Teaching Professionalism: Using Role-Play Simulations to Generate Professionalism Learning Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Education
• Professionalism Studies
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Defining veterinary professionalism is crucial for curriculum design and student professional identity formation.
• Current definitions lack uniformity, necessitating refinement for effective teaching and assessment.
• Higher-order learning outcomes are needed to support professional development in veterinary students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore a novel method for generating higher-order learning outcomes in veterinary professionalism.
• To identify specific learning outcomes related to resolving professional dilemmas in veterinary practice.
• To inform the development of constructively aligned curricula in veterinary education.

Main Methods:

• A workshop involving veterinary educators using role-playing to simulate and resolve professional dilemmas.
• Participants reflected on the learning outcomes required to address the simulated scenarios.
• The process aimed to generate learning outcomes applicable to student experiences in the classroom.

Main Results:

• Identification of previously undefined professionalism learning outcomes.
• Key outcomes included accepting ambiguity in dilemmas, decision-making under uncertainty, communicating diverse opinions, and understanding identity's impact.
• The role-playing method generated higher-level learning outcomes compared to other educational approaches.

Conclusions:

• Simulated professionalism teaching scenarios can effectively generate higher-order learning outcomes for veterinary students.
• This approach offers a valuable contribution to the discourse on veterinary professionalism and curriculum design.
• The identified outcomes address critical aspects of professional identity formation not currently detailed in existing literature.