Bridging the Gap: Theory to Clinical Practice

Veterinary Undergraduates often comment that they are given so much information to learn that they don’t have time to think or integrate their knowledge and apply it in a practical way. The transition from being a student to a rounded veterinary professional is a difficult challenge. Despite the difficulties this change is crucial to produce effective, professional and employable yet satisfied veterinary surgeons.

An innovative course was designed to help students bridge the gap between the content-intense years of their degree and their lecture-free, clinical final year. The students have to take responsibility for their own learning and reflect on their skills, experiences, strengths and weaknesses, documented in a portfolio, as a taster for their final year and as a graduate to a profession where lifelong learning is key.
The poster will outline the structure and the elements of the course but will cover in greater detail a flexible delivery method for the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills.
E-Cases are asynchronous, interactive cases with tutor-released information and monitoring. The method of case delivery allows students to ‘go wrong’ in their clinical work-up, as far as diagnosis and treatment, before ensuring the correct pathways and end-point are reached at the conclusion of the case. This makes the presentation as realistic as possible. There are also cost-restrictions on some cases to make students aware of the realities of general practice and prepare them for the workplace. Students can work at their own pace in small groups, at a time they choose, at a place they choose (on-site, at home).