Approaches to ensure an equitable and fair admissions process for medical training.

There has been considerable discussion of how best to address racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes, both globally and specifically in the United States. Increasing diversity among future clinicians and physician-scientists has been identified as a key strategy for addressing and correcting health disparities among underrepresented populations. Increasingly, medical schools, the institutions that train clinicians, have embraced the practice of holistic review for evaluating applicants and virtually all medical schools have reported contributing to a diverse physician workforce as an important aspect of their educational mission.

Development and initial evaluation of a rigid rhinoscopy model as a pedagogic tool in veterinary medicine.

No model exists to train the handling skills required for successful performance of rigid rhinoscopy in veterinary patients. The complex anatomy of the nasal cavity, the limited space between turbinates, and the propensity of the mucosa to bleed with slight trauma make thorough examination of a nasal cavity difficult. The goal of this study was development and initial testing of a low fidelity canine rigid rhinoscopy training model for veterinary novices.

The predictive validity of MCAT scores and undergraduate GPA for COMLEX-USA licensure exam performance of students enrolled in osteopathic medical schools.

Context: Osteopathic (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine [DO]) medical students account for more than 25 % of all medical students in the United States.

Objectives: This study examined the predictive validity of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) total scores and cumulative undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs) for performance on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 and Level 2-CE (Cognitive Evaluation) licensure examinations administered by the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). Additionally, the study examined the degree to which MCAT total scores and UGPAs provide comparable prediction of student performance by key sociodemographic variables.

Veterinary education and experience shape beliefs about dog breeds. Part 2: Trust.

Dog breed stereotypes are frequently used to inform people's expectations about canine behavior, despite evidence that breed is largely uninformative in predicting individual dog behavior. Further, these beliefs differ among populations. However, it remains unknown how ratings of warmth toward a breed are associated with ratings of other social behavioral domains, and whether differences exist between populations with varying experience with dogs.

Veterinary education and experience shape beliefs about dog breeds Part 1: Pain sensitivity.

Over 95% of veterinarians report believing that dog breeds differ in pain sensitivity. Ratings made by veterinarians differ from those of the general public, suggesting these beliefs may be learned during veterinary training or clinical experiences. Therefore, the current study's primary objective was to evaluate dog breed pain sensitivity ratings during veterinary training and compare these ratings to those of the general public and undergraduates in animal-health related fields.

Training Veterinary Ophthalmology Residents on Cataract Surgery (Part A: Diplomate's Survey).

The purpose of this study was to explore the teaching methods used to train residents in cataract surgery at academic and private practice institutions. A descriptive survey was distributed online to 186 active supervising diplomates of the American Board of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ABVO) listserv. The survey included items about various educational resources and techniques available to ophthalmology residents when performing cataract surgery.

Hurdles of Cataract Surgery: Veterinary Ophthalmology Residents' Perspective (Part B).

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived preparedness for performing cataract surgery of veterinary ophthalmology residents' who are currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, veterinary academic or private practice institutions. A descriptive survey was distributed online to 127 residents at academic and private practice training programs in the United States. The survey included items about educational resources available for residents and techniques commonly taught during cataract surgery.

Can dogs help chickens? Pet owners' willingness to pay for animal welfare-friendly pet food in the United States.

Consumer concern about farmed animal welfare is growing but does not always translate into real-world purchasing behaviour of welfare-friendly animal products for human consumption. Possible reasons for this include unfamiliarity with farming practices and economic sensitivity. In contrast, the number and role of pets in the United States have grown measurably, and spending on pets is strong.

Effects of gender on income and family planning for diplomates of the American College of Zoological Medicine.

Objective: To evaluate income and family planning decisions of American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) diplomates.

Sample: 98 ACZM diplomates.

Procedures: An online survey was sent to 201 ACZM diplomates.

A novel career development course for animal science students pursuing veterinary college admissions.

A one-credit hour, elective, professional development course was created at North Carolina State University to introduce pre-veterinary track students to the admissions process and the breadth of the veterinary profession. The course was designed to facilitate career exploration while building self-efficacy through vicarious learning, interacting with speakers in various veterinary subfields, and addressing misperceptions about veterinary admissions. To evaluate the student learning objectives and improve upon the current practices of the course, data from two pretest and posttest course surveys for 235 course participants between Spring 2014 and 2017 were analyzed.

Veterinary Students' Use of Learning Objectives.

Learning objectives (LO) are the foundation of a competency-based curriculum, but no studies assess how students use LO for exam preparation and/or their general attitudes toward LO. Therefore, the objectives were to evaluate how much veterinary students use LO to study, assess student attitudes toward simple and expanded LO, and determine if LO type impacts grade performance. An alternative-treatment design with pre-test and nonrandom groups was used.

A Literature Review: Pet Bereavement and Coping Mechanisms.

The loss of a companion animal results in millions of pet owners grieving annually. To date, little information has been synthesized on the grief response and coping mechanisms of bereaved pet owners. The aim of this review was to examine the relationship between pet loss and owner grief response.

What Matters Most to Residency and Intern Selection Committees in Veterinary Medicine?

A recent survey of members of residency selection committees for the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and American College of Veterinary Surgeons boards found letters of recommendation to be the most important factor when reviewing a resident's application followed by class rank as the second most important factor. These statistics indicate an interesting, but possibly troubling trend. This Letter to The Editor discusses the major problems concerning these findings and what residency program committees might consider as an alternative.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Pre-Veterinary Opportunities and Recommendations for DVM Admissions.

During the summer of 2020, a survey-based study was conducted at North Carolina State University, a land-grant university, to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on pre-veterinary students' ability to gain experience hours for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) admissions. Of the 286 respondents (47% of the respondent pool), 92% reported losing at least one animal, veterinary, research, extracurricular, or work opportunity due to COVID-19, and 59% were not able to find a replacement. Of the lost experiences, 74 (20.

Association between Dog Owner Demographics and Decision to Seek Veterinary Care.

(1) Background: An important aspect of dog ownership is providing veterinary care. However, features of dog ownership differ across demographic groups and these may influence veterinary client decision making and behavior. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate relationships between American dog owner characteristics and willingness to seek veterinary care.

Evaluation of Retention of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Knowledge between Second-Year and Fourth-Year Clinical Pathology Courses.

There is a concern over long-term retention of knowledge in professional programs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the retention of veterinary clinical pathology knowledge between the fourth-semester and fourth-year clinical pathology courses. We hypothesize that students will forget a significant amount of content area knowledge between the fourth semester and fourth year in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program.

Identifying Barriers to Implementing Pain Management for Piglet Castration: A Focus Group of Swine Veterinarians.

Surgical castration is a painful husbandry procedure performed on piglets in the United States (US) to improve meat quality. Veterinarians play a crucial role in developing pain management protocols. However, providing pain management for castration is not common practice in US swine production systems.

A National Survey of Companion Animal Owners' Self-Reported Methods of Coping Following Euthanasia.

(1) Background: The human-animal bond is often regarded as a special relationship in which owners benefit from unconditional love and perceived understanding from their companion animal. Thus, end-of-life decisions such as euthanasia may inflict significant emotional impact upon the companion animal owner and result in a complicated grief response. The purpose of this study was to examine the methods American companion animal owners utilize to cope with loss following companion animal euthanasia.

A Comparison of Public Perceptions of Physicians and Veterinarians in the United States.

Veterinary medicine consists of virtually the same medical specialties as human medicine, with veterinarians performing similar roles as medical doctors, albeit with different species. Despite these similarities, anecdotally, some perceptions of veterinarians as not "real doctors" persist. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare public perceptions of physicians and veterinarians.

Perceptions and attitudes of Small Animal Internal Medicine specialists toward the publication requirement for board certification.

Background: The publication requirement for board certification in Small Animal Internal Medicine (SAIM) by the ACVIM is controversial.

Objectives: Directly and indirectly evaluate the perceptions SAIM Diplomates have on the publication requirement. A secondary objective was to compare the frequency with which publications submitted for credentialing purposes (CredPubs) were cited compared to control articles.

Cross-Sectional Assessment of the Emotional Intelligence of Fourth-Year Veterinary Students and Veterinary House Officers in a Teaching Hospital.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is the recognition and management of emotions. This skill set is important to work relationships and professional success. In this cross-sectional, observational study, we investigated EI scores of 4th-year veterinary students, interns, and residents in a teaching hospital, using a psychometric tool with professional population norms.

Use of a Versatile, Inexpensive Ophthalmoscopy Teaching Model in Veterinary Medical Student Education Increases Ophthalmoscopy Proficiency.

Ophthalmoscopy is an important examination technique in the diagnosis of disease. Although it is difficult to learn, practice increases confidence and proficiency. Practicing ophthalmoscopy on live animals presents an additional level of complexity, so we sought to evaluate how students would respond to practicing ophthalmoscopy on an ocular fundus model.

Effect of a mindfulness exercise on stress in veterinary students performing surgery.

Objective: To determine students' stress while performing surgery and evaluate the ability of a mindfulness intervention to reduce this stress.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental design.

Sample Population: Eighteen fourth-year DVM program students (n = 9 student/group).

Pharmacists' Knowledge of Veterinary Pharmacotherapy and the Impact of an Educational Intervention.

To date, there is very limited data regarding pharmacists' preparedness to handle animal prescriptions. No previous studies exist examining the impact of a veterinary-pharmacy-focused educational intervention. To assess pharmacists' baseline knowledge of veterinary pharmacotherapy, as relevant to their professional responsibilities, and assess the impact of a piloted educational program.