Utilizing stakeholder consultations to identify context-specific professional skills for veterinary graduates in Bangladesh

Despite professional skills being part of the Day One Competences published by national as well as international accreditation bodies, veterinary schools in Bangladesh have limited associated teaching within their curricula. Therefore, our study aimed to identify the most important professional skills for veterinarians in Bangladesh through local consultation to inform future initiatives to change the curriculum. Eleven focus groups were conducted with 45 stakeholders who included veterinarians who supervise students on work placements, faculty, recent graduates, final year students, and clients. The audio recordings were transcribed, translated into English from Bengali and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. Professional skills were considered essential by all stakeholder groups. The most important professional skills were identified as communication, ethical conduct, teamwork, career options, financial management skills, lifelong learning, time management and self-appraisal. One of the best opportunities to practice many of the skills was identified as being during final year work placements, while participating in extracurricular activities, learning by observing others and self-motivation were also considered valuable. Participants identified a need for more formal professional skills teaching within the curriculum. Challenges included finding space in the curriculum, raising awareness amongst university academics and engaging students and faculty in the new initiatives. This study has identified the most important professional skills in our context. Consultation with relevant regional stakeholders was crucial and will inform curricular change. The results are being used in the development of professional skills courses with the long-term aim of better preparing our graduates for their future careers

Ability of ultrasonography to predict the presence and location of histologic lesions in the small intestine of cats

Abstract Background Diagnosis of infiltrative small intestinal (SI) disease in cats is challenging, and debate continues regarding optimal biopsy techniques. Ultrasonography may facilitate selection of biopsy type and location. Hypothesis/Objectives Assess ability of ultrasonography to predict histologic lesions by SI segment and tissue layer. Animals One‐hundred sixty‐nine cats that had abdominal ultrasonography and full‐thickness SI biopsies performed. Methods Ultrasonographic images and full‐thickness biopsy samples were retrospectively reviewed, and each SI wall layer evaluated for lesions according to published standards. Results Ultrasonographic SI lesions were present in 132 cats (63 duodenum; 115 jejunum; 71 ileum). Samples were obtained at laparotomy (60) or necropsy (109). Ultrasonographic abnormalities had high positive predictive value (PPV) for histologic lesions (duodenum, 82.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 68.6‐91.4; jejunum, 91.0%; 95% CI, 81.5‐96.6; ileum, 88.1%; 95% CI, 74.4‐96.0), but poor negative predictive value (duodenum, 27.1%; 95% CI, 17.2‐39.1; jejunum, 27.3%; 95% CI, 10.7‐50.2; ileum, 40.4%; 95% CI, 26.4‐55.7). The ability of ultrasonography to predict histologic lesions in this population, which had high disease prevalence (SI histologic lesions in 78.1% of cats) was high for mucosal lesions (PPV, 72.7%‐100%) but low for submucosal or muscularis lesions (PPV, 18.9%‐57.1%). Conclusions and Clinical Importance In a population with high disease prevalence, most cats with SI mucosal ultrasonographic lesions will have mucosal histologic lesions. Small intestinal submucosal and muscularis ultrasonographic lesions are not predictive of histologic disease in those layers, suggesting that full‐thickness biopsy may not be essential in these cats. Ultrasonography may help guide decisions about biopsy type in individual cats

The Changing Face of Veterinary Professionalism—Implications for Veterinary Education

Veterinary professionals need to maintain currency with the rapidly expanding knowledge, techniques, and diagnostic skills available to the profession, while also accommodating the developing needs and expectations of clients and other veterinary stakeholders. Today, societal influence and expectations impose a heavy demand on veterinary practitioners, making it essential for tertiary veterinary education to equip veterinary graduates with the skills necessary to face these challenges and flourish in their profession. This paper explores four challenges faced by veterinary education in the development, maintenance, and upkeep of professional skills training: the divarication between employer expectations and veterinary education, the impact of demographic changes on the profession, the influence of institutional structures on the teaching of professionalism, and the risks associated with outdated models of professionalism training. The teaching of professionalism in veterinary education must continually evolve. One issue that may hinder this process is a divergence between the expectations of employers and tertiary institutions regarding the employability skills required by veterinary graduates. Veterinary professionalism education must also consider changing demographics within the profession and within society to provide all new graduates with the skills and tools necessary to succeed in the workplace, establish a sustainable work–life balance, combat burnout in new graduates, and be equipped to serve the general public. Failure to do this could result in professionalism teaching becoming complicit in a socialization process that perpetuates gender and cultural inequalities. This paper outlines some of the changes that have occurred in the veterinary profession and their implications on veterinary professionalism education. The article champions the necessity for veterinary professionalism education to evolve in concert with the constant changes in the profession