Development and Evaluation of a Surgical Simulator and Assessment Rubric for Standing Castration of the Horse.

The research article is about the development and evaluation of a simulator and corresponding assessment tool for teaching the surgical procedure of standing castration in horses, with the results confirming its effectiveness in teaching the procedure and increasing student confidence.

Research Background and Purpose

• The study covered the development and evaluation of a low-technology surgical simulator specifically for teaching standing castration in horses—a method for which a simulator had not previously been available.

Simulator and Rubric Development

• The simulator was constructed using simple materials like molded silicone testicles, cohesive bandage, stockings, and socks.
• In addition to the simulator, an assessment rubric was developed to evaluate the performance of participants using the simulator.

Participants and Procedures

• Participants included university staff members (predominantly equine veterinarians), equine veterinarians in private practice, and final-year veterinary students.
• All participants tested the simulator and were assessed using the newly developed rubric. They also provided feedback through an anonymous online questionnaire.

Feedback and Evaluation

• The feedback suggested that the simulator was highly beneficial and would be a helpful addition to the vet curriculum—with 98% of the responding participants endorsing its usefulness.
• All participating students confirmed that the simulator increased their confidence in performing standing castration in horses.

Results and Findings

• The evaluation of the simulator included assessments from participants on its realism and usefulness, comparison of rubric scores between veterinarians and students, and assessment of the reliability of the rubric.
• Rubric scores for students were significantly lower than those of qualified vets, confirming that the rubric had a practical learning curve and that it effectively distinguished between experienced and inexperienced practitioners.
• The rubric was proven reliable with an adequate internal reliability in rubric scoring (α = .85).

Conclusion

• The results of the study demonstrated that the simulator was effective in teaching the steps of the surgical procedure and increasing student confidence in performing standing castrations in horses.