International veterinary service-learning: FARVets as a model for global competency development

International veterinary service-learning programs offer educational experiences that can enhance and reach beyond what domestic clinical rotations provide. FARVets International, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 2010 and affiliated with the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, has conducted 54 clinic trips across 7 global regions over 15 years, training approximately 350 veterinary students through hands-on surgical, anesthetic, and clinical experiences in resource-limited settings abroad. This Viewpoint introduces the idea that international service-learning can occupy a distinct and underrepresented place in veterinary curricula-one that produces competency development, professional identity formation, and cross-cultural learning that structured programs elsewhere may not routinely achieve. Prospective empirical studies examining surgical skills development and student perceptions of the human-animal bond are currently in preparation.