Disseminating Non-Technical Capabilities to Veterinary Undergraduates in New Zealand
Status
Completed: 30 March 2009
Project Details
A project completed in 2009, undertaken by Massey University, to compare the dissemination of non-technical competencies at four international veterinary schools (University of Sydney; Nottingham University; Washington State University; Murdoch University) with the dissemination approach at the New Zealand Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences at Massey University in Palmerston North.
Aims:
The main aims of the project were to:
- identify effective teaching methods for non-technical topics for veterinary students and adopt and refine those methods for local use
- better prepare veterinary students through enhancing the methods used to teach soft skills.
- carry out a gap analysis between international best practice and current methods of disseminating non-technical capabilities to veterinary undergraduates in New Zealand.
Methodology:
The project methodology involved:
- a review of the literature on the subject of nontechnical capabilities among veterinarians
- international case studies from four similar teaching programmes
- qualitative interviews with academics from New Zealand’s Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences.
Team
Dr Frazer Allan
Project Leader
Massey University
Helen Hughes
Massey UniversityStatus
Funding
$10,000.00 (excl GST)
Key Findings
The key findings from the project included:
- The overall conclusion of the investigation is that where the dissemination of non-technical competencies to veterinary undergraduates is concerned, New Zealand may very well have been leading the way in 2002 – but in 2009, it is clear that the innovations of 2002 were never implemented to their full potential because the majority of academic faculty were never aligned with changes.
- The results indicate that the biggest ‘gap’ between New Zealand and its international competition is the hesitation of autonomous academics to participate in an organised approach to the dissemination of non-technical competencies.
- Participants unanimously reflected that non-technical competencies are relevant to veterinary undergraduates in both their professional and their private lives. The general consensus was that the Australian Veterinary Attributes seem like a good summary of non-technical competencies. Participants elaborated that non-technical competencies are important, especially because veterinary undergraduates in New Zealand are asked to become professionals upon entry to the veterinary programme.
Key Recommendations
The key recommendation from the project was:
Changing the current method of dissemination | The scope of this study was to comment on current methods of disseminating non-technical competencies to veterinary undergraduates – and therefore the scope of this discussion is simply to make an informed recommendation on how to change the current method of dissemination, if desired. The discussion in the report is organised into the following phases that also reflect the ‘Change Management Plan’: Analysis; Design; Development; Test; Implementation; and Evaluation.
A research report prepared by Frazer Allan and Helen Hughes.
(PDF, 609 KB, 59-pages).
- 30 March 2009