scholarly journals Fostering the Development of Professionalism in Veterinary Students: Challenges and Implications for Veterinary Professionalism Curricula

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 720
Author(s):  
Stuart Gordon ◽  
Dianne Gardner ◽  
Jenny Weston ◽  
Charlotte Bolwell ◽  
Jackie Benschop ◽  
...  

The importance of professional skills teaching and assessment within veterinary education has recently been highlighted in the veterinary education literature. This academic discourse follows the acknowledgement by both veterinary employers and graduates themselves that new graduates often lack the professional skills and attitudes needed for success in clinical veterinary practice. Traditionally, veterinary curricula have focused solely on teaching content knowledge and clinical skills; however, veterinary education curricula clearly must also contain dedicated instruction in veterinary professionalism. This must include instruction in communication skills, emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, teamwork abilities, dispute resolution strategies and the awareness that multiple approaches may be required to resolve challenges. It has become unrealistic to expect students to rely on observation and role modelling to foster the development of professionalism. There is a need to incorporate explicit learning activities that reinforce the knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviours which characterise veterinary professionalism. While role modelling remains a key aspect of the veterinary professionalism learning that takes place through the informal/hidden curriculum, many students have often had more experiences with negative role models than with positive ones. This can lead to the development of a tolerance or normalisation towards negative behaviours and a decline in students’ perceptions of professionalism. This article aims to continue recent conversations on professional skills teaching within veterinary education, define what is meant by veterinary professionalism and consider the plethora of terminology used when trying to establish a definition, highlight those attributes of veterinary professionalism deemed important by veterinary stakeholders for career success and employability, and explore the challenges of incorporating the teaching and assessment of professional traits into veterinary education.

Author(s):  
Leila Bazrafkan ◽  
Ali Asghar Hayat ◽  
Seyed Ziaaddin Tabei ◽  
Leila Amirsalari

Today, role modeling is an essential component of medical education that facilitates the students' learning and affects their attitudes and behaviors. Hence, this study aimed to examine the characteristics of positive and negative role models using a mixed method approach. In the quantitative part, data were collected using a questionnaire with 24 items. The research population included medical students who were in their clinical period between May 2017 and December 2018 at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (n = 750). A total of 282 questionnaires were completed by these students, and in the qualitative part, 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. The most important components of role modeling for students included: individual characteristics, clinical skills and competence, teaching skills and professionalism, in that order. The qualitative analysis confirmed the results of the quantitative analysis. The findings showed that the characteristics of a negative role model can also be classified in four main components. The results demonstrated that 46.8% of the students identified one or more medical teachers as negative models. Students paid attention to not only the positive characteristics of their teachers, but also their negative features, stating that they had been influenced by both. Therefore, it can be concluded that clinical teachers should improve their performance as positive role models through reducing these negative effects and reinforcing positive characteristics


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (22) ◽  
pp. 1692-1697
Author(s):  
Fatima Aslam ◽  
Unaiza Jawad ◽  
Usman Amin Hotiana ◽  
Usman Mahboob ◽  
Sara Ashfaq ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Role modelling exponentially affects the attitude and behaviours of medical students and act as a key factor in developing professional attributes in them. Medical students observe role models and learn from them more than through formal teaching. This study investigates the determining elements that make a teacher a role model, so that role modelling can be used as an effective educational tool. METHODS A qualitative exploratory study was conducted on fifth year medical students of three medical colleges of Lahore, Pakistan. Fifteen, telephonic, semi structured interviews were included in the study. Thematic analysis was done by manual coding of transcribed interviews. RESULTS A total of 374 codes were generated in the first cycle of coding, that were further merged to 42 in the second cycle. These codes led to 5 subthemes that finally emerged as two themes. The first theme was “Finding ways around their blaring blunders - are we blind?” highlighting the attributes of negative role models which include humiliation of students and juniors, poor teaching and communication skills, lack of empathy for patients and unethical relationship with pharmaceutical industry. The second theme was “Walking the Line” focusing on the components of positive role modelling like formal workplace attire, candid approach in teaching, strategic dealing with students, empathetic attitude towards patients and prioritising fair treatments. CONCLUSIONS Medical education is not only about acquisition of new knowledge and skills but is also about acquiring physician’s character and identity. The study findings suggest that the medical students pay attention to both positive and negative attributes of their teachers and their influence on promoting professionalism and character development. It is suggested that both teachers and administrators should understand the significance of role models and advocate excellence in role modelling. KEY WORDS Role Models, Professional Development, Medical Student, Medical Teacher


Author(s):  
Thivhulawi Malwela ◽  
Sonto M. Maputle ◽  
Rachel T. Lebese

Background: Professional midwives have an important role to play in midwifery training to produce a competent midwife. According to the social learning theory, professional midwives act as role models for students. When allocated for clinical learning experiences in the training hospitals, students will have the opportunity to observe the well-trained, skilled, and experienced professional midwives. The whole process will enable students to integrate theory with practice and they will become competent.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the factors affecting integration of midwifery nursing science theory with clinical practice as perceived by midwives.Setting: The study was conducted at the training hospitals in Vhembe district of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. These hospitals were: Donald Fraser, Siloam, and Tshidzini.Methods: A qualitative explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used. A Nonprobability, convenient sampling method was used to select 11 midwives from the following hospitals: Donald Fraser, Siloam, and Tshidzini, in Vhembe district. In-depth individual interviews were conducted. Data were analysed through open coding method.Result: One theme and five sub-themes emerged from the analysed data, namely: shortage of midwives, attitudes towards student midwives, reluctance to perform teaching functions, language barriers, and declining midwifery practice standards.Conclusion: Shortage of midwives in the clinical areas led to fewer numbers of mentors whom the students could observe and imitate to acquire clinical skills. Some of the midwives were reluctant to teach students. Recommendations were made for both training institutions and hospitals to employ preceptors for students in the clinical practical.


Seminar.net ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Kirketerp Nielsen

The overall objective of this project is research-based development, implementation and evaluation of a game-based learning concept to be used in the veterinary education. Herd visits and animal contact are essential for the development of veterinary competences and skills during education. Yet veterinary students have little occasion to reach/attain a proper level of confidence in their own skills/abilities, as they have limited “training-facilities” (Kneebone & Baillie, 2008). One possible solution mightbe to provide a safe, virtual environment (game-based) where students could practise interdisciplinary clinical skills in an easily-accessible, interactive setting. A playable demo using Classical Swine Fever in a pig herd as an example has been produced for this purpose. In order totailor the game concept to the specific veterinary learning environment and to ensure compliance with both learning objectives and the actual learning processes/procedures of the veterinary students, the project contains both a developmental aspect (game development) and an exploration of the academic (scholastic) and profession (practice) oriented learning context. The initial phase of the project was a preliminary exploration of the actual learning context, providing an important starting point for the upcoming phase in which I will concentrate on research-based development, implementation and evaluation of a game-based virtual environment in this course context. In the academic (scholastic) and profession (practice) oriented learning context of a veterinary course in Herd Health Management (Pig module),ethnographic studies have been conducted by using multiple data collection methods; participant observation, spontaneous dialogues and interviews (Borgnakke, 1996; Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007). All courserelated activities in the different learning spaces (commercial pig herds, auditoriums, post-mortem examinations, independent group work) were followed.This paper will describe the project and it will focus in particular on the initial exploration of the veterinary learning context in terms of theory, empirical data and the methods.


Author(s):  
Beate Baltes ◽  
David Hernandez ◽  
Christina Collins

Racial tension motivates strife and violence in the metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, area. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a collaborative partnership, the Cultural Awareness Consortium (CAC), in making a positive impact on the attitudes of a group of diverse high school students regarding multicultural relations. The two theoretical frameworks guiding this study were Allport’s intergroup contact theory and intercultural competence theory originating from International Education and International Studies. The research questions concerned whether attending the CAC for 4 months, the treatment, changed students’ attitudes on multicultural relations, and whether a student’s gender or ethnicity was a predictor of changes in these attitudes. A single group, pre-experimental design with data collection from two administrations of the Student Multicultural Relations Survey was used in the study. Fifty-four students completed the survey, which yielded four multicultural relations scales (dependent variables), eight single-item attitudinal variables on multicultural issues, and two demographic variables (independent variables), and inferential analysis included <em>t </em>tests and multiple regression. According to study results, students’ attitudes on multicultural relations had changed significantly, and students talked to and mixed with students from different cultural backgrounds more after the treatment. Educational institutions providing experiences like the CAC can make a positive impact on students’ attitudes on multicultural relations. This can lead to positive social change as students increase their acceptance of others and take those attitudes and values with them into the workforce after they graduate, serving as role models of acceptance for their peers.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Zarei ◽  
Leila Bazrafkan ◽  
Sadaf Mojarrab

Abstract BackgroundContinuing professional education is essential for nurses to provide quality patient care and upgrade their professional skills and competence. The need for continuing medical education (CME) has become more apparent in the face of advances in medical science, the ever-changing healthcare system, and the important role nurses play in improving health care. It is therefore imperative to explore nurses’ experience of CME courses and the extent to which such programs are effective. The present qualitative study aimed to assess the lived experience of nurses on the effect of CE programs in promoting their knowledge, skill, and attitude toward non-communicable diseases.MethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in 2019-2020 at various hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran). The target population was nurses actively working in the chronic wards of these hospitals. The participants were selected using maximum variation sampling, including nursing managers, education and clinical supervisors, and staff nurses. Data were collected through individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews and analysed using the conventional content analysis method. Data trustworthiness was assessed according to the criteria proposed by Guba and Lincoln.ResultsAnalysis of the interview data resulted in 230 primary codes based on which 15 subcategories, 6 categories, and 3 themes were identified. The extracted themes were training to improve knowledge and attitude, training to improve professional skills, and the need for effective training programs. The associated categories weretraining to improve clinical knowledge, training to improve professional attitude, training in clinical skills related to holistic and person‐centred care, communication skills training, incorporate the fundamentals of effective training, and recognize common challenges and barriers to effective training.ConclusionProfessional competence and performance of nurses can be improved through intrinsic motivation stimulation, planning and implementation of training programs based on professional needs, and effective assessment of the teaching/learning process.


Author(s):  
Sadan Kulturel-Konak ◽  
Abdullah Konak ◽  
Gul Okudan Kremer ◽  
Ivan E. Esparagozza

Today's global economy demands that new graduates excel in not only technical knowledge but also professional skills. In fact, the lack of professional skills in project teams has been identified among the most important factors contributing to the high failure rate of complex engineering projects. As a response, academic programs have incorporated professional skills in their curricula. However, there are challenges in the assessment of learning outcomes related to professional skills. This paper presents a novel assessment framework based on the Model of Domain Learning, to assess students' development in professional skills across different disciplines. The proposed assessment model can be tailored to various learning objectives and student levels to facilitate integration of the assessment of professional skills into an overall program assessment plan. An empirical study, which assesses the teamwork communication skills, is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework and its advantages as compared to other traditional assessment rubrics in engineering and technology education.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel N. Schull ◽  
Greg J. Kyle ◽  
Glen T. Coleman ◽  
Paul C. Mills

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 68-68
Author(s):  
Susanna E Kitts-Morgan ◽  
Catherine Lenox ◽  
Dawn Spangler

Abstract Preparing future veterinarians who are knowledgeable and competent in companion animal nutrition presents distinct challenges and opportunities for veterinary educators. Students enter veterinary school from vastly different undergraduate backgrounds, which translates to students with varying degrees of knowledge related to companion animals and nutrition. Oftentimes, nutrition may be overlooked or not emphasized in veterinary curricula, resulting in new graduates who are not able to perform diet assessments for patients. Because nutrition is a fundamental cornerstone of health, veterinary educators have a responsibility to provide veterinary students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be competent in companion animal nutrition. Challenges for veterinary educators in delivering companion animal nutrition curriculum can be broadly categorized as: 1) challenges regarding lack of student knowledge of the petfood industry/companion animal nutrition, 2) challenges in student ability to apply companion animal nutrition skills, 3) challenges in preparing students for communication with clients, and 4) challenges regarding educational resources to teach veterinary students. On the other hand, many opportunities exist for veterinary curricula to incorporate nutrition effectively. These opportunities include, but are not limited to, offering basic and advanced nutrition courses, nutrition labs, and nutrition case studies. To produce veterinarians competent in companion animal nutrition, veterinary educators must identify and overcome the challenges in training veterinary students.


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