The Current State of Veterinary Toxicology Education at AAVMC Member Veterinary Schools.

This study assessed the depth, breadth, and perception of toxicology education in curricula at Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) member veterinary schools. An online questionnaire was sent twice to all 54 AAVMC members and sent once to a veterinary toxicology list serve. The survey covered areas related to instructor demographics, the depth and extent of toxicology taught, and the respondent's perceptions of their student's ability to perform entrustable professional activities (EPA). Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Our survey resulted in a 44% response rate. All responding schools included toxicology in their curriculum, and it was a required course in 23 programs. Contact hours in stand-alone veterinary toxicology courses ranged from 14 to 45 h. Most respondents indicated that the current time allotted for toxicology was inadequate, despite indicating that most of their students could perform most EPAs autonomously. One exception related to the ability of students to analyze toxicology data. We found small variations in teaching methods and curriculum content. The results of our study can assist veterinary schools in evaluating their curricula to better prepare new graduates for the management of toxicology issues they may face in their veterinary careers.

How Do Veterinary Students Engage When Using Creative Methods to Critically Reflect on Experience? A Qualitative Analysis of Assessed Reflective Work.

Critical reflection-the exploration and questioning of one's experience, beliefs, assumptions, and actions-supports resilience, empathy, the management of uncertainty, and professional identity formation. Yet for many students and educators, the techniques to engage in critical reflection are elusive. Creative methods that foster engagement with emotional and uncertain aspects of experience reportedly help some students to reflect at a more critical level than when they use reflective writing, and this study explores more deeply the experiences of such students, who used creative methods to critically reflect on challenging or troubling past events. A narrative methodology was utilized, in which researchers collaboratively co-constructed an understanding of students' experiences of reflection to identify the activities and steps they used. Creative methods did not inherently lead to critical reflection, but when this was achieved, the creative approaches seemed to facilitate a staging of reflection, which incorporated five sequential stages: preplanning creative depiction, experimenting with different ideas, deliberately completing the reflective piece, reflecting on creative work, and reflecting again on learning and development. This cyclic, repeated revisit to experience, as students engaged in each stage of their work, appeared to facilitate both a deep connection with the emotional elements of experience and a more distanced analysis. This ultimately led to a deepening of understanding of events, including the construction of students' own beliefs and empathy with others' views.

On-Call Duties: The Perceived Impact on Veterinarians' Job Satisfaction, Well-Being and Personal Relationships.

Objective: To assess the impact of on-call duties on veterinarians' job satisfaction, well-being and personal relationships. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Sample: The sample was obtained from Veterinary Information Network (VIN) members in private practice within the United States. Procedures: A link to an anonymous online survey was distributed via an email invitation to all Veterinary Information Network (VIN) members with access from August 15, 2017 to October 21, 2017. Results: A total of 1,945 responses were recorded. The majority of those who reported having on-call duties were female associates. Composite scales were created to assess the impact of on-call shifts on job satisfaction and well-being. Multiple linear regression was conducted and found that gender (p = 0.0311), associate status (p < 0.0001), and age (p = 0.0293) were all significantly associated with on-call related job satisfaction. Additionally, multiple linear regression found that gender (p = 0.0039), associate status (p < 0.0057), and age (p < 0.0001) were all significantly associated with on-call related well-being. On-call shifts were reported by many to have a negative impact on job satisfaction and well-being; this was especially pronounced for female associates. Females had on-call related job satisfaction scores that were, on average, 1.27 points lower than that of males (lower scores equates to lower job satisfaction). Further, females' average on-call related well-being scores were 1.15 points higher than that of males (lower scores equates to higher well-being). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: This study suggests that on-call shifts have a negative impact on veterinarian job satisfaction, well-being and personal relationships. The negative impact on job satisfaction and well-being is greatest for female associates. Veterinary medicine has been identified as a stressful occupation that can lead to psychological distress. It is therefore important to critically assess current practices that appear to increase stress and reduce emotional well-being. For this reason, it is suggested that veterinary hospitals explore alternative options to traditional on-call shifts.

Assessment of Safety Culture at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the United States.

This study assessed the fidelity of an existing questionnaire regarding attitudes toward safety culture in an academic veterinary hospital setting and gathered baseline data on these attitudes in a local population. A cross-sectional study design was used to evaluate perceptions held by veterinary teaching hospital employees. An established veterinary safety culture survey was modified and administered as a confidential online survey to faculty, house officers, and professional staff of a veterinary teaching hospital in the United States. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis were conducted to compare the adapted survey to the established version. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize baseline safety culture. The adapted survey exhibited factor groupings that were mostly in agreement with, but slightly different from, the original instrument. In general, survey respondents outlined positive attitudes toward the various domains of safety culture, though we identified opportunities for improvement in some areas. An adapted veterinary safety culture survey can be applied to a veterinary teaching hospital in the United States to assess baseline data surrounding the culture of safety and to identify opportunities for focused improvement efforts.

A 45-year Retrospective Content Analysis of JVME Articles.

To study changes in Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (JVME) content, this article presents the results of an analysis of a purposeful sample (n = 537) and demographic analysis of all 1,072 articles published from 2005 to 2019. The findings were compared to a prior analysis of articles from 1974 to 2004. Article length increased, as did the number of authors and institutions per article. Female first author numbers grew at a greater rate than the proportion of female faculty at AAVMC-accredited colleges. Close to 85% of articles were by authors in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, while 40 other countries contributed the remainder. The primary topics of papers published from 2005 to 2019 were student affairs (17.3%), professional skills (15.1%), courses and curricula (12.7%), specialty/disciplinary training (12.5%), and technology/information resources (11.5%). The prevalence of articles with an identified research methodology grew from 14.2% in 1974-2004, to 55.9% (n = 300) in 2005-2019. Among research articles, 54.7% reported an intervention and 70.3% included a comparison. Random assignment to experimental or control conditions occurred in 32 articles (15.2%). Qualitative inquiry expanded, with 16.3% of research articles using this methodology alone. The most cited article was a review paper discussing the human-animal bond. Descriptions of courses and curricula constituted the majority of articles over the journal's lifespan, while no pattern was discerned between major reports in veterinary education and subsequent publications on that topic. Over the last 45 years, JVME has transitioned from a newsletter to a scholarly publication, with ongoing evolution.

Effect of Delivery Format on Student Outcomes and Perceptions of a Veterinary Medicine Course: Synchronous versus Asynchronous Learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted instruction at many veterinary schools to switch to an emergency remote teaching format to prevent viral transmission associated with in-person synchronous lectures. This study surveyed student perspectives and academic performance in a pre-planned online second-year veterinary toxicology course given at North Carolina State University in Spring 2020. This course relied on asynchronous narrated presentations for content delivery. This method of delivery predated the pandemic and was used throughout the course. Academic performance and patterns of access to materials in the online course was compared with the access patterns and performance of students given classroom-based synchronous teaching in Spring 2019. Assessments evaluated in this study were identical across courses. Students' academic performance was unaffected by delivery method. Lack of instructor interaction was an important perceived barrier in the asynchronous course. Asynchronous course materials were uniformly accessed across all days of the week, while supplemental materials for the face-to-face course showed a weekly pattern. Moving from letter grades to pass/fail did not change access frequency to supplemental course materials but led to decreased video usage in the asynchronous course. Results suggest that although some veterinary students perceived the switch in delivery format negatively, the method of delivery did not adversely affect performance in this preclinical course.

Evaluation of Retention of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Knowledge between Second-Year and Fourth-Year Clinical Pathology Courses.

There is a concern over long-term retention of knowledge in professional programs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the retention of veterinary clinical pathology knowledge between the fourth-semester and fourth-year clinical pathology courses. We hypothesize that students will forget a significant amount of content area knowledge between the fourth semester and fourth year in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. We further hypothesize that a review of material during the fourth-year clinical pathology rotation will help students rebuild existing knowledge and increase performance on specific test questions, between T2 (rotation pre-test) and T3 (rotation post-test). Initial mastery of course material was assessed via a 94-item multiple-choice final exam (T1) given in the semester 4 clinical pathology course. Retention of course material from semester 4 to year 4 was assessed via a 55-item multiple-choice pre-test, administered at the start of the clinical pathology rotation in year 4 while learning/mastery during the clinical rotation was assessed via a 55-item multiple-choice post-test, administered at the end of each clinical pathology rotation. In this study, evidence of knowledge retention between semester 4 and year 4 was 55.5%. There is a small increase in the measure of knowledge gain from the beginning to the end of the rotation. As an added benefit, we were able to use identified trends for retention of knowledge within specific subject areas as a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of our course and reallocate additional instructional time to topics with poorer retention.

Veterinary Technicians and Occupational Burnout.

Burnout and compassion fatigue are common conditions affecting health care providers. Unique occupational conditions in veterinary medicine make technicians especially susceptible to burnout. A total of 1,642 practicing veterinary technicians completed an anonymous online survey comprised of demographic questions, and two tools to assess burnout: the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (PFI). Over half of participants (862/1479, 58.3%) had EE scores over the 3.0 threshold for burnout. On the PFI, the total score for the 10 burnout questions was x = 1.54 (SD = 0.75), which is above the 1.33 cutoff for burnout. The mean score of 2.26 (SD = 0.81) on the professional fulfillment scale is also indicative of burnout. The relationship between enabling resources and scores on each MBI-GS scale was analyzed. Schedule control was the most significant predictor of lower EE scores. The perception of adding value to the practice was associated with lower scores on the CY scale and higher scores on the PE scale. Given the correlation between burnout and environmental factors, veterinary practices are encouraged to explore non-monetary mechanisms for enhancing job satisfaction. This includes giving technicians greater control over their schedules, recognizing their contributions to the team, and providing opportunities for professional development. From a morale standpoint, destigmatizing the dirty work done by technicians can also help combat burnout among veterinary technicians.

Veterinarians and impostor syndrome: an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Impostor syndrome (IS) is the tendency to doubt one's abilities despite positive evidence to the contrary. Individuals with IS are afraid of being discovered as intellectual frauds and attribute their successes to external qualities. METHODS: An international study explored the prevalence and severity of IS in practicing veterinarians. An anonymous survey consisting of the 20-question Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale, plus additional demographic and work-related questions, was distributed online. RESULTS: A total of 941 practicing veterinarians responded. Overall, 631 participants (68 per cent) met or exceeded the clinical cut-off score for IS. Ordinal regressions found that residing in New Zealand (NZ) or the UK, being female or having been in practice for less than five years increased the odds of having a high IS score. The effect of these factors on the perceived degree of impact of IS on participants' professional and personal life was also explored. Women, UK residents and new practitioners reported higher levels of impact in their professional life. However, sex and country of residence did not affect the degree of impact on participants' personal life. CONCLUSION: Veterinarians in general have an alarmingly high prevalence of IS with young, female graduates practising in the UK and NZ at increased risk.

Veterinary Behavior: Assessment of Veterinarians' Training, Experience, and Comfort Level with Cases.

Studies of US animal shelters consistently indicate that behavior is often a major reason for relinquishment and, thereby, euthanasia of millions of dogs and cats annually. Even though this is an area in which veterinarians can intervene to support the human-animal bond, prior research has documented that they frequently do not bring the topic up during appointments. This study explored veterinarians' training in animal behavior and behavioral medicine, along with their level of comfort in treating common behavioral problems. An online survey of practicing veterinarians (N = 1,085) found that only 42.8% felt they'd received a significant amount of training in this field during veterinary school, but the majority reported participating in continuing education sessions about behavior. Almost all respondents reported seeing patients with behavioral issues (99.6%), even when the initial appointment was made for other reasons. Participants felt most comfortable discussing inappropriate elimination and begging for food but were least comfortable treating issues involving aggression. Most veterinarians treat their own behavior cases, using a combination of behavior modification techniques and medication. Only 22.1% refer cases needing behavioral therapy to a specialist. Given the prevalence of behavioral problems in companion animals and the potential for early veterinary intervention to play a significant role in animal health, it is important for veterinary schools to include this topic in their curricula. At present, 73% of schools require a course in animal behavior. The release of the new Competency-Based Veterinary Education framework is anticipated to support a greater teaching emphasis in this area.

Veterinary Student Stress, the Benefit of Canine Pets, and Potential Institutional Support of Dog Ownership.

The stress of veterinary school and the high prevalence of psychological distress among veterinary students have been well documented. Pet ownership is known to improve overall health and reduce stress among the public. Yet, for veterinary students, owning a pet (especially a dog) can offer both rewards and challenges. The academic schedule for veterinary students often comprises long hours that can make caring for a dog challenging. This study explores the area of veterinary students' dog care options and perspectives by examining two aspects of this issue: (a) currently available options, as reported by academic administrators, and (b) perceived need for these options, as reported by veterinary students. A survey of associate deans for academic affairs (n = 30) found that routine on-site kenneling options for student-owned dogs are available at eight (26.6%) veterinary schools. Simultaneously, results of a student survey (n = 768) revealed a great desire for on-campus services. Among students who did not have access to on-campus kenneling facilities, 71.5% (453 of 634) felt that creating these options would be important or very important. Across all students surveyed, 76% (581 of 764) felt it would be important to have on-site dog housing/care available. Students experience considerable stress over having to find accommodations or care for their dogs while engaged in academic activities. Thus, providing on-site boarding and care options for student-owned dogs can play an important role in both recruiting prospective veterinary students and enhancing the well-being of those currently in the program.

Small Animal Veterinarians' Perceptions, Experiences, and Views of Common Dog Breeds, Dog Aggression, and Breed-Specific Laws in the United States.

Dog aggression directed towards humans is a common and serious behavioral and public health issue. This cross-sectional study was designed to gain insights into U.S. small animal veterinarians' views and experiences with the most common dog breeds in the U.S., dog aggression, and breed-specific legislation. An electronic survey was distributed via email to an online veterinary community, and responses were summarized and compared by means of χ2 and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. Most respondents were concerned about the risks of dog bite injuries, but the majority were not in favor of banning specific breeds of dogs in order to enhance public safety. When participants rated the perceived bite risk associated with popular dog breeds, Chow Chows were perceived as the highest risk, with pit bull types categorized as a moderate risk. Golden Retrievers were seen as the most appropriate for families with children. Public education about animal behavior was the most frequently endorsed policy intervention to increase public safety. These findings suggest that most veterinarians feel that banning an entire dog breed is not an effective way to ensure human safety. Instead, most respondents endorsed alternative initiatives, such as public education and stricter leash laws, to reduce the risk of dog bites.

Canadian dog owners' use and perceptions of cannabis products.

The legal market for recreational and medicinal cannabis for human consumption is growing worldwide. At the same time, marketing of cannabis products for use in pets is expanding. Yet, there is little research exploring the effects of cannabis use in veterinary medicine. This study used an anonymous, online survey to assess Canadian pet owners' reasons for purchasing cannabis products for their dogs, and their perceptions regarding efficacy of these treatments. Owners purchased cannabis products for treatment of pain, inflammation, and anxiety in dogs, and perceived these preparations to be equally or more effective than conventional medications. Most owners reported only minimal side effects in their dogs. Despite indicating comfort in discussing canine cannabis administration with their veterinarian, most owners relied on commercial websites for product information. The main reasons for choosing cannabis products were the ability to use as an adjuvant to other therapies, and the perception of it being a natural substance. Given this information, it is incumbent upon veterinarians to appropriately counsel their clients, and also to advocate for evidence-based studies to evaluate the efficacy of cannabis use in non-human species.

Usage du cannabis et perceptions à l'égard de ce produit parmi les propriétaires canadiens de chiens. Le marché légal pour le cannabis récréatif et médicinal pour la consommation humaine affiche une croissance à l'échelle mondiale. La commercialisation des produits de cannabis pour utilisation chez les animaux de compagnie connaît une croissance. Pourtant, peu de travaux de recherche ont exploré les effets de l'usage du cannabis en médecine vétérinaire. Cette étude a mené un sondage en ligne anonyme pour évaluer les raisons des propriétaires canadiens d'animaux de compagnie d'acheter des produits de cannabis pour leurs chiens et leurs perceptions concernant l'efficacité de ces traitements. Les propriétaires ont acheté des produits de cannabis pour le traitement de la douleur, de l'inflammation et de l'anxiété chez les chiens et ils percevaient ces préparations comme étant tout autant ou plus efficaces que les médicaments conventionnels. La plupart des propriétaires ont signalé des effets secondaires minimaux chez leurs chiens. Malgré avoir indiqué de l'aise pour la discussion de l'administration de cannabis à leur chien avec leur vétérinaire, la plupart des propriétaires se fiaient à des sites Web commerciaux pour obtenir de l'information sur les produits. Les principales raisons pour le choix de produits de cannabis étaient la capacité de l'utiliser comme adjuvant pour les autres thérapies et la perception que c'était une substance naturelle. Compte tenu de ces renseignements, il incombe aux vétérinaires de bien conseiller leurs clients et aussi de préconiser des études factuelles pour évaluer l'efficacité de l'usage du cannabis chez des espèces non humaines.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

The US Opioid Epidemic and Its Impact on US General Practice Veterinarians.

Objective: To assess the impact of the human opioid epidemic and associated shortages in drug supply on US general practice veterinarians. Design: Cross-sectional study. Sample: Members of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). Procedures: An electronic survey was used to examine veterinarians' views regarding opioid use in veterinary medicine and the impact of the opioid shortage on the provision of care. The survey was distributed via the VIN data collection portal from October 12-November 6, 2018. Results: 697 veterinarians completed the survey. Most (99.7%) reported using, dispensing or prescribing opioids in veterinary practice. The most commonly used opioids were buprenorphine, tramadol and butorphanol. While most veterinarians (83.3%) reported difficulty in ordering opioids over the last 6 months, this decreased to 59.0% in the last month. The most difficult drugs to obtain were hydromorphone, morphine, injectable fentanyl, and oxymorphone. The reported rate of difficulty in obtaining all these drugs lessened over time. However, the opioid shortage caused significant difficulty in providing appropriate pain management for 41.1% of participants, and affected the ability of 44.8% of respondents to provide optimal anesthesia. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Veterinarians' ability to provide opioids for their patients has been impacted by the opioid shortage, with a greater impact on full mu opioid agonists as compared to drugs like butorphanol, buprenorphine, and tramadol. The results confirm the important role of opioid analgesics in the delivery of modern veterinary medicine and highlight the importance of medical health professionals being able to access these critical medications.

Perception of Cats: Assessing the Differences Between Videos and Still Pictures on Adoptability and Associated Characteristics.

While animal shelters have made significant progress in reducing the number of euthanized dogs and cats, millions of unclaimed pets are still euthanized every year. Cats, in particular, face bleak prospects, with ~70% of those that enter animal shelters euthanized. Many factors influence potential cat adopters' decisions, including a cat's physical appearance and perceived personality. To explore elements related to the perception of cat personality, this study examined whether videos and pictures highlight different characteristics felt to potentially affect perceived cat adoptability. An online survey was used to assess perceptions regarding videos and pictures of cats. The survey consisted of three adult cats viewed in a short video and as a still picture. Participants were asked to view the media and rate how well these images depicted 12 separate characteristics (from extremely well to not well at all). Respondents were then asked how likely they would be to adopt this cat if they "were in the market to adopt a cat." A total of 555 surveys were analyzed to answer two questions. The first question was whether cats were perceived as more adoptable when viewed in a still photo or in an action video. A statistically significant difference was found between median photo and video adoption scores for all three cats, with video scores consistently higher than photo scores. The next question was how video footage might alter perception of cats when compared to still photos. For all three cats, the traits "Playful," "Aggressive," "Active," and "Curious" received higher scores when the cats were viewed in videos vs. photos. All of these traits can be associated with active behaviors, best demonstrated via motion. The cats, however, were seen as more "Loving," "Shy," "Quiet," and "Likes to be held" in photos compared to videos. The results suggest that there is an advantage of videos over pictures in perceived adoptability, as determined by response to the question "how likely would you be to adopt this cat," but this difference is small and likely does not justify additional resources. Exceptions might be for active, outgoing cats in order to highlight these attributes.

Flipped Classroom Use in Veterinary Education: A Multinational Survey of Faculty Experiences.

Active teaching approaches such as the flipped classroom are linked to better quality student learning outcomes across health care disciplines, with the potential to support students' preparedness for practice. In the flipped classroom instructional approach, students engage in significant pre-class preparation to learn foundational knowledge and skills, then undertake instructional activities in the classroom that require them to integrate, apply and extend their learning to new contexts. This study reports the results of a multinational survey of flipped classroom use in veterinary education. Participants' ( n = 165) familiarity with and extent of use of the flipped classroom technique were investigated, together with the teaching strategies used and the perceived benefits and barriers to implementation. Relationships between respondent characteristics and flipped classroom use were also explored. The results indicated that 95% of participants were familiar with the flipped classroom technique, although fewer (64%) used it in their teaching. Pre-class activities included reviewing online and printed material, and engaging in preparatory learning activities such as quizzes, case analyses, reflective assignments and group activities. A variety of active learning strategies were used in class, including discussions, presentations, quizzes, group activities, problem solving and laboratory/practical exercises. Most participants perceived that the flipped classroom technique benefited student learning, with some also identifying benefits for the faculty involved. A range of student-, faculty- and institution-related barriers to implementing the flipped classroom technique were identified. These barriers need to be considered and addressed by teachers and administrators seeking to improve students' preparedness for practice by implementing flipped classrooms in veterinary education.

Veterinarians' experiences with near misses and adverse events.

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of medical errors (specifically, near misses [NMs] and adverse events [AEs]) and their personal and professional impact on veterinarians. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE Members of the Veterinary Information Network (n = 46,481). PROCEDURES An electronic survey regarding veterinarians' experiences with NMs and AEs was distributed via email to an online veterinary community between September 24 and October 21, 2015. Responses were summarized and compared between genders by means of the χ2 test. RESULTS 606 veterinarians completed the survey (1.3% response rate). Overall, 447 (73.8%) respondents reported involvement in ≥ 1 NM (n = 389 [64.2%]) or AE (179 [29.5%]). The NMs had a short-term (≤ 1 week) adverse impact on professional life for 68.0% (261/384) of respondents and longer-term negative impact for 36.4% (140/385). The impact on respondents' personal lives was similar (63.6% [245/385] and 33.5% [129/385], respectively). For AEs, these numbers were 84.1% (148/176), 56.2% (99/177), 77.8% (137/176), and 50.6% (89/175), respectively. Both NMs and AEs were more likely to negatively impact female veterinarians than male veterinarians. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE These findings suggested that many veterinarians experience emotional distress after a medical error. Support should be provided to mitigate this adverse impact on the wellbeing of veterinarians and, potentially, their future patients.

Evaluation of an Immersive Farm Experience to Teach and Attract Veterinary Students to Food-Animal Medicine.

The Bovine Educational Symposium (BES) is a unique opportunity for North Carolina State University (NCSU) veterinary students to visit dairy farms, feedlots, cow-calf operations, and processing facilities, and to meet local bovine veterinarians. We hypothesized that this active learning opportunity would increase knowledge, change perceptions of animal agriculture and food-animal medicine, and provide skills that persist beyond graduation. Pre- and post-trip surveys were administered to 124 first-, second-, and third-year veterinary students attending BES over 3 years. The surveys assessed students' perceived competence with regard to 12 key areas of bovine practice, attitudes toward segments of the cattle industry, attitudes to veterinarians' role in these segments, and interest in a career in bovine practice. Content knowledge was assessed using a multiple-choice test for comparison to self-assessments. A control group of 10 fourth-year students was administered the same tests before and after a 2-week food-animal clinical rotation. A convenience sample of nine BES alumni were interviewed to assess their opinion on the educational impact of BES. BES participants exhibited significant gains in perceived competence and actual knowledge in all 12 areas, and they also had improved perceptions of animal agriculture and increased interest in food-animal careers. Benefits noted by alumni ranged from improved knowledge of basic concepts of biosecurity and population medicine to greater appreciation for professional skills, including client communication. Immersing pre-clinical veterinary students in an active learning environment can have a significant impact on their knowledge and perception of food-animal medicine, irrespective of students' ultimate career goals.

Use of Short Animal-Themed Videos to Enhance Veterinary Students' Mood, Attention, and Understanding of Pharmacology Lectures.

Professional DVM training is inherently stressful and challenging for students. This study evaluated a simple intervention-short breaks during a veterinary pharmacology lecture course in the form of funny/cute animal videos (Mood Induction Procedures, or MIP)-to assess for potential impact on students' mood, interest in material, and perceived understanding of material. Ten YouTube video clips showing cats or dogs were selected to influence students' affective states. The videos were shown in a required pharmacology class offered during the fall semester of the second year of the DVM program at a large, land-grant institution in the western US. The student cohort consisted of 133 students (20 males, 113 females). Twenty days of the course were randomly chosen for the study and ranged from weeks 2 to 13 of the semester. Sessions in which the videos were played were alternated with sessions in which no video was played, for a total of 10 video days and 10 control days. There were significant differences in all three post-class assessment measures between the experimental (video) days and the control days. Results suggest that showing short cute animal videos in the middle of class positively affected students' mood, interest in material, and self-reported understanding of material. While the results of this study are limited to one student cohort at one institution, the ease of implementation of the technique and relatively low stakes support incorporation of the MIP technique across a variety of basic and clinical science courses.

US Veterinarians' Knowledge, Experience, and Perception Regarding the Use of Cannabidiol for Canine Medical Conditions.

Due to the myriad of laws concerning cannabis, there is little empirical research regarding the veterinary use of cannabidiol (CBD). This study used the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) to gauge US veterinarians' knowledge level, views and experiences related to the use of cannabinoids in the medical treatment of dogs. Participants (n = 2130) completed an anonymous, online survey. Results were analyzed based on legal status of recreational marijuana in the participants' state of practice, and year of graduation from veterinary school. Participants felt comfortable in their knowledge of the differences between Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and marijuana, as well as the toxic effects of marijuana in dogs. Most veterinarians (61.5%) felt comfortable discussing the use of CBD with their colleagues, but only 45.5% felt comfortable discussing this topic with clients. No differences were found based on state of practice, but recent graduates were less comfortable discussing the topic. Veterinarians and clients in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to talk about the use of CBD products to treat canine ailments than those in other states. Overall, CBD was most frequently discussed as a potential treatment for pain management, anxiety and seizures. Veterinarians practicing in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to advise their clients and recommend the use of CBD, while there was no difference in the likelihood of prescribing CBD products. Recent veterinary graduates were less likely to recommend or prescribe CBD. The most commonly used CBD formulations were oil/extract and edibles. These were most helpful in providing analgesia for chronic and acute pain, relieving anxiety and decreasing seizure frequency/severity. The most commonly reported side-effect was sedation. Participants felt their state veterinary associations and veterinary boards did not provide sufficient guidance for them to practice within applicable laws. Recent graduates and those practicing in states with legalized recreational marijuana were more likely to agree that research regarding the use of CBD in dogs is needed. These same groups also felt that marijuana and CBD should not remain classified as Schedule I drugs. Most participants agreed that both marijuana and CBD products offer benefits for humans and expressed support for use of CBD products for animals.