Clinical Compass: Guiding the Relationship Between Clinical and Didactic Learning.

BACKGROUND: Evidence demonstrates there is a need for innovation and further investigation on how to best prepare nursing students for practice. A consistent framework is necessary to guide students, theory faculty, and clinical instructors. METHOD: A tool was created to transform the student learning experience. This tool, the Clinical Compass, provides opportunity to better integrate didactic knowledge within the clinical experience. The tool was evaluated by creating a questionnaire for both students and faculty. RESULTS: Survey data were collected from both student and instructor groups via an anonymous electronic survey. Both student and instructor surveys yielded positive results reflecting improved connection between theoretical and clinical knowledge. CONCLUSION: Data support continued use and ongoing revisions of the Clinical Compass tool. The tool will be adapted for use in the classroom, specialty areas, and virtual and simulation environments. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(5):286-288.].

Lice Update: Management and Treatment in the Home.

Lice infestation is a common health issue affecting 6 to 12 million school-age children in the United States each year, impacting all members of the household. The home care nurse can be a valuable resource in the management of lice in the home and can assist the family in understanding the various myths and misconceptions about lice. This article provides an overview of lice management, including identification and treatment of a lice infestation as well as recommendations for environmental control strategies in the home. It includes an overview of the various over-the-counter and prescription treatment options and highlights the social stigma that is often associated with a lice infestation.

Veterinary students and non-academic stressors.

Students in veterinary schools can experience stress in balancing the different demands on them-academic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and professional or work related-as well as managing potential conflict between animal and human interests. Practicing veterinarians report many similar stressors and reactions. Stressful stimuli produce stress reactions that can be inimical to physical and psychological well-being, and students' performance in veterinary programs can be adversely affected if they do not have coping resources. While there has been some research into stress among university students in general, and among medical students in particular, there is little on the experience of veterinary students. This article describes a study by the School of Psychology, commissioned by the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, at Murdoch University in Western Australia. It was designed to investigate the levels and causes of stress among, and the frequency and type of coping strategies used by, fourth- and fifth-year students. Results indicate that the students in this cohort faced frequent stressors and felt at least moderately stressed but did not routinely and systematically use a range of coping strategies. Academic stressors and perceived responsibilities attached to moving into practical or professional areas figured strongly and were associated with higher levels of stress in the students, in particular physical sequelae. Though the numbers were small, it is of concern that some students were using measures that were potentially harmful. Some recommendations are made here about measures that veterinary programs may be able to incorporate to address stress in their students. Information is included on current strategies within the curriculum to manage potential stressful situations as part of students' professional development.

Response of a veterinary college to career development needs identified in the KPMG LLP study and the executive summary of the Brakke study: a combined MBA/DVM program, business certificate program, and curricular modifications.

In the present market, veterinarians with a strong background in career development, practice management, and business skills have a clear advantage in achieving financial success. Although there is ample evidence that the scientific and clinical skills of veterinary college graduates are high, there are also data that suggest that additional capabilities in the business realm may promote greater economic success. As noted in the KPMG executive summary, the field of veterinary medicine must make changes in its "current business practices and attitudes" to be successful in the future. Furthermore, the KPMG study found that 36% of industry employers reported that some jobs within their companies had specific job requirements that were not met by a veterinarian with only a veterinary medical degree. The areas of additional training most often cited included business, administration, personnel management, sales and marketing, and financial skills. Yet, Lewis and Klausner found that veterinarians reported challenges in the business realm, such as "how business works and how business goals are translated into action. This challenge held true for veterinarians in industry, academia, government, and private practice." The present gender trends in the field of veterinary medicine provide additional impetus to make career development and business skills training more prevalent. Presently, women comprise >65% of the veterinary student population and approximately 45% of all practicing veterinarians. In some areas of practice, the rate is much higher. For example, in 2002, women comprised 48.2% of all small animal exclusive private practitioners. Unfortunately, the KPMG study found that female veterinarians in private practice report lower self-evaluation of business management and financial skills, compared with their male cohorts. Female veterinarians in nonprivate practice report lower self-evaluation in communication, personnel management, business management, and marketing skills than that reported by males. As a result of these pressing needs, CSU CVMBS has undertaken a major initiative to improve the veterinary practice management and business skills training of veterinary students by offering a variety of options to gain this knowledge: a combined MBA/DVM degree program, a Business Certificate Program for Health Professions, and core curriculum courses. In this way, students can select the amount of focus they want to place on career development and business skills as they earn their DVM degree, to best ensure that they become successful veterinarians.

Web-based technology: its effects on small group "problem-based learning" interactions in a professional veterinary medical program.

The objective of this investigation was to ascertain whether and how the introduction of a new technology (WebCT) influenced faculty teaching styles while facilitating small group problem-based learning (PBL) sessions in a professional veterinary medical (PVM) program. The following questions guided the study: (1) How does the use of technology affect faculty teaching behaviors? (2) Do the facilitators' interactions with WebCT technology change over the course of one semester? (3) What is the perceived impact of WebCT on facilitators' role in PBL? The study employed a combination of qualitative (case study) and semi-quantitative (survey) methods to explore these issues. Nine clinical sciences faculty members, leading a total of six PBL groups, were observed over the course of an academic semester for a total of 20 instructional sessions. The qualitative data gathered by observing faculty as they facilitated PBL sessions yielded three major themes: (1) How do PBL facilitators adapt to the addition of WebCT technology? (2) Does this technology affect teaching? and (3) How do PBL facilitators interact with their students and each other over the course of a semester? No direct evidence was found to suggest that use of WebCT affected teaching behaviors (e.g., student-centered vs. teacher-centered instruction). However, all facilitators showed a moderate increase in comfort with the technology during the semester, and one participant showed remarkable gains in technology skills. The teaching theme provided insight into how facilitators foster learning in a PBL setting as compared to a traditional lecture. A high degree of variability in teaching styles was observed, but individuals' styles tended to remain stable over the course of the semester. Nevertheless, all facilitators interacted similarly with students, in a more caring and approachable manner, when compared to the classroom or clinic atmospheres.

Gender differences and the definition of success: male and female veterinary students' career and work performance expectations.

This article addresses the challenges that gender performance expectations create within the veterinary profession. An investigation of veterinary students' perceptions of the essential characteristics that define successful veterinarians and veterinary students, and the gender differences within these definitions, is described. Because previous research supports the premise that the standards required for success differ for males and females, it is likely that male and female veterinary students possess different career expectations and definitions of career success. The ramifications of these differences are explored, and proposed strategies to address this issue, in the form of student support services, are discussed.

Use of interactive online histopathology modules at different stages of a veterinary program.

A mixed-method educational research study was conducted to evaluate the use of a series of online histopathology modules by students at two levels in a professional veterinary medical program. The materials were hypothesized to support student learning of histopathology concepts by facilitating "dual coding" of the content, since they provide both visual and verbal information. Second- and fourth-year professional veterinary students were surveyed about their perceptions of the effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal of the online modules. A historical comparison of final grades in the second-year Pathology course was conducted to evaluate the impact of the materials on academic outcomes. Think-aloud interviews were conducted with the fourth-year students in which the researcher observed the students interacting with the materials and asked them to "tell me what you're thinking as you use the modules." Survey results show that the only area in which the two student groups quantitatively rated the materials differently was their perception of how the materials complemented their learning. In contrast, the qualitative data indicate that advanced students used and perceived the materials differently, perhaps because of their greater metacognitive skills and pre-existing knowledge. We concluded that these findings can be attributed to the manner in which students approached the materials: the fourth-year students felt the materials were less relevant because they did not directly correspond to cases they were seeing, while the second-year students appreciated their relevance to topics in the Pathology course. There was no significant difference in final exam performance for the group of students that used the supplemental online modules and the prior four years' classes, who did not have access to the materials. Overall, this study demonstrated that it is possible to create a set of materials to be used by multiple audiences, provided the needs of each group are taken into consideration during the design process.