Beyond NAVMEC: Competency-Based Veterinary Education and Assessment of the Professional Competencies

Abstract

The implementation of competency-based curricula within the health sciences has been an important paradigm shift over the past 30 years. As a result, one of the five strategic goals recommended by the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) report was to graduate career-ready veterinarians who are proficient in, and have the confidence to use, an agreed-upon set of core competencies. Of the nine competencies identified as essential for veterinary graduates, seven could be classified as professional or non-technical competencies: communication; collaboration; management (self, team, system); lifelong learning, scholarship, value of research; leadership; diversity and multicultural awareness; and adaptation to changing environments. Traditionally, the professional competencies have received less attention in veterinary curricula and their assessment is often sporadic or inconsistent. In contrast, the same or similar competencies are being increasingly recognized in other health professions as essential skills and abilities, and their assessment is being undertaken with enhanced scrutiny and critical appraisal. Several challenges have been associated with the assessment of professional competencies, including agreement as to their definition and therefore their evaluation, the fact that they are frequently complex and require multiple integrative assessments, and the ability and/or desire of faculty to teach and assess these competencies. To provide an improved context for assessment of the seven professional competencies identified in the NAVMEC report, this article describes a broad framework for their evaluation as well as specific examples of how these or similar competencies are currently being measured in medical and veterinary curricula.

Veterinary students’ perceptions of their learning environment as measured by the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure

“…These competencies include a range of professional or non-technical attributes to address heightened expectations of the veterinary profession [1-3]. This broadening of veterinary curricula is in the face of rapidly expanding knowledge across all animal species for which veterinarians are responsible.…”

Leading a Clinical Communication Program in a Remote Setting: Practical Considerations from ROSS University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts

“…In the North American hemisphere, communication skills are considered a core clinical competency, yet the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the Council on Education (COE), and the North American Licensing Examination (NAVLE) do not delineate minimum standards and expectations. Such poses a great difficulty for all universities interested in developing communication curricula and often results in variations of communication programs (Hodgson, Pelzer, & Inzana, 2013). Particular challenges exist for developing countries that may lack additional financial resources, expertise and infrastructure, and/or an emphasis on the importance of and support for teaching communication skills given the remote nature of these training sites.…”

The Evidence Base for Developing a Veterinary Business Management Curriculum

“…They espouse that funding for leadership development programmes should be part of every veterinary education institution's budget. Similarly, Hodgson et al (2013) identified leadership as one of the nine essential competencies for veterinary graduates and, like Lloyd et al (2007), recommended the inclusion of this skill in veterinary curricula. Even more recently, Henry and Jackson (2015) recognised the imbalance of leadership roles held by women in the UK veterinary profession.…”

“…However, the question remained regarding the effectiveness of these changes to curricula and how they have been converted into graduates who possess skills for economic success. On the other hand, Hodgson et al (2013) have the opinion that veterinary schools are lagging behind their practitioner colleagues in grasping the importance of skills in personnel management, business management and leadership. These authors report on "a recent survey of [North American] faculty regarding the teaching of professional competencies almost half the faculty respondents did not perceive a responsibility to teach or assess business skills."…”