| HOME | CURRENT ISSUE | TABLE OF CONTENTS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | SUBSCRIPTIONS | JOBS | FEEDBACK | HELP |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Letters |
1 School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD
SIR - Sarah Burns (VR, January 13, 2007, vol 160, p 64) is quite correct when she states that a lack of communication skills can contribute to difficulties with the more awkward clients that veterinary surgeons deal with in daily practice life. None (or very few) of us has the patience of a saint, and situations or certain personalities will lead to frustration - we are only human. She is also correct in stating that the teaching of communication skills is vitally important, but I think she will find that veterinary schools are doing their best to `catch up' with the time given to the subject on medical curricula.
The development of the National Unit for the Advancement of Veterinary Communication Skills (NUVACS) by the Veterinary Defence Society and UK veterinary schools is leading to improvements in the teaching of this vital topic, and we would be surprised if there are any graduates of 2006 with only one session of communication skills under their belt.
Like the other veterinary schools, at Nottingham we teach communication skills with the same emphasis given to any other clinical skill. The recognition that being a vet is much more than just dealing with animals has led to the development of our personal and professional skills module. This is taught over the first four undergraduate years, and it aims to equip graduates with all the additional competences practitioners need to succeed - critical thinking, problem solving, business and finance, reflection, entrepreneurship, IT skills and, importantly, communication skills. In addition to stand-alone sessions, communication skills are integrated into daily teaching, in particular our small group clinical relevance sessions. For example, a simulated farm emergency is run for first year students, allowing them to combine communication skills with the preclinical musculoskeletal module.
We believe this approach will lead to a more rounded and confident graduate, who is able to deal sensibly with all clients (and colleagues), however they may choose to behave. We must teach our students to become professionals, in order to survive in what is a very demanding but extremely rewarding career. Our intention is for Nottingham graduates to be well equipped to continue their learning throughout the ensuing years.
We are sorry that Ms Burns has decided to change careers - veterinary medicine is one of the most varied and challenging jobs, and difficult clients are just part of the mix!
Related articles in The Veterinary Record:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | CURRENT ISSUE | TABLE OF CONTENTS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | SUBSCRIPTIONS | JOBS | FEEDBACK | HELP |
