Communication skills training at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island

Communication skills are considered a core clinical skill in human medicine. Recognizing the importance of communication skills and addressing them in veterinary curricula, however, is just beginning. In the fall of 2003, the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, markedly changed the way in which it approaches communication teaching. An intensive one-week elective rotation on client communication was offered in the senior year. This rotation made extensive use of experiential techniques through the use of role plays and videotaped real client interactions. A group of faculty and hospital staff members were trained as coaches to support students as they practiced their communication in various client scenarios. The skills taught were based on the Calgary-Cambridge Observation Guide, which outlines observable behaviors that contribute to effective medical communication. Student response to and feedback on the rotation have been very positive. As a result, the number of rotations given per year has been increased. Long-term plans include expanding communication skills teaching into other years of the DVM program and incorporating simulated clients into the teaching program. Challenges that lie ahead include the development of a fully integrated communication teaching program that spans the whole curriculum, addressing the ongoing need for the professional development of coaches, improving methods of student assessment, and recruiting/training a sufficient number of coaches.     

谈养鸽功夫——先苦后甜法

信鸽界多年来总结出的最精辟的三字经就是“种、养、训”。“种”在前，“训”在后，“养”居中。在三字经中“养”不但起承前启后的桥梁作用，而且“种”中有“养”，“训”中也有“养”，“赛”更离不开“养”。“养”始终贯穿于培养赛鸽的各个环节，养功的好坏直接关系到赛鸽的成败。     

Communication

Extract

If it rained knowledge some people would not even bother to hold out their hand; so the problems of effective communication in the dissemination of knowledge, or extension work, will always be with us. It is true that some people may have been discouraged from holding out their hand because, all too often, an unattractive and incomprehensible text has landed in it. It is true also that many of us are miserly with our knowledge and too selfish or lazy to impart it to others. On the other hand there are those who are fond of the sound of their own voices and yet, in reality, have the least to say.     

饲料配方的制作与配方设计技巧

全价配合饲料的品质取决于饲料原料质量、饲料配方水平以及饲料加工质量.品质差的原料可以通过调整配方的方式变废为宝;通过配方原料结构的调整,可以满足不同加工工艺条件的要求,因此配方是影响全价配合饲料品质的关键.     

让你的爱犬学会几招

犬的良好生活习惯表现为适应主人和家庭的一些行为规范,这些规范主要来自于主人的精心管理和耐心的调教。其中包括良好的饮食卫生、睡眠、友好相处和服从等诸多习惯。爱犬购回后,除了必要的饲养管理外,首先要引起重视的是对它的调教,而其中重要的一个环节就是要增强爱犬的记忆力——什么事可以做,什么事不可以做。在这里,为您初期着手调教爱犬支几招。     

Visuospatial skills are better predictors than dexterity for basic ultrasonographic and fluoroscopic skills in veterinary students

Radiological skills including ultrasonography and fluoroscopy, require a combination of manual dexterity and visuospatial skill to develop competency. The ability to detect veterinary students with an interest in radiology but who are deficient in these skills, may permit more individual adaptations to training programs, allowing for students training in radiology to achieve maximal potential. The objective of this cohort study was to investigate whether innate dexterity and visuospatial skill could be used to predict performance of basic ultrasound and fluoroscopic skills in veterinary students. Fifty veterinary students from the Ontario Veterinary College completed three tests of visuospatial ability, two tests of manual dexterity, a three‐dimensional mouse task, an ultrasound skill‐testing task, and a fluoroscopic skill‐testing task. Students who reported chopstick use completed the non‐dominant hand ultrasound task significantly faster than students who did not (P = 0.001). There was a significant positive association between scores on the Mental Rotations Test and time to complete the non‐dominant hand ultrasound task (P = 0.011) and fluoroscopy task (P = 0.029). No variables were associated with time to complete the dominant hand ultrasound task. The results of this study suggest that visuospatial skill, as assessed by the Mental Rotations Test, is a better predictor of baseline ultrasound and endovascular fluoroscopy skill than dexterity, with the exception of reported chopstick use, in veterinary students. Visuospatial skills can be developed and may be useful to include in the veterinary curriculum for students that are deficient, or students entering a field such as diagnostic imaging.     

属于它们的原创沟通

狗狗是我们人类最亲近的伙伴,就像它们的祖先那样,家养的狗狗依然是一种群居动物,它们像其先辈们一样通过彼此间的表情达意来保持联络,从而做到相互协调,以保持群体平衡的状态。现在,这个群体中多了一个主人,对于犬群中种种原创的沟通行为,你是否可以完成与它们的有效交流,还是面对一系列失控的场面手足无措呢?