ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates how learning strategies, time management and factors related to well-being influence students' transition from secondary school or previous university studies into veterinary studies, and from preclinical studies into clinical studies during their first three years of the Finnish six-year veterinary programme. Educational transitions can also be risk factor for students' well-being and motivation and expose students to stress. Recurrent stress is a common experience for veterinary medicine students as they are expected to cover an overwhelming amount of information, adjust to the demanding curriculum. Many veterinary students, also experience significant amount of subjective stress partly because central part of their professional work is euthanasia of pet and production animals as a way to humanely treat animals. Differences in self-regulation in learning (SRL) of students entering the veterinary program cause additional challenges for first-year veterinary students and their teachers, and the nature of this transition may vary between countries depending on the educational background of new veterinary students.
