The Use of Simulation Models and Student-Owned Animals for Teaching Clinical Examination Procedures in Veterinary Medicine

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Clinical examination procedures (CEPs) are cornerstone skills for veterinarians that are taught in all veterinary faculties. CEPs include procedures that are well tolerated by animals and others that are not. In a classical teaching approach, institutional animals which are kept in kennels at the university are used to teach and practice CEPs. Undergraduate students (n = 231) from four consecutive years were assigned to two groups that used institutional animals only (AO) or a combination of students’ owned animals and simulation models (model–animal, MA) to teach and practice CEPs. The latter comprised stuffed dogs and handmade molding silicone models. The learning outcome of each system was compared through questionnaires, grades, and pass rates in objectively structured clinical examinations. Most veterinary students had their own animals, and it was easy to have a dog per group of two students in class. All the students’ owned animals adapted well to this environment. The interest in the practical activities with the simulation models was comparable to that exhibited in the AO system, and students reported to learn more with the MA method. No differences existed in the final grades and pass rates. The MA system was effective for learning CEPs. Beyond animal welfare advantages, the MA system increased out-of-school training and had financial saving benefits. ABSTRACT: Clinical examination procedures (CEPs) are cornerstone clinical skills for veterinary practitioners, being taught in all veterinary faculties. CEPs include innocuous procedures that are well tolerated by animals as well as more distressful and less tolerated ones. In a classical approach, institutional animals are used to teach and practice CEPs. Two hundred and thirty-one undergraduate students from four consecutive years were assigned to two groups that used institutional animals only (AO) or a combination of students’ owned animals and simulation models (model–animal, MA) to teach and practice CEPs. This latter comprised stuffed teddy dogs, eye and ear models made of molding silicone, as well as skin models. The learning outcome of each system was compared through questionnaires (throughout classes and at the end of course), grades, and pass rates in objectively structured clinical examinations. Most veterinary students had their own animals, being easy to have a dog per group of two students in class. All the students’ owned animals adapted well to this environment. The interest in the practical activities with the simulation models was comparable to that exhibited in the classical AO system. Students reported to learn more with the MA system than with the AO, while the interest on the subjects and the relevance were appraised similarly in both systems. No differences existed in the final grades and pass rates. The MA system was effective for learning CEPs. Beyond animal welfare advantages, this system increased the out-of-school training and had financial saving benefits, being a valuable option for the teaching and training of CEPs.