Effectiveness of a programme design for the development of competence in solving clinical problems.

Background: To apply what has been learned theoretically in a clinical context is for many students a major challenge. In order to ease their transition into practice, a training programme was developed, focusing on learning to solve clinical problems.

Aims: The programme is designed for veterinary medicine students in the preclinical phase with already a sound theoretical base in biomedical and clinical sciences.

An instructional model for training competence in solving clinical problems.

We examined the design of a course that aims to ease the transition from pre-clinical learning into clinical work. This course is based on the premise that many of the difficulties with which students are confronted in this transition result from a lack of experience in applying knowledge in real practice situations. It is focused on the development of competence in solving clinical problems; uses an instructional model with alternating clinical practicals, demonstrations, and tutorials; and extends throughout the last pre-clinical year.