Exploring the sociocultural experiences of student veterinary nurses in the clinical learning environment through the lens of situated learning theory.

Background: Student veterinary nurses (SVNs) complete significant time in clinical placements and this training can have a positive or negative impact on the development of professional skills and identity.

Methods: A cross-sectional design, using semi-structured interviews, explored 12 SVNs' experiences of clinical placements. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore each individual participant's experience, prior to the identification of themes across participants' experiences.

Clinical supervisors' and students' perspectives on preparedness for veterinary workplace clinical training: An international study.

Background: The alignment of student and workplace supervisors' perspectives on student preparedness for veterinary workplace clinical training (WCT) is unknown, yet misalignment could negatively impact workplace learning. The aim of this study was to quantify the relative importance of WCT preparedness characteristics according to students and supervisors and to identify differences.

Methods: A survey was completed by 657 veterinary students and 244 clinical supervisors from 25 veterinary schools, from which rankings of the preparedness characteristics were derived.

Rating and ranking preparedness characteristics important for veterinary workplace clinical training: a novel application of pairwise comparisons and the Elo algorithm.

Quantitatively eliciting perspectives about a large number of similar entities (such as a list of competences) is a challenge for researchers in health professions education (HPE). Traditional survey methods may include using Likert items. However, a Likert item approach that generates ratings of the entities may suffer from the "ceiling effect," as ratings cluster at one end of the scale.

Enhancing Primary Care Learning in a Referral Hospital Setting: Introducing Veterinary Clinical Demonstrators.

With the majority of veterinary graduates entering primary care practice (PCP), there is increasing recognition of the importance of preparing students to practice across a broad spectrum of care (SoC). The traditional model of veterinary training, focused on the referral hospital environment, can make this challenging. In 2018, Bristol Veterinary School recruited five primary care (PC) veterinary surgeons as veterinary clinical demonstrators (VCDs) who collaborated with rotation-specific specialists to help enhance student focus upon day-one skills and to emphasize SoC relevance of the referral caseload.

Veterinary Curriculum Leaders: Motivators, Barriers, and Attributes.

Curriculum leaders (individuals with responsibility for an institution's veterinary curriculum) play a vital role in driving local curriculum priorities, development, and accreditation. This study aimed to describe the career paths of curriculum leaders and identify what motivates them, the barriers they face, and the knowledge, skills, and attributes they perceive as essential for the role. Self-determination theory was used to identify tensions experienced within the role.

Comparing the Efficacy of a New Clinical Skills Model with a Traditional Method to Teach Tube Feeding of an Avian Patient.

Interactive clinical skills models have been demonstrated to be useful for teaching medical and veterinary clinical skills, yet to date, very few exist for teaching skills relevant to zoological companion animals and wildlife species including birds. This two-part study aimed to create, develop, and validate a model. Interviews and a survey were conducted using veterinary and wildlife professionals to select an avian clinical skill that is challenging and performed frequently.

"Just Engage in It or Not, You Get Out What You Put In": Student and Staff Experiences of Feedback and Feedforward in Workplace-Based Learning Environments.

Feedback is central to student learning in the veterinary workplace. Feedforward, a related concept, is used to describe the way information about a student's performance may be used to improve their future performance. Feedback and feedforward practices are diverse, with varied student and staff understandings of the nature and purpose of feedback (feedback literacy).

The individual in the system: The role of affect in recent veterinary graduates' reflective activity.

Background: The transition to professional practice can be a challenging time. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' (RCVS) Professional Development Phase (PDP) aims to support recent graduates through this transition, with graduates required to reflect on their experiences. This study drew on the concept of "lived experience" to explore the influence of affect (feelings, emotions and mood) on recent graduates' experience of reflective activity.

Creating the Next Generation of Evidence-Based Veterinary Practitioners and Researchers: What are the Options for Globally Diverse Veterinary Curricula?

Veterinary educators strive to prepare graduates for a variety of career options with the skills and knowledge to use and contribute to research as part of their lifelong practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). In the veterinary curriculum, students should receive a grounding in research and EBVM, as well as have the opportunity to consider research as a career. Seeing a lack of a cohesive body of information that identified the options and the challenges inherent to embedding such training in veterinary curricula, an international group was formed with the goal of synthesizing evidence to help curriculum designers, course leaders, and teachers implement educational approaches that will inspire future researchers and produce evidence-based practitioners.

Experiences of recent graduates: reframing reflection as purposeful, social activity.

Background: During the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' (RCVS) Professional Development Phase, graduates are required to reflect on their progress. Reflection is often conceptualised as a solitary activity, which may contrast with day-to-day reflective activities in the workplace. This study drew on cultural-historical activity theory to understand how recently graduated veterinary surgeons engage in reflective activity.

Comparison of a Silicon Skin Pad and a Tea Towel as Models for Learning a Simple Interrupted Suture.

There has been rapid growth in the range of models available for teaching veterinary clinical skills. To promote further uptake, particularly in lower-income settings and for students to practice at home, factors to consider include cost, availability of materials and ease of construction of the model. Two models were developed to teach suturing: a silicon skin pad, and a tea towel (with a check pattern) folded and stapled to represent an incision.

Instruments to measure the ability to self-reflect: A systematic review of evidence from workplace and educational settings including health care.

Introduction: Self-reflection has become recognised as a core skill in dental education, although the ability to self-reflect is valued and measured within several professions. This review appraises the evidence for instruments available to measure the self-reflective ability of adults studying or working within any setting, not just health care.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review was conducted of 20 electronic databases (including Medline, ERIC, CINAHL and Business Source Complete) from 1975 to 2017, supplemented by citation searches.

Flipped Classroom Use in Veterinary Education: A Multinational Survey of Faculty Experiences.

Active teaching approaches such as the flipped classroom are linked to better quality student learning outcomes across health care disciplines, with the potential to support students' preparedness for practice. In the flipped classroom instructional approach, students engage in significant pre-class preparation to learn foundational knowledge and skills, then undertake instructional activities in the classroom that require them to integrate, apply and extend their learning to new contexts. This study reports the results of a multinational survey of flipped classroom use in veterinary education.

Development and Evaluation of vetPAL, a Student-Led, Peer-Assisted Learning Program.

Based on an idea from a final-year student, Bristol Veterinary School introduced vetPAL, a student-led, peer-assisted learning program. The program involved fifth-year (final-year) students acting as tutors and leading sessions for fourth-year students (tutees) in clinical skills and revision (review) topics. The initiative aimed to supplement student learning while also providing tutors with opportunities to further develop a range of skills.

Evaluation of a handheld point-of-care analyser for measurement of creatinine in cats.

Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate whether a handheld creatinine analyser (StatSensor Xpress; SSXp), available for human patients, can be used to measure creatinine reliably in cats. Methods Analytical performance was evaluated by determining within- and between-run coefficient of variation (CV, %), total error observed (TE, %) and sigma metrics. Fifty client-owned cats presenting for investigation of clinical disease had creatinine measured simultaneously, using SSXp (whole blood and plasma) and a reference instrument (Konelab, serum); 48 paired samples were included in the study.

Faculty Development for a New Curriculum: Implementing a Strategy for Veterinary Teachers within the Wider University Context.

Faculty development in veterinary education is receiving increasing attention internationally and is considered of particular importance during periods of organizational or curricular change. This report outlines a faculty development strategy developed since October 2012 at the University of Bristol Veterinary School, in parallel with the development and implementation of a new curriculum. The aim of the strategy is to deliver accessible, contextual faculty development workshops for clinical and non-clinical staff involved in veterinary student training, thereby equipping staff with the skills and support to deliver high-quality teaching in a modern curriculum.

Challenges and Issues in the Evaluation of Teaching Quality: How Does it Affect Teachers' Professional Practice? A UK Perspective.

Evaluation of the quality of higher education is undertaken for the purposes of ensuring accountability, accreditation, and improvement, all of which are highly relevant to veterinary teaching institutions in the current economic climate. If evaluation is to drive change, it needs to be able to influence teaching practice. This article reviews the literature relating to evaluation of teaching quality in higher education with a particular focus on teachers' professional practice.

Initiatives to improve feedback culture in the final year of a veterinary program.

Despite the recognized importance of feedback in education, student satisfaction with the feedback process in medical and veterinary programs is often disappointing. We undertook various initiatives to try to improve the feedback culture in the final clinical year of the veterinary program at the University of Bristol, focusing on formative verbal feedback. The initiatives included E-mailed guidelines to staff and students, a faculty development workshop, and a reflective portfolio task for students.

Systematic evaluation of evidence on veterinary viscoelastic testing part 1: System comparability.

Objective: To systematically examine the evidence on system comparability between the thromboelastography and the rotational thromboelastometry viscoelastic point-of-care instruments and to identify knowledge gaps.

Design: Standardized, systematic evaluation of the literature, categorization of relevant articles according to level of evidence and quality, and development of consensus on conclusions for application of the concepts to clinical practice.

Setting: Academic and referral veterinary medical centers.