Marcos Ricardo, Macedo Sónia, de Vega Macamen, Payo-Puente Pablo
Cytology and Hematology Diagnostic Services, Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Department of Microscopy, ICBAS-School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto (U.Porto), Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
Centro de Investigação Vasco da Gama (CIVG), Escola Universitária Vasco da Gama (EUVG), Campus Universitário, Av. José R. Sousa Fernandes, 3020-210 Coimbra, Portugal.
Vet Sci. 2023 Mar 4;10(3):193. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10030193.
Clinical examination procedures (CEPs) are cornerstone clinical skills for veterinary practitioners, being taught in all veterinary faculties. CEPs include innocuous procedures that are well tolerated by animals as well as more distressful and less tolerated ones. In a classical approach, institutional animals are used to teach and practice CEPs. Two hundred and thirty-one undergraduate students from four consecutive years were assigned to two groups that used institutional animals only (AO) or a combination of students' owned animals and simulation models (model-animal, MA) to teach and practice CEPs. This latter comprised stuffed teddy dogs, eye and ear models made of molding silicone, as well as skin models. The learning outcome of each system was compared through questionnaires (throughout classes and at the end of course), grades, and pass rates in objectively structured clinical examinations. Most veterinary students had their own animals, being easy to have a dog per group of two students in class. All the students' owned animals adapted well to this environment. The interest in the practical activities with the simulation models was comparable to that exhibited in the classical AO system. Students reported to learn more with the MA system than with the AO, while the interest on the subjects and the relevance were appraised similarly in both systems. No differences existed in the final grades and pass rates. The MA system was effective for learning CEPs. Beyond animal welfare advantages, this system increased the out-of-school training and had financial saving benefits, being a valuable option for the teaching and training of CEPs.
临床检查程序（CEPs）是兽医从业者的核心临床技能，所有兽医学院都会教授。CEPs包括动物耐受性良好的无害程序以及更痛苦、耐受性较差的程序。在传统方法中，使用实验动物来教授和实践CEPs。将连续四年的231名本科生分为两组，一组仅使用实验动物（AO），另一组使用学生自己的动物和模拟模型（模型-动物组，MA）相结合的方式来教授和实践CEPs。后者包括填充玩具狗、由模制硅胶制成的眼耳模型以及皮肤模型。通过问卷调查（在课程期间和课程结束时）、成绩以及客观结构化临床考试的通过率来比较每个系统的学习成果。大多数兽医专业学生都有自己的动物，在课堂上每组两名学生很容易就能有一只狗。所有学生自己的动物都很好地适应了这个环境。对模拟模型实践活动的兴趣与传统AO系统所表现出的兴趣相当。学生报告称，与AO系统相比，他们在MA系统中学到的更多，而在两个系统中对课程内容的兴趣和相关性评价相似。最终成绩和通过率没有差异。MA系统对于学习CEPs是有效的。除了动物福利方面的优势外，该系统还增加了校外培训并具有经济节约效益，是CEPs教学和培训的一个有价值的选择。
