FASAVA Congress 2017

There is now a much greater involvement of private veterinary practices in the education of veterinary students - either through formal arrangements with veterinary schools or less formal work placements/extramural studies. As a result, many more veterinarians have an important role in the clinical and professional development of students. Yet few vets have had any formal training in teaching and learning theory and practice. As we have all experienced, every student is different - in their personality, their clinical interests and focus, their technical skills and their prior practical experiences. These differences are relatively easy to see and understand. What is perhaps less obvious is how they may differ in their learning styles and preferences and how this impacts, not just their approach to formal study, but also their approach to clinical reasoning and problem-solving and how they may react when in a stressful situation.

In this lecture, we will discuss the challenges that practices and students face in clinical placements and some strategies for overcoming these. We will in particular review how learning and thinking style differences can influence our own learning, behaviour and clinical thinking as well as that of our students. Recognising these differences can enrich the teaching and the learning experience, as well as help students, identify how they can strengthen their clinical reasoning skills. The lecture will help you understand yourself and others and will hopefully have resonance, not just in relation to teaching veterinary students, but also team dynamics and personal interactions.