Engaging Students: Using Video Clips of Authentic Client Interactions in Pre-Clinical Veterinary Medical Education

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Effective client communication is crucial for veterinary professionals.
• Traditional communication training methods may not fully engage students.
• Integrating authentic scenarios can enhance learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate third-year veterinary medical students' perceptions of a novel communication lab protocol.
• To assess the impact of using video clips of authentic client-veterinarian interactions on student engagement and learning.
• To determine the perceived value of this communication training method.

Main Methods:

• A communication lab protocol was implemented for 108 third-year veterinary students.
• The protocol utilized video clips showcasing both proficient and struggling communication examples from fourth-year students with authentic clients.
• Students critiqued these interactions during class sessions and provided feedback.

Main Results:

• Initial student interest in communication topics was low.
• Significant increase in interest in communication training was observed by the end of the course.
• The majority of students identified video clips of authentic client interactions as a key teaching tool.

Conclusions:

• A communication lab protocol utilizing authentic video scenarios can effectively increase veterinary students' interest in communication skills.
• Video-based learning, featuring real client interactions, is perceived as a valuable component of veterinary communication training.
• This approach holds promise for improving veterinary professional communication skills.