Dr Charlotte Maile

The use of clinical skills models is now commonplace in veterinary education with the aim of improving proficiency and competency when subsequently performing clinical procedures on patients. However, it is important to evaluate the construct and content validity of the models and protocols being used to replace live animal teaching. Performing in-depth validation studies takes considerable time and resources which may not be readily available in an educational setting. This study describes a fast and effective method using expert feedback to evaluate the validity of clinical skills models and their associated protocols used in veterinary teaching. Thirty skills used in the teaching of undergraduate veterinary students at the University of Surrey were evaluated, ten from each of the core species (companion animal, equine and production animal). Qualified veterinary surgeons with experience of performing each skill were invited to read through the protocol and perform the skills. They were then asked to provide anonymous ratings, using a 5-point Likert scale, regarding: the realism of the model, the suitability of the protocol and the suitability of the model and protocol to prepare students to perform the skill in clinical practice. Results showed that 80% of respondents agreed that the performing the skill was realistic compared to the live animal for 63.3% of skills, that the written protocol is appropriate for performing this skill for 96.7% of skills and or that the model and protocol are suitable to prepare students to perform the skill in clinical practice for 76.7% of skills. This study presents an innovative approach to high throughput clinical skills teaching validation.

The equine veterinary profession is frequently considered to be inaccessible to veterinary students that have had limited exposure to the equine industry. One of the perceived reasons for this inaccessibility is the use of what is often coined ‘horsey’ language within the industry. If a student has limited experience of the equine industry, there is a potential language barrier to teaching which may result in poor engagement with equine teaching and placements. Students that otherwise might consider a career in equine veterinary medicine are discouraged by an apparent barrier in communication between horse owners, equine vets and themselves. This project aimed to develop a new teaching resource to increase student engagement with the equine content of the veterinary programme at the University of Surrey.An online anonymous survey was shared via social media and was used to generate a list of terms that equine veterinary surgeons, horse owners and paraprofessionals believed essential for a new graduate veterinary surgeon to understand in the equine industry. The survey design was based on the ‘Twenty Statements Test’ where in this case participants were asked for up to ten equine specific jargon terms. University of Surrey equine academics provided definitions of each of the terms. Definitions were derived from a variety of sources including textbooks and equestrian websites. Additional jargon terms were added to the resource when the equine academics identified incomplete topics to ensure students received a comprehensive list of terms. The list of terms and their definitions were then developed into an e-book glossary resource for students to be able to download and access offline to ensure access when on placement in remote locations. The eBook was presented to students during a communication session for fourth year veterinary students at the University of Surrey. Students were surveyed on the usefulness of the resource and whether the resource improved their confidence in using and understanding equine industry specific language.The data collected in this study provides evidence that language is a barrier to learning and that with the development of an easily navigable eBook resource, this barrier can be reduced. By increasing student engagement and enabling students to feel less like outsiders during clinical placements, this teaching resource could have a direct effect on the proportion of graduates considering a career in equine practice and thereby go towards helping with the current recruitment and retention crisis within the field of equine veterinary medicine.