Evaluation of a First-Year Veterinary Surgical Skills Laboratory: A Retrospective Review

A retrospective review of the first-year surgical skills competency-based assessment was performed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) using 6 years of data from 475 students. The cumulative pass rate was 88.2% on first attempt and 99.2% upon remediation. Student gender did not influence overall pass/fail rates, with a failure rate of 11.1% for female students and 10.5% for male students (p = 0.88). Significantly decreased pass rates were associated with identification of the Mayo scissors (p = 0.03), explanation of using Allis tissue forceps (p = 0.002), and performance of a Lembert suture pattern (p < 0.01). An increased pass rate was observed for the cruciate pattern (p < 0.01). No differences were found in pass/fail rates for hand ties (p = 0.80) or instrument ties (p = 0.60). The most common errors occurred with half hitch ties: hand ties (53%) and instrument ties (38%). The most common errors were also recognized for instrument handling (31%) and needle management (20%) during the suture pattern section. The veterinary medical education community may benefit from the evidence-based findings of this research, in terms of understanding student performance across competencies, identifying areas requiring additional mentoring, and determining appropriate competencies for first-year veterinary students.