Professional Skills Teaching Within Veterinary Education and Possible Future Directions

Once ignored for their potential to take up precious time within the veterinary curriculum at the expense of hard science and technical competencies, professional skills such as ethical conduct, professional conduct, and communication skills are now considered essential in the creation of successful and employable graduates. Despite the requirement to include professional skills in veterinary curricula, limited communication among colleges and inconsistent documentation of curricular developments have led to a wide range of teaching and assessment methods with no consistent standards existing among colleges. Integration of professional competency teaching into the general curriculum is lauded widely, but barriers such as faculty buy-in have kept many colleges from moving toward a standard in which professional competencies are integrated into the general curriculum. The aim of this article is to provide veterinary educators and curriculum designers with an understanding of the rationale for including professional skills teaching within the curriculum while also presenting currently used, as well as recommended, strategies for effective instruction of professional skills.

Assessing Veterinary Practice and Practitioner Preparedness for Natural and Man-Made Disasters, Including COVID-19

Natural and man-made disasters lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses annually worldwide. Veterinarians are most qualified to support local, state, national, and international efforts in emergency management. However, they may lack the knowledge and advanced training to most effectively plan, prepare, and respond. Currently, only two colleges offer training embedded in their core veterinary curriculum. In this study, a survey was conducted to gain an understanding of veterinary practice and practitioner preparedness for natural and man-made disasters in the United States and Canada, with questions assessing pandemic preparedness. The participants graduated from 28 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)–accredited veterinary colleges globally and 2 non-accredited veterinary colleges, represent a diverse set of veterinary practice types, and have an average of 26 years’ practice experience. Overall, 63.5% of veterinary respondents had experienced a natural disaster, while only 9.6% had experienced a man-made disaster. Approximately 66% report having a practice disaster preparedness plan, while less than 20% of those actively maintain and update the plan. Furthermore, less than 50% of the practices and practitioners were ready to face the challenges of a global pandemic. Approximately 68% reported using some form of communication to educate clients about family and pet disaster readiness. Many felt that some advanced disaster readiness training would have been helpful in their veterinary curriculum. Our findings indicate that additional training in the veterinary curriculum, as well as continuing education, would help veterinarians and practices be better prepared for natural and man-made disasters.

Identifying the Barriers to Incorporating Reflective Practice into a Veterinary Curriculum

A portfolio with good reflective content can play a large role in learning and setting up the lifelong learning practice required by veterinary surgeons in practice or in research. The aim of this project was to investigate students’ experience with their reflective diaries within an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio). Focus groups were conducted with veterinary students at the University of Liverpool in years 1–4 to explore student perceptions of the e-portfolio, with an emphasis on reflection. Three themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: assessment, understanding the assignment (i.e., is it a useful and fair exercise?), and student well-being (i.e., stress, professional accountability, anxiety). Students had clear concerns about the assessment and did not see the relevance of the reflective diaries to their future career and learning. This has led the university’s School of Veterinary Science to restructure the reflections on professional skills in the portfolio.

Comparison of Fine Arts– and Pathology-Based Observational Skills Training for Veterinary Students Learning Cytology

Keen observational skills are essential for veterinarians; however, the development of these skills is not usually an explicit part of the veterinary curriculum. Fine arts–based (FAB) observation training has been shown to improve medical students’ observational skills and might also improve veterinary students’ observational skills. We compared FAB and pathology-based (PB) observation training in a veterinary cytology course. Students initially wrote a pre-test in which they described two cytology images and one art image, followed by participation in either FAB or PB observation training. Both groups completed a similar post-test immediately after training and a delayed post-test 4 weeks later following instruction in cytology. Differences between groups were noted only in the immediate post-test cytology descriptions. The PB group used significantly more specific vocabulary terms and significantly more accurate observations than the FAB group, suggesting an immediate benefit to the discipline-specific information gained in the PB observation training. In the delayed post-test, results for both groups were similar. The FAB group significantly increased their use of specific vocabulary terms and maintained but did not increase accurate observations following cytology instruction, while accurate observations decreased significantly for the PB group. The FAB group might have been able to generalize their observation skills to the discipline of cytology and to better retain these skills. Neither type of training resulted in both achievement and maintenance of the highest recorded scores for accurate observations. Both FAB and PB training led to improved observational skills, and explicit observation training may be useful for veterinary students.

Team-based learning within the veterinary curriculum

Team-based learning (TBL) was introduced to the Veterinary Science (BVSc) curriculum in 2013 as a method of aiding students in their integration of knowledge across multiple subjects using case-based scenarios. TBL is learner-centred and requires student accountability for learning within their team using an outcomes-based approach, and has been shown to increase medical student exam performance, particularly for lower performing students. The TBL format includes pre-reading, individual and group readiness assurance tests, instructor review, and team application, all of which are considered essential for the successful implementation of TBL. In this paper, we describe the use of TBL within the BVSc curriculum and discuss potential reasons for successes and failures related to student engagement and assessment, alongside considering enhancements required for future implementation.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Use and Resistance among Veterinary Students in Bangladesh

The use of antibiotics in animals for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes is a major driver of the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While several studies have investigated prescription and consumption patterns in humans, little attention has been paid to the veterinary sector. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 3002 veterinary students (VS) and non-medical students (NMS) from 12 universities in Bangladesh to explore their knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) about antibiotics and AMR using a self-administered questionnaire, and assess the influence of the veterinary curriculum. KAP regarding antibiotic use and AMR was significantly higher in veterinary than non-medical students, and in first-year than final-year students. However, gaps in knowledge and practices were highlighted, suggesting deficiencies in training. Moreover, final-year veterinary students were found to be more likely than first-year students to use antibiotics without instructions, which could indicate deficiencies in their curriculum. Although the study suggested a positive impact of the veterinary curriculum on KAP about antibiotics and AMR in Bangladesh, critical gaps remain that are likely to contribute to inadequate use in their future practice. Therefore, there is scope for improving educational programs on AMR in professional curricula.

An integrated review of the role of communication in veterinary clinical practice

Background There is a growing interest in exploring the nature of communication in veterinary medicine and understanding how veterinary practitioners communicate with their clients and other professionals. This is the first integrative review of literature on veterinary communication. Applying the PRISMA model, the PubMed, PsychInfo and ERIC databases were searched using keywords such as ‘veterinary’, ‘vet’, ‘communication’ and ‘interaction’ for related articles published between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2018. Results Keyword searching through the databases yielded 1572 related studies. Only 48 of these studies were included in our analysis after an in-depth review by two independent reviewers using the critical appraisal skills Programme frameworks with high inter-rater reliability (Cohen’s kappa coefficient κ > 0.8). The existing body of research on veterinary communication can be classified into three major areas: (a) client–veterinarian communication, (b) cross-disciplinary communication in a professional veterinarian team and (c) training of veterinary communication skills. This review details the complexity and heterogeneity of agenda in the field of veterinary communication. The included studies indicate that veterinary practitioners are not equipped with specific communication skills to address different agendas in veterinary communication. The veterinary curriculum should include a component on communication training that can help veterinary students acquire necessary communication skills that allow them to effectively communicate with clients and other professionals Conclusion This review detailed the complexity of agendas in the field of veterinary communication. The results indicate that veterinary practitioners can further benefit from training on specific communication skills that address the agendas found in veterinary communication research. Furthermore, the veterinary curriculum should include a component on communication training that equips veterinary students with the necessary communication skills that allow them to effectively communicate with different stakeholders such as clients and colleagues with and across the field of veterinary science.