Design and Implementation of an Educational Escape Room for Clinical Simulation in Veterinary Emergency Training:...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Medical Education
• Simulation-Based Learning

Background:

• Veterinary students face educational challenges in emergency medicine due to limited clinical exposure and high stress.
• Traditional training methods may not adequately prepare students for the complexities of emergency veterinary care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a gamified clinical simulation (escape room) for training veterinary students in emergency medicine.
• To assess the educational value, engagement, and skill development of participants in a simulated emergency setting.

Main Methods:

• A gamified escape room simulation was designed to mimic a small animal emergency service night shift.
• The activity integrated computer-based scenarios with practical tasks using simulators and ultrasound phantoms.
• Forty-five veterinary students participated in teams, with performance and perceptions evaluated via completion times and surveys.

Main Results:

• Participants reported high levels of enjoyment (4.84 ± 0.36), motivation (4.87 ± 0.40), and peer interaction (4.94 ± 0.30).
• Students perceived strong educational value, particularly in decision-making (4.76 ± 0.49) and confidence in emergency procedures (4.46 ± 0.69).
• Qualitative feedback emphasized the benefits of simulation-based training, emotional engagement, and the activity's narrative structure.

Conclusions:

• The escape room simulation demonstrated significant educational value and alignment with competency-based education frameworks.
• Gamification and clinical simulation effectively fostered active learning and reinforced cognitive and procedural skills in veterinary students.
• This approach offers a replicable model for competency-based veterinary education in emergency and critical care training.