Milestone Educational Planning Initiatives in Veterinary Medical Education: Progress and Pitfalls

Abstract

Three milestone educational planning initiatives engaged the veterinary medical profession in the United States and Canada between 1987 and 2011, namely the Pew National Veterinary Education Program, the Foresight Project, and the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium. In a quantitative study, we investigated the impact of these initiatives on veterinary medical education through a survey of academic leaders (deans, previous deans, and associate deans for academics from veterinary medical schools that are members of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges) to assess their perspectives on the initiatives and eight recommendations that were common to all three initiatives. Two of the recommendations have in effect been implemented: enable students to elect in-depth instruction and experience within a practice theme or discipline area (tracking), and increase the number of graduating veterinarians. For three of the recommendations, awareness of the issues has increased but substantial progress has not been made: promote diversity in the veterinary profession, develop a plan to reduce student debt, and develop a North American strategic plan. Lastly, three recommendations have not been accomplished: emphasize use of information more than fact recall, share educational resources to enable a cost-effective education, and standardize core admissions requirements. The educational planning initiatives did provide collaborative opportunities to discuss and determine what needs to change within veterinary medical education. Future initiatives should explore how to avoid and overcome obstacles to successful implementation.

Day-1 Competencies for Veterinarians Specific to Health Informatics

“…With regard to more minor, and frequently encountered, updates to technology, however, the challenge will be to create a means of dynamically updating learning opportunities (which could be co-created with students) in a manner that serves as a springboard for autodidacticism. In order to equip students to continue this trajectory after graduation and to compensate for any potential "petrification" [as described in dental (44) and medical ( 45) education] of the veterinary curriculum (46), it is also necessary to teach them to tap into other sources of expertise, such as experienced colleagues and key opinion leaders in HI. For those veterinarians who seek greater engagement, it is critical to build professional networks that include experienced individuals outside of veterinary medicine, including, for example, experts in human health technology and engineering.…”

Using telehealth clinical case vignettes to enhance clinical confidence and competence in veterinary students

“…Previous reports suggest that the transition from university study to veterinary practice is difficult due to lack of experience with technical skills, management of primary cases and client communication ( 4 ). These outcomes are difficult to achieve in a traditional, content-based curriculum, and a recent survey of veterinary administrators demonstrated that minimal progress has been made in breaking the cycle of memorize, regurgitate, forget ( 5 ).…”