The role of veterinary medical librarians in teaching information literacy

This qualitative study seeks to determine the nature of the instruction librarians provide to veterinary medical students at all 28 United States veterinary colleges. A secondary goal of the study was to determine in what ways and to what extent librarians participated in other instructional activities at their colleges. Over half of the librarians formally taught in one or more courses, predominantly in the first two years of the veterinary curriculum. One presentation per course was most common. Over half of the librarians interviewed stated that evidence-based veterinary medicine was taught at their colleges, and about half of these librarians collaborated with veterinary faculty in this instruction. Many librarians participated in orientation for first-year veterinary students. The librarians also taught instructional sessions for residents, interns, faculty, graduate students, and practicing veterinarians. This study found that librarians teach information literacy skills both formally and informally, but, in general, instruction by librarians was not well integrated into the curriculum. This study advances several recommendations to help veterinary students develop information literacy skills. These include: encourage veterinary faculty and administrators to collaborate more closely with librarians, incorporate a broader array of information literacy skills into assignments, and add a literature evaluation course to the curriculum.     

Mentoring within the veterinary medical profession: veterinarians' experiences as proteges in mentoring relationships

Veterinary medicine professionals have recognized the importance of enhancing mentoring of students, as recruitment and retention of students have become prominent concerns. The purpose of the present study was to examine the form and degree of mentoring experienced by practicing veterinarians, as well as to seek to understand the factors that influence effective mentoring relationships. Data concerning their own experiences with mentoring relationships were gathered from practicing veterinarians. Results suggest that most practicing veterinarians had mentors and that the most frequent and effective mentors were initial employers, followed by teachers and advisors. Behaviors aimed at career development and socio-emotional support correlated highly with the perceived effectiveness of the relationship. Perceived similarity between the protege and the mentor also predicted effectiveness. These results are discussed as they relate to veterinary education.     

Use of drama in teaching the human side of veterinary practice

Objective To describe a teaching experiment in which fifth year veterinary students were given the opportunity, using dramatic scenarios, to consider ways of dealing with emotive issues relevant to veterinary practice, that demand good communication skills.
Design Workshops were devised using dramatised scenarios of several critical incidents in practice, including euthanasia. A clinical psychologist and several veterinary practitioners participated in discussions. Both live performances and video scenarios were presented to fifth year veterinary students and were followed by group discussions. Each workshop was evaluated and modifications were made where necessary.
Results The teaching format involving drama was well received. The combination of drama and discussion was more effective than a formal talk and discussion, provoking animated participation and maintaining audience attention. The majority of students considered that comments and advice from attending veterinarians were the most useful parts of the workshops in preparing them for veterinary practice. The large audience (up to 45 attendees) was considered to be desirable for enhancing discussion. Requests for more similar sessions were made by students.
Conclusion Drama was found to be a satisfactory modality in teaching communication skills in preparing veterinary students for practice.     

Factors that influence the decision to pursue an internship: the importance of mentoring

The purpose of the present study was (1) to determine if students from one veterinary school who participated in a mentoring/employment program with clinical faculty were more likely to pursue internship training than their peers and (2) to determine factors via survey that were influential to veterinary interns in making their decision to pursue post-graduate clinical training. Our hypothesis was that a mentoring relationship with clinical faculty was an important influence on the decision to participate in an internship. From 2006 to 2010, graduating students who participated in a mentoring/employment program with a clinical faculty member were 6.3 times more likely than non-participating students to pursue an internship. The majority of the participating students (90%) were initially hired/mentored as first- or second-year veterinary students. In the survey, interns ranked clinical faculty as having a greater influence than basic science faculty, private practice veterinarians, or house officers on their decision to pursue an internship; 82.8% reported that clinical faculty were most responsible for encouraging them to apply for an internship. Employment by their veterinary teaching hospital (41.5%) or directly by clinical faculty (26.2%) was commonly reported. Most interns (37%) decided to pursue an internship during their fourth year of veterinary school, 29.2% decided during their first year, and 15.3% decided in their second year. These results suggest that clinical faculty play a key role in a student's decision to pursue an internship and that it might be valuable to inform students about internships early in the veterinary curriculum.     

The future of training for aquatic animal health veterinarians

This article describes educational approaches for training veterinary students, veterinary graduates, and practicing veterinarians in the area of aquatic animal health and lists a range of general research, training, internship/residency, and continuing-education resources.     

Promotion of Private Veterinary Practice in Ghana: Perceptions of Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians

A study was designed to identify factors perceived by veterinarians and veterinary technicians as likely to promote private veterinary practice in Ghana. The participatory appraisal approach was used. The response rates were 88% (n = 90), 100% (n = 9) and 86% (n = 200) for government field veterinarians, private veterinarians and government veterinary technicians, respectively. Significant proportions of government field veterinarians (67%, n = 79), and veterinary technicians (64%, n = 167) were willing to go into private practice if the necessary push was given. Factors perceived as likely to motivate them to go into private practice included availability of capital to cover start-up costs; provision of a vehicle; prospect of higher income; availability of loans with low interest rates; availability of credit facilities from suppliers; stable macroeconomic environment with low interest and inflation rates; high pet, poultry and livestock populations at locations earmarked for private practice; leasing of vacant government premises for use as clinic and for accommodation; and enforcement of legislation on private practice, especially that against moonlighting by government veterinarians and technicians. These should be considered and used in the promotion of private veterinary practice in Ghana.     

Balancing veterinary students' and house officers' learning experiences in veterinary teaching hospitals

Veterinary students at two large veterinary referral teaching hospitals were surveyed on their perceptions of competition with interns and residents for learning experiences during clinical instruction. Their responses led to an additional survey of a cohort of clinical educators on how this competition might be managed, what impedes effective management, and how progress toward an improved clinical learning environment might be measured. This article describes the results of the survey and discusses the nature of the competition and factors affecting the competitive learning environment. The results of this study should be expanded to include a larger cohort of veterinary students and an assessment of house officers' and faculty members' perceptions.     

Developing an open-access antimicrobial resistance learning site for veterinary medical students

Recognizing the crucial role of veterinarians in mitigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has funded the development of a suite of educational materials to promote the responsible veterinary medical use of antimicrobials. An open-access, Web-based multimedia curriculum regarding antimicrobial resistance in veterinary practice was thus created. The antimicrobial-resistance learning site (AMRLS) for veterinary medical students was completed and made available for use in January 2011 (http://amrls.cvm.msu.edu/). Designed for integration into existing veterinary medical courses, the AMRLS is also a resource for continuing education for practicing veterinarians, animal scientists, and food-animal industry specialists. This Web site emphasizes the mechanisms by which AMR emerges and spreads, the significant role of veterinarians in mitigating AMR, and the need to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations.     

A survey of teaching and implementation: the veterinarian's role in recognizing and reporting abuse.

Many families seeking assistance from domestic violence agencies are known to local humane societies or animal control officials because of previous incidents of animal abuse. This is because pets are often the first victims of family disputes that erupt into violence. Analysis of domestic violence statistics indicates that veterinarians potentially treat hundreds of thousands of abused pets each year. Because veterinarians may be the first or only individuals to have access to abusive family situations, it is it important for veterinarians to be aware of potential signs of abuse of pets and their owners and to be familiar with the mechanisms for reporting suspected incidents of abuse. Thirty-one North American veterinary schools and a sample of large and small animal practitioners in Indiana were surveyed to understand to what degree current veterinary curricula prepare students to recognize abuse of animal patients and human clients and to what extent practitioners recognize and report their suspicions of abuse to appropriate authorities. The data indicate a discrepancy between beliefs about prevalence of abuse and the amount of time spent educating veterinary students to recognize and report that abuse. I hypothesize that: 1) practicing veterinarians are reluctant to report suspicions of domestic family violence directed against animals, children, or spouses for various reasons (e.g., lack of adequate training, fear of litigation, time constraints, fear that violence will escalate, belief that it is not their place to intervene, lack of contact information, fear of losing a client's business); 2) practicing veterinarians (in large and small animal practices) may not be aware that animal patients and human clients may have been abused and being unfamiliar with this diagnosis, are unfamiliar with the mechanism for reporting the abuse, especially when it involves human victims; and 3) veterinary school curricula could be modified so that veterinary students are trained to recognize human and animal abuse, thereby reducing risks to animal patients, other animals in the household, and human clients. I believe that recognition of animal and human abuse is in line with veterinarians' responsibilities to protect animal health, relieve animal suffering, and promote public health.     

Survey of academic veterinarians' clinical practice in cardiopulmonary–cerebral resuscitation

Objective: To document the clinical practice of cardiopulmonary–cerebral resuscitation (CPCR) among academic veterinarians. Design: Survey. Setting: Eight colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States. Subjects: Two hundred and one academic veterinarians. Interventions: The survey was distributed by hand by the authors into the mailboxes of small animal faculty, residents, and interns. Demographic variables, questions regarding number of cardiopulmonary arrests (CPA) supervised and number successful, do not attempt resuscitation discussions, and Likert‐style questions about client presence during CPCR, appropriateness of CPCR, and CPCR decision‐making were included. Multiple linear regression models were constructed to determine the effect of multiple questions on different target variables of interest. Measurements and main results: Numerous differences were noted based on institution, gender, specialty, and position. Most institutions did not have a standard resuscitation consent form. Most respondents believed the client, house officer, and senior clinician should determine whether to perform resuscitation or not. Quality of life was the most significant determinant of whether to resuscitate or not, followed by long‐term prognosis, then short‐term prognosis. Conclusions: Veterinarians differ in many aspects of their approach to CPA and resuscitation. Creating consensus within the veterinary profession would benefit client service and patient care.     

Improving understanding of early behavioral indicators of lumbosacral disease in working dogs using 3D visualization of skeletal movements during working tasks: Feasibility study

An improved understanding of the early behavioral indicators of lumbosacral disease in working dogs may allow earlier interventions and help reduce premature retirement because of disability. However, recognition of early behavioral indicators can be challenging in stoic, high-drive working dogs because they often mask clinical signs. The purpose of this feasibility study was to develop a technique for visualizing canine skeletal movements during working tasks and to describe veterinary clinical specialist opinions on the utility of the visualization technique. Three detection-trained police dogs with a recent history of working task deficits and suspected lumbosacral disease were recruited for the study. Conventional and motion capture video recordings were acquired as dogs performed walking and search high working tasks. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) scans were acquired using clinical multislice CT scanners. Image data from motion capture recordings and whole-body CT scans were analyzed and merged. Three-dimensional (3D) computer animation video clips of skeletal movements were created for each dog and each task, using multiple viewing angle perspectives. Interactive meetings with veterinary clinical specialist reviewers were used to refine point placements for the final renderings. Veterinary clinical specialists reviewed final 3D animation movie clips and recorded their opinions on the utility for the visualization technique. Veterinary clinical specialists reported that the computer animations helped them recognize behavioral characteristics that they had not initially noticed in physical examinations. Potential applications for this visualization technique include creating educational training aids for veterinary students, owners, and handlers; assisting veterinarians in planning rehabilitative treatments; and assisting researchers in developing computer models for biomechanical analyses. Future controlled prospective studies are needed in a large number of normal and affected working dogs to improve accuracy of the visualization technique and test the effect of the technique on observer performance.     

Perceptions of fourth-year veterinary students about the human-animal bond in veterinary practice and in veterinary college curricula

OBJECTIVE: To assess veterinary students' perceptions regarding the importance of addressing the human-animal bond in veterinary practice and their perceptions about the adequacy of curricula on the human-animal bond as presented in US veterinary colleges. DESIGN: Survey. PROCEDURE: Data were collected via a brief questionnaire mailed during the summer of 1996. Questionnaires were returned by 552 senior veterinary students representing 21 of 27 veterinary colleges in the United States. RESULTS: Senior veterinary students believed that the human-animal bond should be a concern of practicing veterinarians, but most did not believe they were receiving adequate instruction about the human-animal bond in their veterinary colleges. Gender was significantly related to differences in perceptions; female students appeared to have more interest in addressing the human-animal bond than male students. Students in small animal programs viewed the human-animal bond differently than those in large animal programs. Finally, students attending schools with extensive human-animal bond or human relations curricula were more likely to believe they were receiving adequate instruction in this area than students in other schools. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Curricula addressing the human-animal bond need to be developed and implemented in veterinary colleges in the United States.     

Response of a veterinary college to career development needs identified in the KPMG LLP study and the executive summary of the Brakke study: a combined MBA/DVM program, business certificate program, and curricular modifications

In the present market, veterinarians with a strong background in career development, practice management, and business skills have a clear advantage in achieving financial success. Although there is ample evidence that the scientific and clinical skills of veterinary college graduates are high, there are also data that suggest that additional capabilities in the business realm may promote greater economic success. As noted in the KPMG executive summary, the field of veterinary medicine must make changes in its "current business practices and attitudes" to be successful in the future. Furthermore, the KPMG study found that 36% of industry employers reported that some jobs within their companies had specific job requirements that were not met by a veterinarian with only a veterinary medical degree. The areas of additional training most often cited included business, administration, personnel management, sales and marketing, and financial skills. Yet, Lewis and Klausner found that veterinarians reported challenges in the business realm, such as "how business works and how business goals are translated into action. This challenge held true for veterinarians in industry, academia, government, and private practice." The present gender trends in the field of veterinary medicine provide additional impetus to make career development and business skills training more prevalent. Presently, women comprise >65% of the veterinary student population and approximately 45% of all practicing veterinarians. In some areas of practice, the rate is much higher. For example, in 2002, women comprised 48.2% of all small animal exclusive private practitioners. Unfortunately, the KPMG study found that female veterinarians in private practice report lower self-evaluation of business management and financial skills, compared with their male cohorts. Female veterinarians in nonprivate practice report lower self-evaluation in communication, personnel management, business management, and marketing skills than that reported by males. As a result of these pressing needs, CSU CVMBS has undertaken a major initiative to improve the veterinary practice management and business skills training of veterinary students by offering a variety of options to gain this knowledge: a combined MBA/DVM degree program, a Business Certificate Program for Health Professions, and core curriculum courses. In this way, students can select the amount of focus they want to place on career development and business skills as they earn their DVM degree, to best ensure that they become successful veterinarians.     

Workplace stress, mental health, and burnout of veterinarians in Australia

Objective To determine the frequency of the states of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout using internationally validated methods and to relate these to the demographic characteristics of veterinarians in Australia. Methods A postal survey of registered veterinarians with at least one year's experience and whose address was available; 1947 returned the questionnaire providing data for analysis. Results Overall, veterinarians describe higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout than the general population. The severity of these states was determined by gender, background, type of practice and years after graduation. Conclusions Modifying the curricula of veterinary schools to include the teaching of personal cognitive and coping skills to undergraduate veterinary students, the provision of the opportunity to enhance these skills throughout their veterinary career and changes in the veterinary workplace could result in improved mental health, increased job engagement and work satisfaction.     

Epidemiological Analysis of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Carriage among Veterinary Staff of Companion Animals in Japan

Veterinary staff carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) can be a source of MRSA infection in animals. To identify risk factors of MRSA carriage among veterinary staff, MRSA carriage and epidemiological information (sex, career, contact with MRSA-identified animal patients and others) were analyzed from 96 veterinarians and 70 veterinary technicians working at 71 private veterinary clinics in Japan. Univariate analysis determined sex (percentage of MRSA carriage, male (29.2%) vs. female (10%); P=0.002) and career (veterinarians (22.9%) vs. veterinary technicians (10%); P=0.030) as risk factors. Multivariable analysis revealed that sex was independently associated with MRSA carriage (adjusted odds ratio, 3.717; 95% confidence interval, 1.555–8.889; P=0.003). Therefore, male veterinary staff had a higher risk of MRSA carriage than female staff.     

A survey of reading, writing, and oral communication skills in North American veterinary medical colleges

In the 1989 report by the Pew National Veterinary Education Program (PNVEP), communication skills topped the list of characteristics the veterinary graduate should possess in order to function effectively in the twenty-first century. To determine the reading, writing, and oral communication requirements and opportunities in veterinary curricula in the US and Canada, and to determine the perceived communication tasks that might be commonly required of practicing veterinarians in the next century, we sent a 15-item communications skills questionnaire to the academic deans of the 31 veterinary curricula in the US and Canada. The results reinforce the importance of communication skills in veterinary medicine, as detailed by the PNVEP over 10 years ago. Based on the responses to our questionnaire and on our own experiences with veterinary medical students, we make several recommendations to enhance communication instruction in veterinary medical curricula.     

Reaching beyond our walls: library outreach to veterinary practitioners

The Texas A&M University Medical Sciences Library (MSL) supports lifelong learning for Texas veterinarians and College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) alumni through several ongoing outreach efforts. The MSL provides free document delivery and literature search services to practicing veterinarians in support of patient care. The MSL also responded to unique opportunities to expand services and increase its visibility through collaborations with the American Association of Equine Practitioners and CABI, provider of VetMed Resource. The MSL continues to explore ways to expand its mission-critical veterinary outreach work and market library services to veterinarians through participation in continuing education, regional meetings, and veterinary student instruction.     

Complications of Elective Ovariohysterectomies in the Dog and Cat at a Teaching Institution: Clinical Review of 853 Cases

DURING 1975–1978, 853 dogs and cats were presented to the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine (NYSCVM) at Cornell University for elective ovariohysterectomy (OVH). These cases did not include any surgery performed for pathologic reasons (such as pyometra or uterine injury). All the procedures were performed by fourth-year veterinary students under the direct supervision of attending interns or residents.     

Perceived importance and integration of the human-animal bond in private veterinary practice

OBJECTIVE: To determine perceptions of the human-animal bond (HAB) among veterinarians in private practice and evaluate how these veterinarians incorporate the HAB in their practices. DESIGN: Survey. SAMPLE POPULATION: 1,602 veterinarians in private practice in Washington state. PROCEDURE: Participants were contacted and asked to complete a survey. RESULTS: Response rate was 26% (415/1,602). Most respondents agreed that veterinarians will be more successful if they recognize and facilitate the HAB, that facilitating the HAB was important to their practices, that they actively evaluated the degree of bonding between clients and their animals, and that the bonding between a client and his or her animal affected the way they practiced medicine. However, > 50% of respondents did not train veterinary technicians and front office staff members in the HAB or encourage veterinary technicians or front office staff members to learn about the HAB. Fifty-one percent of respondents offered few or no HAB resources to clients. When asked to quantify the importance of 10 nontechnical skills associated with private veterinary practice, respondents ranked communication skills, ethical reasoning, and business management first, second, and third; the HAB was ranked fifth. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that for veterinarians in private practice in Washington state, there is a dichotomy between how important they consider the HAB to be in their practice and the degree to which they facilitate the HAB with regard to communication, training, and client resources. More research on the HAB is necessary to better understand what the HAB encompasses and its implications for private practitioners.