A strategy for developing educational evaluations for learner,course, and institutional goals

The curricula for both veterinary and human medicine are undergoing review and change as a new and highly competitive practice environment influences what abilities graduates require to be successful. Concerning many is the contention that some graduates lack skills and aptitudes necessary for economic success. If significant changes are to be considered for the curricula of either profession, it will be difficult to plan for meaningful change in the absence of high-quality information about the needs of graduates and related curriculum gaps. The purpose of this article is to argue why educators should design more effective systems of evaluation that are responsive to the needs of educational program planning. One example from a medical school is described. In this case, the authors discuss how their institution's evaluations were insufficient for answering new and important questions that go beyond traditional cognitive measures: specifically, no data set was available that allowed the institution to answer questions about practice environment and curricular innovations. More recently, institutions have become interested in learning to what extent their broad missions are accomplished or not. Similarly, academic leaders are not simply interested in performance of learners on tests of competence; they want to know more about how their graduates are doing in the practice setting. To answer questions such as these, educators must expand their systems of evaluations to address these broader themes. The authors conclude by identifying several lessons learned from their experiences in developing a new system of educational program evaluation.     

Starting or changing a dairy practice

Starting a dairy veterinary practice is a challenging and rewarding experience. A considerable amount of time spent in planning is required before attempting to actually start a new practice. Changing or expanding an existing practice also demands planning and foresight. The natural progression is similar for starting a new practice or for changing an existing one: Record your personal and business goals, inform your clients or prospective clients of the services you plan to offer, and then promote the ways in which these services can benefit clients. In starting a new practice or offering a new service, think both of how to get clients to utilize your services and how to organize your practice into a profitable business. The process of starting a practice or changing one is sometimes slow. Patience and persistence during this process will help develop the practice to meet your goals. The use of new ideas and imagination in combination with a commitment to see these ideas put into action will ensure that you are developing a dairy practice that will be viable for the livestock industry now and in the future.     

Computer applications. An overview

Applications are programs that are designed for specific tasks. They may be written by the ultimate user or by commercial programmers. Personally written software offers the benefit of a custom solution and adaptability to changing conditions but at a very high cost. Vendor software is cheaper, but more general in nature. It may be difficult for some practitioners to find commercial software that exactly duplicates their operation, and adaptations will add expense. Software maintenance may not be available or it may mean additional cost. Veterinarians can profit from practice management packages, computer-aided diagnostics, educational software, and other programs. Computers must solve the users' problems or they are worthless. With appropriate applications, they represent one of the most cost-effective instruments in the practice.     

适应新形势,改进草地资源调查规划学教学实习内容

结合草地资源调查方法多媒体课件的制作,在阐述改进草地资源调查规划教学实习必要性的基础上,论述了将“3S”技术应用到实习中的目的与意义,提出改进草地资源调查规划学原有实习内容的具体措施。     

Practice management software for the equine practitioner.

Practice management software benefits the equine practitioner in many ways. Ready access to patient records, rapid entry and lookup of clinical findings, easy invoicing and monitoring of revenues, inventory management, rapid search and sorting of data, reminder and recall maintenance, and integrated word processing are just some of the software functions that assist the successful practitioner. Computer use in veterinary practice may have seemed to many to be a gimmick at one time. Now that computers have become a part of our everyday life, it is clear that they can be an essential component of the modem, successful, and profitable equine practice.     

An assessment of the utility of microcomputers and dairy herd management software for dairy farms and dairy practices

Microcomputer systems were placed in three veterinary practices each serving three farms (bureau), and onto nine dairy farms (on-farm). Over a twenty-four week period, the utilization of the computer system and the DHM software was monitored. The on-farm system was more costly in terms of equipment and technical support effort, but the information was utilized to a greater extent than it was by the bureau participants who had invested more user time per cow. Note that actual time will vary with the software program used. The farmers indicated that they wished to have access to the information offered by the software. `Computer phobia' was not found to be a problem. The expectations of the computer system and its benefits generally remained high. In general, the information available through the microcomputer system and the DHM software was found to be useful to both the dairy farmers and the veterinarians in this study.     

Novel hyperthermia applicator system allows adaptive treatment planning: Preliminary clinical results in tumour‐bearing animals

Hyperthermia (HT) as an adjuvant to radiation therapy (RT) is a multimodality treatment method to enhance therapeutic efficacy in different tumours. High demands are placed on the hardware and treatment planning software to guarantee adequately planned and applied HT treatments. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the effectiveness and safety of the novel HT system in tumour‐bearing dogs and cats in terms of local response and toxicity as well as to compare planned with actual achieved data during heating. A novel applicator with a flexible number of elements and integrated closed‐loop temperature feedback control system, and a tool for patient‐specific treatment planning were used in a combined thermoradiotherapy protocol. Good agreement between predictions from planning and clinical outcome was found in 7 of 8 cases. Effective HT treatments were planned and verified with the novel system and provided improved quality of life in all but 1 patient. This individualized treatment planning and controlled heat exposure allows adaptive, flexible and safe HT treatments in palliatively treated animal patients.     

The application of medical informatics to the veterinary management programs at companion animal practices in Alberta,Canada: A case study

Companion animals closely share their domestic environment with people and have the potential to, act as sources of zoonotic diseases. They also have the potential to be sentinels of infectious and noninfectious, diseases. With the exception of rabies, there has been minimal ongoing surveillance of, companion animals in Canada. We developed customized data extraction software, the University of, Calgary Data Extraction Program (UCDEP), to automatically extract and warehouse the electronic, medical records (EMR) from participating private veterinary practices to make them available for, disease surveillance and knowledge creation for evidence-based practice. It was not possible to build, generic data extraction software; the UCDEP required customization to meet the specific software, capabilities of the veterinary practices. The UCDEP, tailored to the participating veterinary practices’, management software, was capable of extracting data from the EMR with greater than 99%, completeness and accuracy. The experiences of the people developing and using the UCDEP and the, quality of the extracted data were evaluated. The electronic medical record data stored in the data, warehouse may be a valuable resource for surveillance and evidence-based medical research.     

Effect of different methods of selection on the background, attitudes and career plans of first year veterinary students

OBJECTIVES: To compare the family, educational and animal-related backgrounds and career aspirations of students who were selected on the basis of academic criteria with those selected using additional criteria. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed during class time in the first few weeks of enrolment by incoming veterinary students at the University of Sydney, who had been selected on the basis of academic background, and at Charles Sturt University, selected using more broadly-based criteria. The data were transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, and frequency distributions and chi2 statistics estimated using the SAS System for Windows 8. RESULTS: Students selected principally on academic criteria alone had higher average UAI scores, were more likely to have completed high school in a capital city, and to have parents with higher education levels than those selected using additional criteria. Both groups indicated that their choice of veterinary science was based largely on their affinity for animals and keenness to work in a veterinary practice. However, those at CSU placed much greater importance than those at Sydney on a desire to live and work in a rural area, and a desire to help farmers. The broad-based selection methods were the main reasons for students applying to CSU whereas the reputation of the university was the main attraction for Sydney students. Two-thirds of CSU students, but one-third of Sydney students, planned to enter rural mixed practice when they graduated, and most planned to stay for at least 10 years. Conversely, no CSU students, but 42% of those at Sydney, planned to enter small animal practice initially. The percentage planning to work full-time in the first, fifth and tenth year after graduation was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Criteria which included actual experience with farm animals have resulted in the selection of more students who plan to enter and remain in rural mixed practice. Further studies over the longer term will be necessary to assess the extent to which these plans are realized.     

Connecting knowledge resources to the veterinary electronic health record: opportunities for learning at point of care

Electronic health records (EHRs) provide clinical learning opportunities through quick and contextual linkage of patient signalment, symptom, and diagnosis data with knowledge resources covering tests, drugs, conditions, procedures, and client instructions. This paper introduces the EHR standards for linkage and the partners-practitioners, content publishers, and software developers-necessary to leverage this possibility in veterinary medicine. The efforts of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Electronic Health Records Task Force to partner with veterinary practice management systems to improve the use of controlled vocabulary is a first step in the development of standards for sharing knowledge at the point of care. The Veterinary Medical Libraries Section (VMLS) of the Medical Library Association's Task Force on Connecting the Veterinary Health Record to Information Resources compiled a list of resources of potential use at point of care. Resource details were drawn from product Web sites and organized by a metric used to evaluate medical point-of-care resources. Additional information was gathered from questions sent by e-mail and follow-up interviews with two practitioners, a hospital network, two software developers, and three publishers. Veterinarians with electronic records use a variety of information resources that are not linked to their software. Systems lack the infrastructure to use the Infobutton standard that has been gaining popularity in human EHRs. While some veterinary knowledge resources are digital, publisher sites and responses do not indicate a Web-based linkage of veterinary resources with EHRs. In order to facilitate lifelong learning and evidence-based practice, veterinarians and educators of future practitioners must demonstrate to veterinary practice software developers and publishers a clinically-based need to connect knowledge resources to veterinary EHRs.     

Transportation of veal calves in Switzerland

The analysis and optimization of transportation routes of calves to slaughterhouses by means of a GIS (geographical information system) route planning and time limitation software for the fleet management in transportation industry was performed. As basic data the farms (last locations of the calves) and the slaughterhouses were available in each case with addresses and coordinates. 150 data records from 258 veal calves could be evaluated. None of the calves was transported longer than 6 hours. Therefore, in all cases the Swiss law for animal protection was obeyed concerning maximum length of transportation time. In the road model, 82% of calves were transported too far.     

WOMBAT软件在家畜育种学课程教学中的应用

遗传评估作为家畜育种学的核心内容,是教学环节中理论性极强的一部分内容,需要结合实践数学,才能便于学生的理解。目前应用于家畜遗传评估的软件极多,WOMBAT软件具有参数设定简单、运行速度快等优点。以山羊产绒量和断乳重为例,建立单性状和多性状(无)重复力模型,利用该软件对以上性状进行有效的遗传参数估计,应用于课堂教学,利于学生了解遗传评估在家畜育种中的应用。     

Cultural awareness in veterinary practice: student perceptions

Australian veterinary classrooms are increasingly diverse and their growing internal diversity is a result of migration and large numbers of international students. Graduates interact with other students and increasingly with clients whose attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors differ from their own. An understanding and respect for these differences has an impact on client communication and health care outcomes. The present study explored how students understand and are likely to deal with issues of cultural diversity in veterinary professional practice as well as the educational needs that students feel should be met in regard to preparation to engage productively with diversity in professional practice. The present study also explored the extent to which the rich diversity of the undergraduate student population constitutes an educational resource. A class of final-year veterinary students was invited to participate in a workshop exploring intercultural confidence in veterinary consultation. Twelve groups of six to eight students discussed a fictitious scenario involving a challenging clinical encounter with a client from a different culture. Students were reticent to see the scenario in terms of cultural difference, although they generally recognized that awareness of cultural issues in veterinary practice was important. They also tended to not see their own ethnicity as relevant to their practice. While some felt that veterinary practice should be culture blind, most recognized a need to orient to cultural difference and to respond sensitively. Their suggestions for curricular improvements to address these issues are also included.     

互联网+环境下饲料品牌的策划和实践

随着市场环境的不断发展变化,消费者越来越重视产品的品牌效益,品牌建设已成为当前饲料企业市场竞争中取胜的重要法宝,饲料企业可通过品牌策划与实践提升产品的知名度,加强企业自身的商业信誉,从而提升饲料产品的销售份额,有效扩大消费群体,为企业的长远发展提供广阔的潜力。因此,饲料企业要重视互联网+环境下品牌的策划与实践,通过优化策划方案、创新推广路径等方式加强企业品牌建设。     

DOSIMETRIC CONSEQUENCES OF USING CONTRAST‐ENHANCED COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGES FOR INTENSITY‐MODULATED STEREOTACTIC BODY RADIOTHERAPY PLANNING

Potential benefits of planning radiation therapy on a contrast‐enhanced computed tomography scan (ceCT) should be weighed against the possibility that this practice may be associated with an inadvertent risk of overdosing nearby normal tissues. This study investigated the influence of ceCT on intensity‐modulated stereotactic body radiotherapy (IM‐SBRT) planning. Dogs with head and neck, pelvic, or appendicular tumors were included in this retrospective cross‐sectional study. All IM‐SBRT plans were constructed on a pre‐ or ceCT. Contours for tumor and organs at risk (OAR) were manually constructed and copied onto both CT's; IM‐SBRT plans were calculated on each CT in a manner that resulted in equal radiation fluence. The maximum and mean doses for OAR, and minimum, maximum, and mean doses for targets were compared. Data were collected from 40 dogs per anatomic site (head and neck, pelvis, and limbs). The average dose difference between minimum, maximum, and mean doses as calculated on pre‐ and ceCT plans for the gross tumor volume was less than 1% for all anatomic sites. Similarly, the differences between mean and maximum doses for OAR were less than 1%. The difference in dose distribution between plans made on CTs with and without contrast enhancement was tolerable at all treatment sites. Therefore, although caution would be recommended when planning IM‐SBRT for tumors near “reservoirs” for contrast media (such as the heart and urinary bladder), findings supported the use of ceCT with this dose calculation algorithm for both target delineation and IM‐SBRT treatment planning.     

探析高职软件应用类课程教学

简要介绍了软件类课程特点和地位,分析目前在高职院校的软件类教学中出现的一些常见问题,针对这些问题,根据高职院校的人才培养目标本文分别从教学准备、教学实施和教学评价三个阶段进行探索创新,提出解决方法。     

Avian trichomoniasis: a study of lesions and relative prevalence in a variety of captive and free-living bird species as seen in an Australian avian practice

Background Studies of avian trichomoniasis in the literature are limited to some extent, often being confined to a single bird species or group of species within a bird Order. Some incidence studies have been reported for free‐living birds, and occasionally for captive birds. Very few reports describe the prevalence and types of lesions seen for a wide range of bird species, especially from a clinical perspective. Methods Retrospective study of avian practice records from a 10‐year period. Emphasis on the types of presentations and relative prevalence of trichomoniasis in a variety of captive and free‐living bird species encountered in Australian avian practice. Results The occurrence of trichomoniasis in several novel species (lorikeets, corvids and a cuckoo species), plus its distinctive presentation in southern boobook owls (Ninox boobook), is documented. Conclusion Trichomoniasis should be a differential diagnosis for birds presenting with regurgitation or upper gastrointestinal abscesses, even if motile trichomonads are not found in wet preparations from crop washes or lesions.     

Retention of surgery specialists in academia: a critical agenda

Recruitment and retention of specialists to academia appears to be a growing problem in university teaching hospitals. Members of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) believe that the movement of surgery specialists to practice may have an impact on the training of veterinary students and surgery residents. To address these concerns, 1,071 ACVS diplomates and 60 department heads and hospital directors from all veterinary schools in North America were surveyed to determine whether a problem exists, the extent of the problem, and potential reasons for migration of specialists to practice. Responses were obtained from 620 ACVS diplomates (58 per cent) and 38 department heads and hospital directors (63%) from 28 different universities. The responses confirmed a net movement of surgery specialists from academia to practice. Eighty seven percent of department heads and hospital directors believed there was a shortage of small animal surgery specialists in academia; this information was supported by the fact that 47% responded that they had open positions and 68% had difficulty filling positions in the last five years. The demand was slightly less for large animal surgery specialists, and 42 per cent of respondents indicated that they had open positions. Financial considerations were the most common reason for surgery specialists to move from academia to private practice. Seventy-six percent of responding ACVS diplomates in private practice had a total compensation package valued at greater than $125,000 per year, whereas 77.8% of diplomates in academia had total compensation valued at $125,000 or less. Most universities offer starting salaries (not including benefits) for recently certified surgery specialists ranging from $70,000 to $90,000. Reasons for moving from academia to practice besides financial considerations included undesirable location of university hospitals; lack of interest in research; and a belief that university administration was not supportive of surgery specialists. Many academic surgery specialists were frustrated by the requirement for productivity in research, teaching, and service for promotion in tenure-track positions.     

Screening for periodontal disease in research dogs - a methodology study

Background

It has been shown that the prevalence of both clinical attachment loss (CAL) ≥1 mm and pocket probing depth (PPD) ≥4 mm is relatively high even in younger dogs, but also that only a minority of the dogs have such clinical signs of periodontal disease (PD) in more than a few teeth. Hence, a minority of dogs carry the major PD burden. These epidemiological features suggest that screening for PD in larger groups of dogs, allowing for rapid assessment of treatment planning, or for the selection of dogs with or without PD prior to be included in experimental trials, should be possible. CAL is the central variable in assessing PD extent and severity while PPD is the central variable used in treatment planning which make these two variables obvious in a screening protocol with the dual aim of disease identification and treatment planning. The main purpose of the present study in 98 laboratory Beagle dogs was to construct a fast, simple and accurate screening tool, which is highly sensitive for the identification of dogs with PD.

Results

Examination of the maxillary P4, P3, P2, I1 and C would, in this population, result in the identification of 85.5% of all dogs and 96% of all teeth positive for CAL ≥1 mm, and 58.9% of all dogs and 82.1% of all teeth positive for PD ≥4 mm.Examination of tooth pairs, all C’s, maxillary I2, M2 and the mandibular P4 would, in this population result in identification of 92.9% of all dogs and 97.3% of all teeth positive for PD ≥4 mm, and 65.5% of all dogs and 83.2% of all teeth positive for CAL ≥1 mm. The results presented here only pertain to the present study population.

Conclusions

This screening protocol is suitable for examination of larger groups of laboratory Beagle dogs for PD and our findings indicate that diseased dogs are identified with a high degree of sensitivity. Before this screening can be used in clinical practice, it has to be validated in breeds other than Beagle dogs and in populations with larger age variation.