Development and pilot of Case Manager: a virtual-patient experience for veterinary students

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medical Education
• Medical Simulation Technology

Background:

• Increasing demand for engaging veterinary education and documented clinical skills outcomes.
• Limitations in traditional clinical rotations, including unpredictable case exposure.
• Need for accessible, effective patient-simulation tools in veterinary medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Case Manager, a low-cost, user-friendly learning tool for veterinary education.
• To enhance clinical reasoning and provide real-time feedback for veterinary students.
• To address limitations of existing virtual-patient case development tools.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Case Manager learning tool.
• Pilot testing with 37 senior veterinary medical students during a Small Animal Internal Medicine rotation.
• Utilizing virtual patient cases for interactive learning and skill development.

Main Results:

• Students reported increased engagement with course material.
• Improvements in diagnostic and problem-solving skills were noted.
• Expanded exposure to a diverse range of clinical cases.
• Students perceived Case Manager as superior to traditional case presentations.

Conclusions:

• Case Manager effectively meets the demands of veterinary education by fostering clinical reasoning.
• The tool provides a valuable, interactive alternative to traditional learning methods.
• Low-cost simulation technology can significantly enhance veterinary student learning outcomes.