Abstract
Introduction: Veterinary medical education; Psychometrics; Career influence; The purpose
of the present study was twofold. First, we sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of a
newly developed instrument designed to measure factors incoming veterinary medical students
indicated were important (or not) in their decision to become a veterinarian. Second, we sought
to produce a measure of these factors by utilizing a state-of-the-art psychometric modeling
technique to produce an empirical hierarchy that illustrates the construct of interest and make
appropriate inferences about the findings.
Methods: The Career Influence Factors Survey (CIFS) was administered to an incoming class
of veterinary medical students. Data were analyzed via the Rasch Rating Scale Model. The
psychometric properties of the instrument were evaluated according to Messick’s framework of
construct validity.
Results: Results indicate the Career Influence Factors Survey is a psychometrically-sound
instrument capable of accurately and reliably measuring veterinary medical students’ motivations
for becoming a veterinarian. Substantive results indicated issues pertaining to animal welfare
were the most important in making the decision to become a veterinarian. Previous exposure to
a particular animal or family pet was only moderately influential in students’ decision to pursue
a career in veterinary medicine. Factors such as a desire to work on food production issues and
anticipated earning potential tend to be of lesser importance to incoming students.
Conclusion: We encourage others to utilize the instrument and/or adopt the methodology to
evaluate the psychometric properties of other instruments. Substantive findings generally
corroborated findings from previous studies, but may identify new insights for improving the
recruitment of veterinary medical students.