A survey to determine relevance of online continuing education for bovine practitioners.

A survey focused on distance education and online continuing education was completed by 727 bovine practitioners. All study participants were members of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP). Participants were invited through the AABP listserv. Bovine veterinarians were asked a series of demographic questions, followed by questions specific to developing an online continuing education program. The majority of the respondents (57%) had high speed or DSL internet access readily available to them, and less than 10% had dial-up internet access. Bovine practitioners indicated that they want an online continuing education system that is easy to use, provides quality presentation of relevant information, and is available 24 hours a day. Herd health, animal husbandry, and business management are topics with the highest interest by the dairy and beef-focused AABP members. The survey indicated that 37% of the AABP member respondents have attended more than one AABP annual conference in the last five years. Additionally, the survey indicated that an online system would not affect the decision of AABP members to attend the annual conference. This technology adaptation has the potential to expand member services for AABP, and deliver timely topics to practitioners in rural areas.