Development of the VN online clinical placement tool
Abstract
Learning on clinical placements is an important part of a veterinary nurse's training in UK higher education. Veterinary nursing students at the Royal Veterinary College begin their first placement within 4 months of starting the course and in total will spend at least 60 weeks in placements. Staff and placement providers recognize a need to investigate ways to improve student preparation for learning on placements, with the aim being to enable students to get the most out of the valuable learning opportunities provided. A computer aided learning (CAL) program, the ‘VN Online Clinical Placement Tool’ was created, based on the ‘EMS Driving Licence’ which was designed to assist veterinary students in preparing for their Extramural Studies (EMS). To help develop the content of the nursing CAL, three stakeholder groups were consulted: qualified veterinary nurses in practice, university staff and students. Several aspects of the original veterinary CAL were considered suitable for nursing students and were preserved, for example the main section headings and the ability to print a personalized certificate of completion. Specific issues particularly relevant for nursing students that were not addressed in the original CAL were identified and added. The CAL was evaluated by five second year students via a focus group. Thematic analysis on the results identified three major themes: positive aspects of the CAL; negative aspects; and areas for improvement. Several suggested improvements were implemented, including introductory videos to each section of the CAL. The final version was evaluated by three nurses in practice whose feedback was positive. All agreed that they would use the CAL with future students. The CAL is available online at www.
Learning on clinical placements is an important part of a veterinary nurse's training in UK higher education. Students spend many months of their course undertaking such placements in veterinary practices. Placements complement lectures and practical sessions at university and also offer a number of benefits when compared with learning at a veterinary school's referral hospital. For example, cases at first opinion practices are more typical of those encountered by the majority of graduate veterinary nurses. The case load is more varied which provides greater opportunity for hands-on experience, and the lack of other students allows for more one-on-one instruction. Students often have a ‘base practice’ where they spend several placement blocks, improving their skills and increasing the range of duties performed over time. The Royal Veterinary College, University of London (RVC) offers several nursing courses including a Foundation Degree and a BSc in Veterinary Nursing. A BSc has also recently been launched in Hong Kong (HK) as part of a collaboration between the RVC and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In total, students at the RVC will spend at least 60 weeks (approximately half of the first 3 years of the course) in placements, with the first placement block occurring 4 months into the course; meaning that there is limited time to prepare students. The RVC staff and placement providers have recognized that there is a need to investigate ways to improve student preparation, the overall aim being to enable students to maximize the benefits of placement learning.
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