Development and validation of a feline abdominal palpation model and scoring rubric

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Veterinary Clinical and Professional Skills Teaching Delivery and Assessment Format

The limitations posed by the COVID-19 pandemic have been particularly challenging for courses teaching clinical and professional skills. We sought to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the delivery of veterinary clinical and professional skills courses, including modifications to teaching and assessment, and to establish educators' perceptions of the efficacy of selected delivery methods. A branching survey was deployed to 35 veterinary schools in North America in March and April 2021. The survey collected data about curriculum and assessment in spring 2020, fall 2020, and spring 2021. Educators at 16 veterinary schools completed the survey (response rate: 46%). Educators quickly adapted curriculum to meet the requirements of their institutions and governments. Early in the pandemic (spring 2020), curriculum was delayed, delivered remotely, or canceled. Assessment methods frequently included virtual objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and video-recorded skills assessments. Later in the pandemic (fall 2020, spring 2021), in-person clinical skills sessions resumed at many schools, often in smaller groups. Professional skills instruction typically remained virtual, as benefits were noted. Assessment methods began to normalize with in-person OSCEs resuming with precautions, though some schools maintained virtual assessments. Educators noted some advantages to instructional methods used during COVID, including smaller group sizes, better prepared students, better use of in-person lab time, more focus on essential course components, provision of models for at-home practice, and additional educators' remote involvement. Following the pandemic, educators should consider retaining some of these changes while pursuing further advancements, including improving virtual platforms and relevant technologies.

The Use of Simulators for Teaching Practical Clinical Skills to Veterinary Students - A Review

In the context of veterinary education, simulators are devices or sets of conditions aiming to imitate real patients and enable students to practice skills without the need for live animal use. Simulator use in veterinary education has increased significantly in recent years, allowing consistent practical teaching without reliance on clinical cases. This review examines the available literature regarding the use of simulation and simulators for teaching practical day one competences to veterinary students. Scientific databases were searched and 73 relevant articles were reviewed. The reviewed articles revealed that there are a number of simulators currently available to veterinary educators, that simulators can enhance student skills and provide an alternative learning environment without the need for live animal and/or cadaver use, and that they usually receive positive feedback from the students who use them. There appears to be a bias towards small animal simulators - however, some skills that are developed through the use of small animal or table-top models will be transferrable to other species. The majority of large animal simulators focus on bovine rectal palpation and/or pregnancy diagnosis. Further research is required to increase the repertoire of available simulators for use in veterinary education, in order to improve the practical skills of veterinary students and reduce the use of live animals and cadaver material for teaching purposes.

Effect of Instructional Format on Veterinary Students' Task Performance and Emotional State during a Simulation-Based Canine Endotracheal Intubation Laboratory: Handout versus Video

Video- versus handout-based instructions may influence student outcomes during simulation training and competency-based assessments. Forty-five third-year veterinary students voluntarily participated in a simulation module on canine endotracheal intubation. A prospective, randomized, double-blinded study investigated the impact of video (n = 23) versus handout (n = 22) instructions on student confidence, anxiety, and task performance. Students self-scored their confidence and anxiety before and after the simulation. During the simulation laboratory, three raters independently evaluated student performance using a 20-item formal assessment tool with a 5-point global rating scale. No significant between- or within-group differences (p > .05) were found for both confidence and anxiety scores. Video-based instructions were associated with significantly higher (p < .05) total formal assessment scores compared with handout-based instructions. The video group had significantly higher scores than the handout group on 3 of the 20 individual skills (items) assessed: placement of tie to the adaptor-endotracheal tube complex (p < .05), using the anesthetic machine (p < .01), and pop-off valve management (p < .001). Inter-rater reliability as assessed by Cronbach's α (.92), and Kendall's W (.89) was excellent and almost perfect, respectively. A two-faceted crossed-design generalizability analysis yielded G coefficients for both the handout (E_p² = .68) and the video (E_p² = .72) groups. Video instructions may be associated with higher performance scores than handout instructions during endotracheal intubation simulation training. Further research into skill retention and learning styles is warranted.

Challenges & Issues: Evidence-Based Clinical Skills Teaching and Learning: What Do We Really Know?

The recent programmatic focus on skills development in veterinary medicine means that many programs are devoting increased time to formal clinical skills teaching. This expansion makes it essential that we use the time as effectively as possible. This review examines current practices and veterinary training principles using the broader field of evidence-based motor skills learning as a lens. In many areas, current practices may be hindering learning. Proposed practices include using videos and discussions for pre-laboratory training, focusing on a single complex skill at a time, using more near-peer instructors rather than faculty, including assessments in each teaching or practice session, and encouraging supervised distributed practice by incorporating practice sessions into the formal curriculum. Ensuring mastery of a few core skills rather than exposure to many may be the new goal. Further research is urgently needed on block versus spiral curricula, optimum instructor-to-student ratios, learning and practice schedules, hours required for proficiency, and the benefits of exercise on motor skills learning.

The development of a clinical skills laboratory at Ross University School of Medicine

Dedicated clinical skills laboratories (CSLs) that make use of models, mannequins and simulators, are being increasingly established in medical and veterinary schools. These have been commonplace in medical schools for more than two decades, but their incorporation within the teaching of veterinary curricula has occurred much more recently. In 2007, a decision was taken to establish a CSL at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. We considered the range of skills that we wished to teach, the physical space and equipment needed, the storage and air conditioning requirements, the facilities needed to deliver PowerPoint lectures and case study presentations, and other essentials necessary to handle cadaver specimens. We converted an appropriate campus building to our needs, hired teaching staff, and started to source models and mannequins for the teaching of veterinary clinical skills. In 2010, 177 senior students completed a survey evaluating their experiences within our CSL. Student satisfaction was generally high, with 95% of respondents feeling that the CSL had improved their psychomotor skills. However, 15% of them felt that the models were insufficiently realistic. Our clinical skills programme has since developed considerably, and it currently offers instruction in a diverse array of surgical, medical and other clinical skills. We hope that this description of our experiences may assist others embarking on similar projects elsewhere.