A Competency-Guided Veterinary Curriculum Review Process.

J Vet Med Educ. April 2020;47(2):137-147.

Angela T Varnum¹, Andrew B West², Dean A Hendrickson³

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.; ² Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.; ³ Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Abstract

Competencies can guide outcomes assessment in veterinary medical education by providing a core set of specific abilities expected of new veterinary graduates. A competency-guided evaluation of Colorado State University's (CSU) equine veterinary curriculum was undertaken via an alumni survey. Published competencies for equine veterinary graduates were used to develop the survey, which was distributed to large animal alumni from CSU's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program. The results of the survey indicated areas for improvement, specifically in equine business, surgery, dentistry, and radiology. The desire for more hands-on experiences in their training was repeatedly mentioned by alumni, with the largest discrepancies between didactic knowledge and hands-on skills in the areas of business and equine surgery. Alumni surveys allow graduates to voice their perceived levels of preparation by the veterinary program and should be used to inform curriculum revisions. It is proposed that the definition and utilization of competencies in each phase of a curricular review process (outcomes assessment, curriculum mapping, and curricular modifications), in addition to faculty experience and internal review, is warranted.

Keywords

competencies; competency; curriculum; equine; outcomes;

Article Tools:

Medline

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

Clinical Utility of Cytology from Preoperative Percutaneous Fine Needle Aspirates of Solitary Liver Masses in 220 Dogs: A Retrospective Study (2009-2019).
The agreement rate for correct cytologic diagnosis was 22.9% (49/220). Of the neoplastic masses 18.9% (35/185) were correctly diagnosed via cytology. The overall sensitivity was 60%, and the specificity was 68.6%. Neither institution, lesion size, cavitation, or needle gauge had an association with correct diagnosis. This study demonstrates that, although there is a low risk of complications following FNA of a hepatic mass, overall success rate for correct cytologic diagnosis based on FNA was low compared to histopathologic diagnosis.

Neoplasms in Domestic Ruminants and Swine: A Systematic Literature Review.
In all species, the most frequent neoplasms were squamous cell carcinomas in ruminants, while melanoma was the most frequent in swine.

Delayed embryonic development or a long sperm survival in two mares-A registration conundrum.
Donor mares were inseminated with semen from one stallion during one oestrous cycle and semen from a different stallion on the subsequent oestrous cycle. Embryo(s) were collected 8?days after ovulation during the second oestrous cycle and transferred into synchronised recipient mares. Genetic testing was performed to determine parentage of the two foals. For both foals, DNA parentage testing excluded the second stallion as the genetic sire and confirmed that the first stallion, whose semen was inseminated on the previous oestrous cycle, was the actual genetic sire.

Evaluating Communication Training at AVMA COE-Accredited Institutions and the Need to Consider Diversity within Simulated Client Pools.
Participating institutions summarized their communication curricula: 18 (85.71%) used simulated clients (SCs). Over 55% of these did not track SC demographic data or social identities; among institutions that did track, SCs were primarily monolingual English-speaking (77%), non-disabled (94.2%), white (90.4%), non-Hispanic/Latinx (98.6%) women (57%) over age 56 (64%). Sixteen institutions agreed with the statement "I do not feel that our SC pool is adequately diverse."

Recognizing Futile Care in Veterinary Medicine
Futile care occurs when the continuation of current treatment or institution of new treatment is not expected to alter the clinical course of the patient, even if such treatment confers some benefit to the owner.