Z-Xaloc is a proposal of practical activities designed to improve communication, a part of the non-technical skills necessary for professionalism, in veterinary students. It has been implemented into the official program for Zoonoses and Preventive Medicine subject along with the last course of the Veterinary degree at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). Z-Xaloc is focused on training communication and decision-making ability under the umbrella of preventive medicine contents and knowledge handling. Although non-technical skills have been identified as important components of the Veterinary Professional Identity (VPI) and are a social demand to the veterinary professionals, it is common they are poorly trained during their veterinary studies. Z-Xaloc proposal involves a diverse range of people playing different roles along with the activities: from students to health professionals, farmers and consumers. In all the activities, veterinary students are the primary addressees of the training process. Non-students, inside and outside the university, are the secondary addressees of the activities. The activities of Z-Xaloc are mainly supported under a “teamwork” strategy and “problem-based learning” (PBL) methodology. Various “real health-care cases” adapted under a PBL structure are the nexus between veterinary students and the non-student people involved. An assessment of the proposal indicates that both the communication and decision-making ability of veterinary students have been enhanced and also contributions to social education from the people involved have been applied. Students indicated, by the way of questionnaires and meetings with the responsibility for the proposal, that it effectively contributed to them acquiring non-technical competencies necessary for veterinary professionals, while non-student evaluations revealed that their educational interactions with veterinary students were highly positive.
Cite this paper
Ortega, C. , Alcalá, L. and Simón, M. C. (2022). Z-Xaloc: A Strategy to Train Communication Skills in Veterinary Studies. Open Access Library Journal, 9, e8757. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1108757.
Hamood, W., Chur-Hansen, A. and McArthur, M.L. (2014) A Qualitative Study to Explore Communication Skills in Veterinary Medical Education. International Journal of Medical Education, 5, 193-198. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.542a.975d
Haak, R., Rosenbohm, J., Koerfer, A., Obliers, R. and Wicht, M.J. (2008) The Effect of Undergraduate Education in Communication Skills: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. European Journal of Dental Education, 12, 213-218.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0579.2008.00521.x
ADELF, AEEMA, ADEREST, EPITER (2008) Recommendations for Professional Standards and Good Epidemiological Practices (Version France 2007). Revue d’épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, 56, 149-175.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respe.2008.05.002
Adams, C.L., Hecker, K., Kurtz, S., Mavis, B. and Shaw, J. (2008) Assessing Veterinary-Client Communication Skills. Abstracts of Posters Presented at the 2008 AAVMC Educational Symposium. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 35, 412-419.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.35.3.412
ENQA-ESG (2015) Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area. Brussels.
https://www.enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf
NAVMEC North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (2010, October 31) Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century. Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible. Draft Recommendations, Washington DC.
http://www.aavmc.org
Gaida, S., Hartl, A., Tipold, A. and Dilly, M. (2018) Communication Identity in Veterinary Medicine: A Grounded Theory Approach. Veterinary Record Open, 5, e000310.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreco-2018-000310
Brown, J.P. and Silverman, J.D. (1999) The Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary Medical Services in the United States. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 215, 161-183.
Shaw, J.R., Adams, C.L. and Bonnet, B.N. (2004) What Can Veterinarians Learn from Studies of Physician-Patient Communication about Veterinarian-Client-Patient Communication? JAVMA, 224, 676-682. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2004.224.676
Latham, C.E. and Morris, A. (2007) Effects of Formal Training in Communication Skills on the Ability of Veterinary Students to Communicate with Clients. Veterinary Record, 160, 181-186. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.160.6.181
Meehan, M.P. and Menniti, M.F. (2014) Final-Year Veterinary Students Perceptions of Their Communication Competencies and Communication Skills Training Program Delivered in a Primary Care Setting and Based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 41, 371-381.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.1213-162R1
Englar, R.E. (2017) A Novel Approach to Simulation-Based Education for Veterinary Medical Communication Training over Eight Consecutive Pre-Clinical Quarters. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 44, 502-522.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0716-118R1
Englar, R.E., Noah, D., Kosinski, R. and Show-Ridgway, A. (2018) Perceptions of the Veterinary Profession by Medical Students Enrolled in Inter-Professional Education at Midwestern University. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 45, 423-436.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.1016-161r1
Jones, J., Englar, R.E., Rinehart. J., Spiegel. J., Rowles. J. and Sidaway, B. (2018) Development of Veterinary Anesthesia Simulations for Pre-Clinical Training: Design, Implementation and Evaluation Based on Student Perspectives to Improve Clinical Preparedness. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 45, 232-240.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.1016-163r
Show-Ridgway, A. and Englar, R.E. (2018) Evaluating Dog- and Cat-Owner Preferences for Calgary-Cambridge Communication Skills: Results of a Questionnaire. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 45, 534-543.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0117-002r1
Englar, R.E. (2019) Tracking Veterinary Student Progress in Clinical Communication over Eight Quarters: A Comparison Study of the First and Final Standardized Client Encounter from the Client and Student Perspective. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 46, 235-237. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0917-117r1
Jones, J., Rinehart, J. and Englar, R.E. (2019) The Effect of Simulation Training in Anesthesia on Student Operational Performance and Patient Safety. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 46, 205-213. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0717-097r
Radford, A.D., Stockley, P., Taylor, I.R., Turner, R., Gaskell, C.J., Kaney, S., Humphris, G. and Magrath, C. (2003) Use of Simulated Clients in Training Veterinary Undergraduates in Communication Skills. Veterinary Record, 152, 422-427.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.152.14.422
Armitage-Chan, E., Maddison, J. and May, S.A. (2016) What Is the Veterinary Professional Identity? Preliminary Findings from Web-Based Continuing Professional Development in Veterinary Professionalism. Veterinary Record, 178, 318.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103471
Armitage-Chan, E. and Mai, S.A. (2018) Developing a Professional Studies Curriculum to Support Veterinary Professional Identity Formation. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 45, 489-501. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.1216-192r1
Kurtz, S., Silverman, J. and Benson, J. (2003) Marrying Content and Process in Clinical Method Teaching: Enhancing the Calgary-Cambridge Guides. Academic Medicine, 78, 802-809. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-200308000-00011
Lewis, R.E. and Klausner, J.S. (2003) Non-Technical Competences Underlying Career Success as a Veterinarian. JAVMA, 222, 1690-1690.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2003.222.1690
Ortega, C., De Meneghi, D., De Balogh, K., De Rosa, M., Estol, L., Leguia, G., Fonseca, A., Torres, M. and Caballero, M. (2004) Importancia de la salud pública veterinaria en la actualidad: El proyecto SAPUVET. Revue scientifique et technique, 23, 841-849. https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.23.3.1527
Ortega, C., Luis Carlos Villamil, L.C., Cediel, N., Rosenfeld, N., de Meneghi, D., de Rosa, M., Estol, L., Leguia, G., Fonseca, A., Torres, M., Caballero, M. and de Balogh, K. (2005) Las redes SAPUVET y SPVet: Un modelo de integración en materia de salud pública veterinaria entre Europa y América Latina. Pan American Journal of Public Health, 17, 60-66. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1020-49892005000100011
Ortega, C., Parrilla, G., De Balogh, K., De Rosa, M., Gimeno, O., Estol, L., Dobosh, D., Leguia, G., Falcon, N., Fonseca, A., Torres, M., Caballero, M., Quiros, J., Vilhena, M., Villamil, L.C., Cediel, N. and De Meneghi, D. (2007) New Approaches for Education and Training in Veterinary Public Health: The SAPUVET Project. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 34, 492-495.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.34.4.492
Chun, R., Schaefer, S., Lotta, C.C., Banning, J.A. and Skochelak, S.E. (2009) Didactic and Experimental Training to Teach Communication Skills: The University of Wisconsin-Madison Scholl of Veterinary Medicine Collaborative Experience. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 36, 196-201.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.36.2.196
Dodd, L. (2007) The Impact of Problem-Based Learning on the Information Behavoir and Literacy of Veterinary Medicine Students at University College Dublin. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 33, 206-216.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2006.12.008
Diekema, A.R., Holliday, W. and Leary, H. (2011) Re-Framing Information Literacy: Problem-Based Learning as Informed Learning. Library and Information Science Research, 33, 261-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2011.02.002
Thistlethwhite, J.E., Davies, D., Ekeocha, S., Kidd, J.N., Macdougall, C., Matthews, P., Purkis, J. and Clay, D. (2012) The Effectiveness of Case-Based Learning in Health Professional Education. A BEME Systematic Review: BEME Guide No. 23. Medical Teacher, 34, 421-444. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.680939
Hazel, S.J., Heberle, N., McEwen, M.M. and Adams, K. (2013) Team-Based Learning Increases Activity Engagement and Enhances Development of Teamwork and Communication Skills in a First Year Course for Veterinary and Animal Science Undergraduates. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 40, 333-341.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0213-034R1
Walwyn, O. and Rowley, J. (2011) The Value of Therapeutic Reading Groups Organized by Public Libraries. Library & Information Sciences Research, 33, 302-312.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2011.02.005
OIE World Organisation for Animal Health (2004) Handbook on Imported Risk Analysis for Animals and Animal Products. Vol. 1. Introduction and Qualitative Risk Analysis. OIE, Paris.