Journal of veterinary medical education最新文献

The script concordance test (SCT) is an assessment method based on script theory, which can be used to assess some components of clinical reasoning. Clinical reasoning is challenging to assess, so the SCT was evaluated as a method of assessing clinical reasoning specifically around equine colic. A SCT was written on equine colic, using an expert panel of 15 equine veterinarians to help develop the test and formulate the scoring. Preclinical veterinary students (year 3 of 5) were recruited to take the SCT, followed by participation in focus groups on clinical reasoning in equine colic and their experience of the SCT. Twenty-four students undertook the SCT, of which 15 participated in focus groups. Final marking of the SCT gave expert panel scores from 27 to 40 out of 43 (mean 34.6 and SD 3.44). The students scored 17-32 (mean 24.9 and SD 4.59). The SCT was liked by the students and they felt the test required them to use clinical reasoning skills related to acute colic.

Veterinary education demands high levels of competence in clinical skills, including in large animal practice, yet many students struggle with both performance and confidence. This study investigates the effects of deliberate practice strategies on the confidence and competence of veterinary students enrolled in large animal medicine and surgery courses at City University of Hong Kong. In our prospective cohort study, 22 fifth-year veterinary students participated in Open Access practice sessions, engaging in self-directed learning supplemented with feedback from clinical educators. Data were collected through a series of questionnaires assessing self-reported confidence levels, practice strategies and practice frequency. Students' Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) results were also analyzed. Our findings show that a higher deliberate practice score predicted better objective performance in large animal skills. However, confidence levels did not consistently correlate with performance. Interestingly, while practice increased confidence after a session, students who passed experienced a smaller confidence boost compared to their peers who failed. This suggests a complex relationship between practice frequency, confidence, and objective performance. Our results highlight the effectiveness of deliberate practice in enhancing veterinary students' competencies in large animal skills. By focusing on structured, goal-oriented practice, this study aims to inform curriculum development regarding strategies that would improve student preparedness for clinical practice in large animal medicine.

This article presents the implementation of an individualised learning outcome (LO)-setting framework that is based on individual performance data at the University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine and showcases a best practice model for outcomes-based education. Designed to align student learning with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Day One Competences, the framework empowers students to identify and address specific knowledge and skill gaps through a structured and data-informed process. Drawing on a range of performance indicators, including global performance assessments, structured oral examinations, skills logs, and personal reflections, the model ensures that LOs are both targeted and achievable. Unlike traditional student-led approaches, which often lack consistency and alignment with core competences, this framework introduces a more rigorous and tailored learning experience. Key to its success is the involvement of tutors who provide scaffolding and guidance to help students formulate meaningful and realistic objectives, which fosters greater engagement with clinical training and enhances readiness for practice. Although the approach offers substantial educational benefits, including improved relevance and personalisation of learning, its implementation requires careful consideration of staff workload and sustainability. To address this, strategies such as automation and virtual support are proposed. Further research is encouraged to evaluate the long-term impact of performance-led learning on student engagement during clinical rotations and subsequent graduate outcomes. Overall, this initiative represents a significant step forward in veterinary education, demonstrating how personalised, performance-informed learning can better prepare students for clinical placements and help them tailor the learning opportunities to meet their individual needs.

Pericardiocentesis is traditionally taught in clinical settings, which can be stressful. This study aimed to create a low-cost sonographic simulator to improve novice veterinarians' confidence in performing pericardiocentesis. We hypothesized that experienced clinicians would find the simulator realistic, and that novice confidence would improve following simulator practice. Human ethics approval was obtained. The simulator was constructed using ballistic gel, silicon foam, and a 3D-printed spine with ribs. A tennis ball within a balloon, both filled with water, simulated pericardial effusion (PE). Experts, defined as having performed more than five pericardiocentesis procedures and having more than 3 years of emergency experience, assessed the simulator's realism using a five-point Likert scale. Novice confidence levels were surveyed before and after using the simulator. The data were analyzed for normality. Confidence levels were compared using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests. Experts rated the sonographic appearance of PE as very realistic (strongly agree to agree) but found the tactile feel of catheter advancement to be somewhat limited (agree to neither agree nor disagree). The comparability to performing pericardiocentesis on a live canine was rated as realistic (agree). Interns showed a significant increase in confidence in their ability to perform pericardiocentesis on live patients (p = .03), sonographic visualization and guidance of the catheter (p = .02), and correct catheter placement (p = .02). The simulator realistically simulates natural canine PE and improves novice confidence in performing pericardiocentesis. Further research is needed to determine if these skills translate to clinical settings.

Most North American veterinary schools have undergone, are currently engaged in, or plan to redesign their curriculum. In 2022, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine launched a new pre-clinical curriculum with an integrated systems framework. Similar to human undergraduate medical training, there are concerns about the impact of shifting from discipline-based biomedical education to integrated coursework on student learning. This study investigates the performance in and attitudes toward the biomedical sciences of students enrolled in the legacy and redesigned curricula as the transition occurred. Biomedical science retention was assessed by comparing the performance of students in the legacy curriculum (LC) and new curriculum (NC) on the standardized Veterinary Educational Assessment examination. In the subcomponent analysis, the LC students performed significantly better than the NC students in pharmacology and pathology (p ≤ .01) but not in anatomy, physiology, or microbiology. Survey results and open text responses provided insight into students' perceptions of the relevance and effectiveness of their pre-clinical educational experience. NC students responded significantly more favorably than LC students did to four of eight survey questions related to the perceived effectiveness of the biomedical education they received and its importance for their future veterinary careers (p < .01). Qualitative analysis of two open text responses demonstrated shared themes between the cohorts. This study, as part of program evaluation of the new curriculum, identified possible areas for improvement and refinement in the pre-clinical curriculum and revealed that students in the NC had more favorable attitudes toward the biomedical sciences.

A retrospective analysis of the surgical caseloads from five corporate-owned private specialty practices with American College of Veterinary Surgery (ACVS)-registered surgical residency programs was performed. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability for private practice ACVS residency programs to provide adequate case numbers to meet residency requirements was evaluated. The surgical caseload was divided into 6-month intervals beginning in September 2019 and ending August 2022. The overall, specific ACVS case log categories and emergency caseloads were compared. Cases were categorized using ACVS training standard definitions. An average of 12 ACVS residents enrolled across the five training programs, with 24,331 cases operated across all hospitals during the 3-year study period. There was no significant increase or decrease in average surgical caseload at any time interval compared with the pre-COVID-19 period. Surgical residents did experience an increased emergency caseload for a portion of the pandemic. However, the increased emergency demands on surgical residents during the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have resolved with time. There was a decrease in neurologic caseload that was seen at four of the five hospitals. Neurosurgical caseload may be more variable among surgeons and this study did not account for overall neurosurgical caseload available to residents. All other categories were adequate or remained consistent throughout the study period, with no evidence of impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic also did not negatively impact resident surgical caseload with continued case volumes with exposure to all necessary procedures for resident requirements.

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three-dimensional (3D)-printed canine anatomical models as tools to support veterinary students in interpreting computed tomography (CT) scans of dogs with congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunts (CEPSs). Two canine anatomical models were produced: one representing normal anatomy and another depicting a splenocaval CEPS. These models were generated using CT scans from clinical cases. A total of 114 third-year veterinary students participated and were randomly assigned to either a control group (CG; n = 60) or a 3D model group (3DG; n = 54). All students underwent theoretical and practical training sessions related to CT imaging and CEPSs anatomy. Instruction was delivered through oral presentations supported by slides and illustrative images. The training included handling CT scans without CEPSs and anatomical dissection of abdominal cavities in canine or feline cadavers. Only the 3DG students used the 3D-printed models throughout all phases, including during questionnaire completion. Students' performance was assessed via a questionnaire that was administered at the end of the training sessions and accessed via a quick-response (QR) code. The questionnaire required students to identify and classify the CEPS, record their perceived difficulty, and indicate the primary imaging modality used to complete the task (multiplanar reconstruction, volume rendering, or 3D-printed anatomical models). Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher's exact test and the Mann-Whitney U test, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results showed significantly higher diagnostic accuracy in the 3DG (94.4%) compared to the CG (31.7%). The 3DG reported a moderate level of difficulty, whereas the CG perceived the task as difficult. Most students in the 3DG used the 3D-printed anatomical models (75.93%), whereas the majority in the CG relied on volume rendering (95.00%). These findings suggest that 3D-printed anatomical models can enhance students' diagnostic accuracy and reduce the perceived difficulty of interpreting complex CT images.

There is a dearth of validated instruments for assessing clinical teaching in veterinary education. This study describes the development and validation of a veterinary-adapted Stanford Faculty Development Program 26 (SFDP-Vet22) instrument for student evaluation of veterinary clinical educators. Validity evidence was gathered in three specific categories: (a) content, (b) response process, and (c) internal structure. Content validity was supported by the educational theory and research underlying the Stanford Faculty Development Program 26 (SFDP-26) instrument. The process of adapting the SFDP-26 to the veterinary clinical education setting and piloting the SFDP-Vet22 supported validity in the response process, but straightlining indicated that some students (n = 85) did not use the instrument as intended. Validity in internal structure was supported by the result of exploratory factor analysis with a six-factor solution. This was performed using principal axis factoring extraction and direct oblimin oblique rotation (δ = -0.3) on Box-Cox-transformed data. Twenty of the 22 items loaded in the predicted factors. Cronbach's alphas for each factor were above .846, mean inter-item correlations ranged from .594 to .794, and mean item-total correlations ranged from .693 to .854. The six-factor solution explained 75.5% of the variation, indicating a robust model. The results indicated that the control of session, communication of goals, and self-directed learning factors were stable and consistently loaded as predicted and that learning climate, evaluation, and feedback were unstable. This suggests the transference of these constructs from medical to veterinary education and supports the intended use: low-stakes decisions about clinical educator performance and identifying areas of potential growth of educators.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in education is rapidly gaining attention, particularly with tools like ChatGPT, which have the potential to transform learning experiences. However, the application of such tools in veterinary education remains under-explored. This study aimed to design an AI-driven exercise and investigate veterinary students' perceptions regarding the integration of ChatGPT into their education, specifically within the year 5 Equine Medicine and Surgery course at City University of Hong Kong. Twenty-two veterinary students participated in an AI-driven exercise, where they created multiple-choice questions and evaluated ChatGPT's responses. The exercise was designed to promote active learning and a deeper understanding of complex concepts. The results indicate a generally positive reception, with 72.7% of students finding the exercise moderately to extremely engaging and 77.3% agreeing that it deepened their understanding. Additionally, 68.2% of students reported improvements in their critical thinking skills. Students with prior AI experience exhibited higher engagement levels and perceived the exercise as more effective. The study also found that engagement positively correlated with perceived usefulness, overall satisfaction, and the likelihood of recommending similar AI-driven exercises in other courses. Qualitative feedback underscored the interactive nature of this exercise and its usefulness in helping students understand complex concepts, although some students experienced confusion with AI-generated responses. While acknowledging the limitations of the technology and the small sample size, this study provides valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating AI-driven tools into veterinary education, highlighting the need for carefully considered integration of such tools into the curriculum.

The competency-based veterinary education (CBVE) framework describes essential domains of competence and related abilities for veterinary graduates. Translating these outcomes into daily teaching is a challenge, particularly regarding the underpinning basic and clinical science knowledge. In this article, we identified a lack of specific reference to the selection and use of drugs within the CBVE framework; this requires pharmacological knowledge and pharmacology-specific competencies. To fill the gap and provide guidance to veterinary pharmacology educators, we first identified competencies within the CBVE framework relevant to the field of veterinary pharmacology. We then mapped the Day One Competencies in veterinary pharmacology published by Werners and Fajt in 2021 to the pharmacology-relevant CBVE competencies. This exercise led to identifying gaps, redundancies, and a lack of reference to clinical practice within the Day One Competencies in veterinary pharmacology, as well as gaps and ambiguous wording within the CBVE framework. Further research is necessary to update the Day One Competencies in veterinary pharmacology, align basic and clinical pharmacology concepts and skills with the CBVE framework, embed pharmacology-specific competencies into teaching, and identify progression milestones that guide students toward safe prescribing and the appropriate and effective use of drugs.