The Development and Delivery of a Systematic Veterinary Clinical Skills Education Program at the University of Calgary

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary (UCVM) is a 4 year DVM program that was established in 2005. The curriculum has been developed as an outcomes-based, core-integrated model, meaning that approximately 60% of the curriculum is dedicated to basic veterinary sciences courses, and the remainder of the curriculum is assigned to three foundational “super” courses. The final year of the program involves clinical rotations that take place in the distributed veterinary learning community (DVLC) that is comprised of 68 primary care practices and 5 government agencies within the province of Alberta. “Clinical Skills”, is one of the foundational courses in the curriculum, and represents a newly developed approach to practical skills training in veterinary medicine. The clinical skills courses are delivered in an 80,000 square-foot, purpose-built building, that includes a clinical simulation laboratory. This paper outlines the genesis and delivery of the clinical skills teaching program including: 1. theoretical foundation, curricular and instructional design phases, 2. physical infrastructure requirements, 3. personnel requirements, and 4. assessment of student’s clinical skills performance.