Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Assessing Readiness For Clinical Practice: Students’ Perspectives Of Their Veterinary Curriculum, L. Chris Sanchez, Alison Kwiatkowski, Jeff Abbott, Dana N. Zimmel, Linda S. Behar-Horenstein

The Qualitative Report

Studies describing the effectiveness of a veterinary curriculum from the student perspective are currently sparse. The overall purpose of this investigation was to describe students’ perceived preparedness for clinical practice. Three focus group meetings with fourth year veterinary students were conducted. Data were open-coded and categorized to identify themes. Four main themes emerged: Challenging communications, Un/appreciating curricular experiences, Documenting demands impede case involvement, and Hungering for timely, effective feedback. Overall students felt comfortable talking to clients about medicine but less comfortable discussing euthanasia or money; they appreciated the split clinical curriculum but questioned the value of the 1st/2nd year courses; …