Journal of veterinary medical education最新文献

The mental health and well-being of veterinary students and graduate veterinarians is a critical area of concern. Veterinary students experience high levels of psychological distress, particularly during transitional periods such as clinical training. While mental health interventions typically target pre-clinical years, the unique challenges faced by clinical students are often overlooked, resulting in inadequate support during important periods of professional development. To address this gap, Compassion Fatigue Rounds (CFR) were introduced. CFR is a proactive, integrated intervention within one clinical clerkship program. The rounds address compassion fatigue, burnout, and self-care practices through a small group discussion facilitated by the clinical instructor. An evaluation of CFR was conducted through anonymous online student surveys administered between March and September 2023. Following CFR, students self-reported an increase in knowledge, confidence, and preparedness regarding the mental health challenges in veterinary medicine. Students overwhelmingly reported positive experiences, pointing to the potential effectiveness of CFR in educating, engaging, and supporting clinical students on mental health well-being. This study offers preliminary evidence for integrating mental health education into the clinical year curriculum and serves as a practical guide for clinical instructors.

Bovine practitioners expect new graduates entering clinical practice to be able to place a caudal epidural. Teaching this task on models facilitates scheduled training sessions and sufficient practice to reach competency. This study sought to create and validate a bovine caudal epidural model and scoring rubric using a framework of content evidence, internal structure evidence, and relationship with other variables evidence. Veterinarians (n = 11) and students (n = 40) were video recorded while placing a caudal epidural on the model. Recordings were scored by a blinded rater. Participants completed a survey evaluating the model's features, ease of use, and anticipated best use. Veterinarians reported that the model was helpful for students to learn and practice the task and that the model had sufficient landmark features and realism (content evidence). Rubric scores achieved acceptable internal consistency after one item was dropped (α = .736; internal structure evidence), and there was no significant difference between veterinarians' and students' performance scores on the model (relationship with other variables evidence). Survey feedback indicated the task on the model was simple, allowing students to achieve scores similar to those of veterinarians. Therefore, the model and rubric were not able to be validated using this study's validity framework. However, there are simple clinical skills models used in veterinary education and other health care fields, and research suggests that learning does take place on these models. Educators must consider whether simple models that are helpful for students to practice their skills may still have value, even if they are not able to be validated.

There is an urgent need for the expansion of climate change education for all health professionals, including veterinarians. Recognizing this, the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges released a position statement in 2023 urging the incorporation of climate change education into veterinary curriculums. However, there are currently no guidelines on how to implement this. Here we propose an educational framework, developed through a review of the literature and expert input, upon which to build veterinary-specific climate content. The framework includes four complementary domains: animal health management, resilient veterinary systems, mitigation of veterinary-related climate hazards, and broad community engagement on climate change. These domains are connected by two important threads, foundational knowledge and continuous learning, that highlight the dynamic nature of climate science and current and anticipated health impacts. The framework aims to serve as a starting point for developing, and sharing, climate change educational resources in veterinary medicine.

A comprehensive bank of flipped classrooms was developed to help students prepare for animal handling and clinical skills practical classes. Flipped classroom is a type of blended learning. In the context of clinical skills, it is designed to provide students with online learning resources prior to attendance at practical classes. The initiative was catalyzed by the pandemic, and the resources continue to be embedded throughout the curriculum. A team approach was used for the development of the bank, and the design embraced relevant pedagogical frameworks and active learning techniques. Feedback was gathered from a small group of students who completed an online form after each practical class throughout the academic year and wrote a reflective piece at the end of the project. Instructors who delivered practical classes participated in focus group discussions. Students particularly liked flipped classrooms that were well designed with a range of content and interactivity. The main benefits for students of the flipped approach were being more prepared and confident, being less anxious, and making better use of in-class time to focus on learning skills. One of the main challenges encountered by instructors was managing a group when some students had not done the prework. A few other issues were mentioned, including when the standardized design template was not followed and the workload involved in continuing to enhance and expand the resources. Teamwork and training were crucial to the successful production of the large bank of flipped classrooms. Sharing our experience with the wider education community, within and beyond our institution, continues to be one of team's aims.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in veterinary medicine affects veterinarians, students, clients, and the regional availability of veterinary services. Veterinary students from 5 colleges in Canada and 5 colleges in the United States were surveyed about their challenges, experiences, and perceptions related to EDI, resulting in 456 responses (10.4%). A greater proportion of participants reported personal, financial, mental health, and physical health challenges during veterinary college compared with the proportion reporting these challenges before starting veterinary college. Statistically, participants who did not identify as white (odds ratio [OR]: 2.2, confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-4.3), who reported having a disability (OR: 5.0, CI: 2.1-12.1), and who identified as part of the LGBTQ2S+ community (OR: 8.5, CI: 3.8-19.2 ) were more likely to agree or strongly agree that discrimination occurs at veterinary colleges. Fewer participants reported experiencing discrimination in veterinary colleges (20.6%) compared with veterinary workplaces (36.8%). In the workplace, participants reported the expectation of facing bias more from clients than from managers or peers. The expectation of facing bias from clients was associated with the female gender (OR: 2.7, CI: 1.3-5.6), not identifying as white (OR: 7.4, CI: 2.5-21.3), and identifying as part of the LGBTQ2S+ community (OR: 2.7, CI: 1.3-5.4). More participants expected to practice in the same type of region as where they grew up rather than a different type of region. Thus, training future veterinarians from areas with region-based lack of access to veterinary services may be more effective than simply training more veterinarians. College EDI initiatives should include input from all participants and especially those who are most likely to experience discrimination, facilitating meaningful training and support.

Researchers explored senior/clinical year veterinary trainees' perceptions of the Goal Oriented Learner Driven-Entrustment (GOLD-E) scale. Researchers recruited trainees from on-campus clinical service rotations to explore the following questions: (a) How do trainees regard the feedback the GOLD-E tool provides? (b) How do trainees enter into the clinical feedback relationship? (c) How does the GOLD-E tool create opportunities for trainees to engage authentically with themselves and with clinical coaches (i.e., clinicians, technicians, interns, and house officers)? Clinical year trainees completed the GOLD-E form with clinical coaches during the 2018-2019 academic year. Data collection included both quantitative and qualitative methods using bi-weekly surveys and focus groups. Findings point to the need for thoughtful integration of feedback and coaching when assessing practice using EPAs; better understanding of the role coaches play in the everyday expectations and practices of learning to become a practicing veterinarian; and realization of trainees' uncertainty concerning their role in the coaching relationship, the learning process, and when asking for feedback. These findings connect with the first article in this series and further emphasize that culture change requires significant time and effort. Moreover, there needs to be careful consideration of organizational structures to effectively implement change.

Within veterinary medical education, there is increasing focus on equity and cultural competency/humility, especially within service learning in community and shelter medicine. This article reviews the current literature and draws from the experience of the Ontario Veterinary College Community Healthcare Partnership Program's development of a community and shelter medicine curriculum. We propose that to graduate veterinarians with the knowledge and skills to address inequities in access to veterinary care, a best practice is to integrate mandatory in-class and experiential learning activities, scaffolded across the curriculum. This is a best practice as it creates the best chance for transformational learning for students and is part of our responsibility to the communities we partner with to move toward cultural safety. This Best Practices report addresses the following questions: (a) What foundation of knowledge in community and shelter medicine is needed? (Five curricular pillars: animal welfare, vulnerable animals, spectrum of care, well-being, and cultural humility); (b) How should programs be structured? (Mandatory, integrated, and scaffolded curriculum); and (c) What are the pedagogical goals? (Transformational learning). It is our hope that this synthesis is of value to other veterinary colleges seeking to develop programs and/or curricula in community and shelter medicine to address barriers to veterinary care access.

Anecdotal data suggest that clinicians can be confused about the indications, advantages, and disadvantages of treatment options for canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). This may be due to the varying levels of knowledge and confidence among clinicians at different stages of their training and careers. A lack of evidence-based studies of confidence when applying knowledge in veterinary education inspired this research. We surveyed 75 Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R(D)SVS) final-year students, 34 general practitioners (GPs), 70 GPs that have undertaken continuing professional development in dermatology, 34 advanced dermatology practitioners (e.g., interns and residents), and 15 dermatology specialists using an online questionnaire with Likert-type scales for each response. Correlations between the levels of education, sources of knowledge about managing CAD, and their understanding of different treatment options were analyzed; p < .001 was deemed significant. The results revealed a significant lack of confidence among students and GPs in treating CAD. In contrast, the groups generally had a similar level of understanding of the management options. The exception to this was a lack of understanding about ciclosporin and antihistamines among students and veterinarians with less dermatology experience. Targets for intervention should therefore aim to improve confidence in clinical application rather than knowledge per se in undergraduate and post-graduate education. Improving confidence in managing CAD will improve the welfare of atopic dogs and their owners.

This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of a questionnaire designed to evaluate veterinary students' satisfaction and self-confidence within the realm of high-fidelity clinical simulation for bovine reproductive diagnostic techniques. The reliability analysis revealed a robust Cronbach's alpha coefficient of .753 for the entire questionnaire, indicating a high level of internal consistency. A confirmatory factor analysis supported a bifactorial model, affirming appropriate factorial loadings for all items. The model's fit indices demonstrated strong alignment, suggesting the questionnaire's adeptness in accurately capturing students' experiences. The evaluation of satisfaction and self-confidence levels unveiled predominantly positive perceptions overall, albeit with discernible reservations, particularly regarding specific diagnostic techniques. Despite limitations, such as the utilization of a single-site sample, this study establishes the questionnaire's validity and reliability in the context of simulator-based learning. Thus, these preliminary results about students' confidence underscore the pivotal role of clinical simulation in bolstering students' skills.