Evaluation of Veterinary Students' Communication Skills with a Service Dog Handler in a Simulated Client Scenario

Evaluation of a Student-Led Community-Based Veterinary Clinic for Disabled Low-Income Clients: A Case Study of the University of Florida PAWS Program

People with disabilities experiencing low socioeconomic position are priority populations when considering access to veterinary care. In this population, intersectional inequities lead to adverse health outcomes for both those individuals and the companion animals they care for. Community-based veterinary clinics provide an opportunity to target these inequities from a culturally sensitive lens, intending to improve human and animal outcomes. We conducted a process evaluation of a student-led community-based clinic for this population to better understand client satisfaction, assess learning outcomes among veterinary students, and improve program delivery and services. During academic year 2020-2021, the monthly clinics had 162 appointments in total with a median 15 DVM candidates volunteering at each clinic. Clients and volunteers responded to survey questionnaires designed to elicit information about their experiences with the clinic, including open-ended questions for further elucidation of measurable indicators of client-, patient-, and student-level impact. Clients attributed enrollment in the clinic with improved quality-of-life and reduction of financial burden; the program saved clients approximately $2,050 per pet during the evaluation year. Furthermore, the clinic widely facilitated completion of the college's core Primary Care and Dentistry learning outcomes. Beyond curriculum-standard learning objectives, students also reported positive attitude changes and increased readiness to provide care to people with disabilities and people experiencing low socioeconomic position. The results of this evaluation have significant implications for both veterinary and public health pedagogy. Especially, they highlight the significance of community health practice in veterinary trainee education.

Evaluating Communication Training at AVMA COE-Accredited Institutions and the Need to Consider Diversity within Simulated Client Pools

The push for competency-based veterinary medical education by accrediting bodies has led to the inclusion of non-technical skills within curricula. Communication, self-awareness, and cultural humility are considered essential for post-graduate success. To facilitate skills development, veterinary educators have incorporated a variety of modalities including lecture, group discussions, virtual and peer-assisted learning, role play, video review of consultations, and simulated clients (SCs). The overarching goal is developing students into self-reflective practitioners through exposure to clinical scenarios that enhance and embody diversity. Decision making about case management is subject to stereotypes, bias, and assumptions. Racial and ethnic disparities reported in health care can adversely impact patient outcomes. This study was conducted to evaluate communication training and diversity among SC pools within veterinary colleges. A questionnaire was electronically disseminated to assistant/associate deans and/or directors of curriculum/education at 54 American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education-accredited or provisionally accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. Twenty-one institutions are represented within the data set. Participating institutions summarized their communication curricula: 18 (85.71%) used SCs. Over 55% of these did not track SC demographic data or social identities; among institutions that did track, SCs were primarily monolingual English-speaking (77%), non-disabled (94.2%), white (90.4%), non-Hispanic/Latinx (98.6%) women (57%) over age 56 (64%). Sixteen institutions agreed with the statement "I do not feel that our SC pool is adequately diverse." Respondents shared that lack of time and capacity for recruitment were barriers to diversifying SC pools and proposed strategies to improve outreach.