Journal of veterinary medical education最新文献

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.

Remediation provides academically struggling students reasonable opportunities to correct deficiencies in knowledge or skills, achieve competence, and potentially reverse failures. At Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, a remediation policy in the pre-clinical years of the DVM program was implemented beginning with the class of 2014. We evaluated its impact on our DVM program and student outcomes. Using data from DVM classes of 2011 to 2023, we compared academic outcomes between remediating and non-remediating class cohorts and, within remediating cohorts, between students with and without academic difficulties. Despite changes in class size and admissions criteria, 4-year graduation and relative attrition rates were similar in remediating (92.2% and 4.2%) and non-remediating (92.3% and 4.8%) cohorts. Success at the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) prior to graduation was lower in remediating than in non-remediating cohorts (94.5% vs. 97.0%). Among 815 students in remediating cohorts, 157 (19.3%) failed ≥1 courses. Of the 157 students, 134 (85.4%) attempted remediation of ≥1 failed courses, 125 (79.6%) successfully remediated ≥1 failed courses, and 96 (61.1%) successfully remediated all their failed courses. Remediation occurred more often in first-year than in second- or third-year courses. While 99% of the 96 successfully remediated students graduated in 4 years, 13.5% failed ≥1 clinical blocks and 18.7% did not pass the NAVLE before DVM graduation. Our remediation policy enabled successfully remediated students to avoid delayed graduation, but some students struggled in the clinical year and at passing the NAVLE prior to graduation. Additional support systems are necessary to help students pass the NAVLE before graduation.

Models and simulations are used in veterinary education to allow students to practice surgical skills in order to obtain clinical competence. Further development of models is also driven by the requirement of veterinary institutions to reduce the use of animal patients in teaching (live or cadaver). Esophagostomy tube placement is a common therapeutic procedure performed in companion animal critical care cases, and a model was developed to help teach this skill. Validity evidence was collected and analyzed to evaluate this model at the University of Surrey. Veterinarians (n = 14) provided content validity evidence on using the model, and students (n = 19) provided further construct evidence. Students were taught the skill on either a model or a cadaver. These students were then assessed on a cadaver the following week. Global rating scales were used as a measure of performance, and data were recorded on confidence ratings after both teaching and assessment. Comparisons of the global rating scales and confidence levels were evaluated for both the model and cadaver-taught groups. There were no statistical differences in the performance data or confidence levels of the two groups. Most of the veterinarians believed the model was easy to use (13/14), had realistic landmarks (11/14), and was a suitable alternative to learning the skill than in the animal patient (12/14). The esophagostomy tube model is a low-cost, easy-to-make alternative to help teach aspects of this skill before performing on an animal patient.

Veterinary public health (VPH) is a critical role of veterinarians regardless of their chosen career pathway, and it is the role of VPH academics to inspire veterinary students within this essential topic. However, the alarming shortage of veterinarians has led to a significant reduction in veterinary policy makers and epidemiologists. The engagement of new graduates in public health roles is heavily influenced by their undergraduate teaching and extramural study opportunities. Worryingly, student engagement within VPH has been well documented to be poor in comparison to other subjects. As such, this study was designed to investigate what factors impacted VPH educators' motivation. To do this, a mixed-methods survey was created and released electronically to 34 VPH academics across the UK and the Republic of Ireland. A total of 23 respondents, from nine veterinary schools spanning both countries, completed the survey. Data analysis involving both quantitative assessment and thematic analysis was undertaken. The results showed that VPH educators' intrinsic motivation was not problematic and most (n = 20) respondents felt motivated within their roles. However, all respondents had extrinsic issues that impacted their motivation, such as external stakeholders, curricula requirements, lack of student opportunity both regarding placement and as career options, as well as wider university issues. These themes led staff to feel undervalued in their roles, and as such highlight the areas that universities and external stakeholders need to act on to help fill the significant recruitment issues in this essential field. This study is, as far as the authors are aware, the first time globally that a VPH faculty have been asked to explore their motivation behind their teaching practices.

Veterinary students, interns, and residents have often been taught medical and surgical skills using cadavers or terminal surgeries. However, the number of animals used by veterinary schools, their sources, and the types of procedures taught have never been quantified. In this study, active Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols in which animals were euthanized prior to, during, or following training exercises were requested from public veterinary schools in the United States and Canada between December 2022 and April 2024. Protocols were evaluated for the number and species of animals requested, animal source, and types of procedures taught. Additionally, we identified seven justifications for using animals provided by principal investigators and evaluated how closely they adhered to ethical guidelines set forth by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. A total of 26 veterinary schools provided 120 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols meeting the study criteria. Equines (24/26 schools), cows (20/26), and small ruminants (19/26) were the most commonly requested species by schools, although poultry were requested in the highest numbers (8,558). Sources included client donations, commercial vendors, and university-owned animals. The most common justifications for using animals in teaching were that alternatives do not provide an equal learning experience (87/120 protocols) and that live animals are needed for students to learn nonsurgical (71/120) and surgical (65/120) procedures. There was considerable variation in how closely aligned animal use practices were to AAVMC recommendations. Limitations include probable undercounting of cadavers and the inability to verify the numbers of animals used versus requested for use.