Abstract
Workplace clinical training (WCT) is a vital component of veterinary education, enabling students to gain authentic experiences of clinical practice. However, preparedness for veterinary WCT has not been adequately characterised and it is unknown if students and staff have similar expectations. This study aimed to explore student preparedness for WCT and to determine the relative importance of different aspects of preparedness according to key stakeholders.
The study employed a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative group interviews and a quantitative survey. Qualitative interviews with stakeholders informed the development of a three-tier taxonomy of student preparedness, consisting of seven main themes, 26 subthemes, and 91 characteristics. The subsequent quantitative stage used a pairwise comparison-based survey. This was administered to clinical supervisors and veterinary students at 25 veterinary schools internationally, and to students, academics, and clinical supervisors at the University of Surrey. The Elo algorithm was employed to generate relative importance ratings and rankings of the preparedness characteristics according to different stakeholder groups.
‘Honesty, integrity, and dependability’ was consistently identified as the most important characteristic by both students and clinical supervisors. However, differences in characteristics’ rankings were demonstrated between groups. For example, students placed higher importance on mental well-being, self-care, and practical skill development, while supervisors prioritised clinical reasoning frameworks and self-directed and experiential learning techniques.
This thesis contributes to the field of health professions education (HPE) in three significant ways. Firstly, it provides a comprehensive characterisation of student preparedness for veterinary WCT. Secondly, it identifies the most critical aspects of preparedness and highlights divergent expectations among stakeholders, emphasising the need for shared understanding. Finally, the study presents a novel survey design that holds potential for a diverse range of applications in HPE research, particularly in the pursuit quantifying perspectives on items which are measured on a relative basis and a unidimensional scale.