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Development and Formative Evaluation of a Low-Fidelity Equine Castration Model for Veterinary Education.
Abstract: Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are units of activity that early-stage professionals perform in the workplace that necessitate simultaneous integration of multiple competencies. EPA #6 requires students to perform a common surgical procedure on a stable patient, including pre-operative and post-operative management. Castration is one of the most common surgeries performed by equine primary care practitioners and is considered an "entry-level competency" for veterinary graduates entering equine private practice, however, to our knowledge there are no equine castration models available for veterinary student education. Therefore, we developed an inexpensive, low-fidelity model of equine field castration and evaluated it using a mixed-methods approach. Two different groups of students, with or without model experience, completed surveys before and after live horse castration. Students who used the model also completed model specific surveys. Videos of the students completing the model were evaluated by at least two different equine veterinary faculty using a 15-point rubric, and inter-rater reliability of the rubric was determined. After completing the model, students reflected on strengths and weaknesses of their performance. From our student survey results, we determined that student attitudes toward the model were mostly positive. Interestingly, there were several student attitudes toward the model that became significantly more favorable after live horse castration. Prior to live horse castration, there was no significant difference in confidence in model vs. no-model groups. Following live horse castration, students who used the model had higher confidence in procedure preparation and hand-ties than students who did not use the model, but they had lower scores for confidence during patient recovery. When reflecting on model castration, students most commonly cited preparation and surgical description as strengths, and ligature placement and hand-ties as weaknesses. Experts provided several suggestions to improve the model, including incorporation of emasculators and the need for better model stabilization. Our findings suggest that both students and veterinary educators feel that this low-fidelity model has educational value. Rubric performance metrics were favorable, but additional steps are needed to improve grading consistency among educators. Future research will determine whether student performance on the model is predictive of competence score during live-horse castration.
Copyright © 2021 Sheats, Burke, Robertson, Fiebrandt and Fogle.
Publication Date: 2021-09-14 PubMed ID: 34595227PubMed Central: PMC8476848DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.689243Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article outlines the development and evaluation of an inexpensive, low-fidelity horse castration model with the purpose of enhancing veterinary student education. The objective of the model is to better prepare future veterinary graduates for such common surgical procedures and improve their competence and confidence levels.
Research Objective and Methodology
- The objective of this research was to create a low-cost, practical model for teaching equine castration which is one of the most performed surgeries in general equine practice. The model was developed as there were no existing models for this purpose.
- The researchers adopted a mixed-method approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the new model. They grouped the students into two groups: those who practiced with the model and those who didn’t.
- Before and after performing real horse castration, students were asked to complete surveys about their experience and confidence level with the procedure.
- The students who practiced with the model also had videos of their training sessions assessed by at least two different faculty members from the equine veterinary department using a detailed scoring system, testing the reliability and consistency of this assessment method.
Results and Findings
- The results indicated that the students had an overall positive attitude towards the model. They felt more favorable towards it after having experienced the live horse castration.
- Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the confidence levels between the model using group and the other group before performing the live horse castration.
- After the live horse castration, students who practiced with the model felt more confident about the procedure preparation and hand-tying techniques but expressed less confidence about patient recovery.
- The students’ reflections on using the model highlighted that they found surgical description and preparation as strengths while ligatures’ placement and hand-ties were considered weak points.
Experts’ Suggestions and Future Direction
- Experts provided suggestions for improving the model further, which included the incorporation of emasculators and better model stabilization.
- The research implied that the model has educational value according to both the students and the educators, as it enhances veterinary students’ skills and confidence. However, grading consistency among educators still needs to be improved.
- Future research should investigate whether a student’s performance with the model reliably predicts their competence during live horse castration.
Cite This Article
APA
Sheats MK, Burke MJ, Robertson JB, Fiebrandt KE, Fogle CA.
(2021).
Development and Formative Evaluation of a Low-Fidelity Equine Castration Model for Veterinary Education.
Front Vet Sci, 8, 689243.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.689243 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States.
- North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States.
- North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States.
- North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States.
- North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Schirone R, Schmedding M, Weigner J, Werner M, Corte GM, Ehlers JP, Klass LG, Bahramsoltani M. The Impact of Low-Fidelity Three-Dimensional-Printed Models of the Equine Distal Limb and the Canine Forelimb in Teaching Veterinary Anatomy in Practical Classes. Animals (Basel) 2025 May 10;15(10).
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