicine. This course is perfect for all those who would like to begin veterinary practice. Thank you!

I'm really very happy to be a part of this useful mooc and I hope to join oneday as a part of the royal college, really I thinks it's the mother of veterinary schools in the world, thanks a lot.

very interesting! I've been looking at a career change and this course has been an excellent insight. highly recommend.

Most of the course was great. Some of the videos and techniques were a little awkward and you could tell that not everyone was comfortable being filmed. Overall, the course was beneficial, with perhaps the exception of the history section.

I couldn't have enjoyed this course more. If it had existed when I was in college, I might've chosen veterinary studies. As it is, this course gave a fascinating glimpse into all the different veterinary specializations and their joys and challenges. It was rigorous enough that I felt like I was really learning about animal anatomy and physiology and veterinary care, but not so much so that I couldn't keep up. Also, it gave me a lot of empathy for my cat's veterinarians, with all the challenges and stress they can experience on the job. And a bonus: I learned how cats "smile," and have now successfully traded smiles with my cat!

This course is a thorough investigation with an ideal balance of hard science, soft skills, and the medical humanities.

When you consider virtual disections, an examination of historical instruments, even an urban archaeological excavation as labs, this course could be the capstone of a specialization from one of the founding institutions of veterinary medicine.

The content is designed to help learners advocate for their health, and their friends' medical care, in clinic. And gives candidates for veterinary school a head start.

Thanks a lot Coursera! This course was very much informative. Becoming a vet was a dream from childhood for me. This definitely serves a base. One can get to know if they truly want to be a passionate vet or can choose some other career instead because taking up this course we can get to learn how vets are trained(just the basics, of course) and stuffs like that. I loved this course and this one will always be close to my heart .

This is a very informative course and I have learnt a great deal. It has cemented my hopes to working with animals. The tutors were very clear and I would like to thank every one of them for their time and efforts. Even though I sway towards dogs and horses more, my favourite lecture was the one on Cats in week one, because I think the tutor was incredibly interesting - they all were of course! Thank you SO much 💋