Teaching Tip: Virtual Oncology Clinic.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medical Education
• Simulation-Based Learning
• Digital Health Education

Background:

• Traditional veterinary education faces challenges in developing clinical skills.
• Need for innovative, low-risk learning environments for practical skill acquisition.
• Limitations in current didactic and clinical training methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a blended learning approach for veterinary students.
• To integrate online simulation-based learning with traditional classroom instruction.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Veterinary Information Network's Virtual Clinic (VVC) in a simulated clinical setting.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a blended learning module using the VVC.
• Utilizing gaming techniques within a virtual hospital to simulate clinical case management.
• Focusing on canine multicentric lymphoma as a case vignette example.

Main Results:

• The VVC provides a low-risk environment for veterinary students to practice clinical case management.
• A blended learning approach effectively combines instructor-directed learning with simulation.
• Challenges and successes were identified during the implementation of the oncology clinic module.

Conclusions:

• The blended learning approach using the VVC is a viable method for enhancing veterinary student competency.
• Lessons learned from the oncology module are transferable to other clinical disciplines.
• Simulation-based learning in virtual clinics offers a promising avenue for veterinary medical education.