Table 1 A three-tier taxonomy to describe preparedness for veterinary WCT derived from group interviews with stakeholder groups
Main theme | Subtheme | Preparedness characteristic (code) |
|---|---|---|
1. Prepared for the transition to learning and working in a clinical and professional environment | 1.1 Aligning expectations of clinical practice with the reality | 1.1.1 Students’ awareness of the challenges and realities of practice for veterinary practitioners |
1.1.2 Students’ awareness of the complex professional and cultural norms of the veterinary workplace | ||
1.1.3 Students’ awareness that their supervisor holds two roles (veterinary surgeon and teacher), and these sometimes compete with each other | ||
1.1.4 Students’ awareness of the commercial aspects of veterinary practice | ||
1.1.5 Students’ awareness of the challenges associated with moving workplace clinical training location frequently | ||
1.1.6 Students’ awareness that there is variation between different workplaces | ||
1.1.7 Flexibility and adaptability | ||
1.2 Social and situational awareness | 1.2.1 Observing what’s going on in the workplace; an attentiveness | |
1.2.2 Teamwork, students putting themselves forward or offering to help | ||
1.2.3 Social awareness, socially perceptive | ||
1.2.4 Diplomacy | ||
1.3 Roles and responsibilities | 1.3.1 Students’ awareness of their own roles and responsibilities | |
1.3.2 Honesty, integrity, dependability | ||
1.3.3 Maturity | ||
1.3.4 Attention to detail | ||
1.3.5 Calmness, level-headedness | ||
1.4 Time management | 1.4.1 Timeliness | |
1.4.2 Personal leadership over breaks and work patterns | ||
1.4.3 Commitment to completion of tasks | ||
1.5 Practical aspects—equipment, transport and clothing | 1.5.1 Well-presented, wearing appropriate clothing | |
1.5.2 Bringing the correct equipment | ||
1.5.3 Familiarity with the environment, e.g., where things are, how the computer system works | ||
1.5.4 Able to get to and from workplace clinical training independently | ||
1.6 Code of Professional Conduct | 1.6.1 Students’ awareness of the content of their licensing body’s code of conduct (e.g. RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, AVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics) | |
1.6.2 Appropriate use of mobile phones and the internet | ||
2. Prepared for self-directed and experiential learning whilst working | 2.1 An awareness that learning in the workplace should be an active and experiential process | 2.1.1 Students’ awareness of how they learn during workplace clinical training; an active experiential process |
2.1.2 Students’ awareness of the variation in the caseload that they experience | ||
2.1.3 Students’ awareness of the value of the entire veterinary team and how students can learn from all of them | ||
2.2 Finding and filling knowledge gaps | 2.2.1 Identifying knowledge gaps and saying “I don’t know that” | |
2.2.2 Filling knowledge gaps, self-directed learning | ||
2.2.3 Asking for help | ||
2.3 How to gain opportunities for learning in the workplace | 2.3.1 Students’ awareness that being proactive, enthusiastic, demonstrating competence, and confidence can bring them opportunities in the workplace | |
2.3.2 Proactive in seeking personal learning opportunities | ||
2.3.3. Asking appropriate questions | ||
2.4 Prepared for learning and working with peers | 2.4.1 Working and learning with other students effectively | |
2.5 Administration for learning through work | 2.5.1 Reading the preparation material provided | |
2.5.2 Self-discipline and organisation | ||
2.5.3 Setting reasonable personal learning objectives | ||
2.5.4 Students’ awareness of their expected learning outcomes (set by veterinary school or licensing body) | ||
3. Prepared with a growth mindset | 3.1 Learning to fail and failing in order to learn | 3.1.1 Students’ awareness that perfection is not expected; failure or mistakes are likely, and they are part of the learning process |
3.1.2 Resilience in the face of failure, low-level stress and the pressure of the workplace | ||
3.2 Engaging with feedback | 3.2.1 Seeks feedback | |
3.2.2 Receptivity to feedback, including critical or constructive feedback | ||
3.2.3 Understanding what both formal and informal feedback looks like in the workplace | ||
3.3 Reflection skills | 3.3.1 Engaging in meaningful reflection | |
3.3.2 Self-awareness of limitations, strengths and weaknesses | ||
3.3.3 Appropriate level of self-confidence | ||
3.3.4 Students’ awareness of their own and others’ mental wellbeing, and the importance of self-care | ||
4. Prepared with intrinsic motivation and enthusiasm for learning and working | 4.1 Motivation | 4.1.1 Motivated to learn for a career in veterinary medicine, not for a grade or as a tick box exercise |
4.1.2 Animal advocate | ||
4.2 Enthusiasm | 4.2.1 Enthusiasm | |
4.2.2 Willing to try new practical skills with appropriate support | ||
4.3 Appreciating transferability | 4.3.1 Open to learning about species not of particular career interest | |
4.3.2 Students’ awareness of the transferability of skills learned during workplace clinical training | ||
5. Prepared for communication, consultation, and clinical reasoning | 5.1 Communicating with the clinical team | 5.1.1 Team communication skills |
5.1.2 Listening to the clinical supervisor | ||
5.1.3 Polite, respectful | ||
5.1.4 Personable and friendly | ||
5.2 Communicating with clients | 5.2.1 Client communication skills – able to deliver and discuss information | |
5.2.2 Telephone skills | ||
5.2.3 Empathy, compassion, kindness | ||
5.2.4 Able to structure and lead a consultation including history taking | ||
5.2.5 Listening and reacting with appropriate follow up questions during history taking | ||
5.2.6 Written communication skills | ||
5.3 Clinical reasoning for common cases | 5.3.1 Having a clinical reasoning framework for common problems | |
5.3.2 Able to assimilate and understand the importance of clinical information in the case | ||
5.3.3 Logical, independent thought processes and making sensible attempts to reason | ||
5.3.4 Taking into account non-medical, owner or contextual factors during clinical decision making | ||
5.3.5 Clinical reasoning skills when faced with multiple clinical problems | ||
5.3.6 Knowledge of common differential diagnoses | ||
5.3.7 Problem solving and forming problem and/or differential diagnoses lists | ||
5.3.8 Engaging with evidence based veterinary medicine (EBVM) | ||
5.3.9 Capable of proposing justified and rational clinical decisions | ||
5.3.10 Students’ awareness of uncertainty and risk in clinical decision making | ||
5.3.11 Students’ awareness that there’s more than one way of doing something | ||
6. Prepared with the knowledge for work | 6.1 The “-ologies” | 6.1.1 Appropriate knowledge of anatomy |
6.1.2 Appropriate knowledge of pharmacology and therapeutics | ||
6.1.3 Appropriate knowledge of physiology | ||
6.1.4 Appropriate knowledge of animal husbandry and production systems | ||
6.1.5 Appropriate knowledge of parasitology | ||
6.1.6 Appropriate knowledge of the core vaccines for the principal domesticated species | ||
6.2 Clinical application of knowledge | 6.2.1 Integrating and applying knowledge to cases | |
7. Prepared with the practical competence and confidence for work | 7.1 Knowing how is important | 7.1.1 Know how to perform practical skills (and not necessarily be able to perform them) |
7.2 Competence and confidence handling animals | 7.2.1 Competence and confidence handling animals | |
7.2.2 Working safely | ||
7.3 Basic clinical skills | 7.3.1 Basic clinical skills e.g. blood sampling, placing an intravenous catheter | |
7.3.2 Surgical dexterity and tissue handling | ||
7.3.3 Able to use diagnostic equipment e.g. use a microscope | ||
7.3.4 Able to use a formulary or product data sheets, and calculate drug doses | ||
7.4 Clinical examination skills | 7.4.1 Clinical/physical examination skills | |
7.4.2 Appropriate knowledge of what’s normal on a clinical exam e.g. temperature, pulse and respiration rates |