Student training in large-animal handling at the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Australia.
Abstract: The ability to handle animals safely, competently, and with confidence is an essential skill for veterinarians. Poor animal-handling skills are likely to compromise credibility, occupational health and safety, and animal welfare. In the five-year veterinary science degree at Murdoch University, animal handling is taught in a prerequisite unit in the second semester of the second year. From 2008, however, this unit will be taught in the first year of the five-year course. Students are taught to handle sheep, cattle, pigs, and horses safely and competently. Each student receives 30 hours of formal practical instruction. Animal-to-student ratios are 2:1, and staff-to-student ratios vary from 1:8 (sheep, cattle, horses) to 1:17 (pigs). Students must pass the practical exam to proceed into third year. Additional experience with animals is gained during third year (14 hours of practical instruction with sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle) and during the 5 weeks and 2 days of vacation farm experience during the second and third years. In the fourth and fifth years, students consolidate their handling experience with sheep (including rams), goats, pigs, cattle (including bulls), horses (including stallions), and alpacas. As a result, students are able to handle and restrain client animals with confidence. There is no formal course in small-animal handling at Murdoch University. Factors that have enhanced the success of the large-animal handling program include purpose-built on-campus facilities. Inadequate resources (time, facilities, and animals) remain the main impediment to effective learning, further compounded by the increasing tendency of university administrators to make decisions based on economic expediency rather than educational benefit.
Publication Date: 2008-03-11 PubMed ID: 18326766DOI: 10.3138/jvme.34.5.576Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research article presents how Murdoch University in Australia trains their veterinary science students in handling large animals. The curriculum includes practical hands-on sessions to build confidence and care while ensuring animal welfare, with a focus on different types of animals over the five-year course.
Animal Handling Course Structure
- The animal handling course is a part of vet science degree at Murdoch University. The course initially taught in the second semester of the second year of the program, was shifted to the first year, starting 2008.
- Specially focusing on large animals, students are instructed on safe and competent management techniques for sheep, cattle, pigs, and horses.
- Each student receives 30 hours of formal practical instruction, with animal to student and staff to student ratios managed carefully to ensure effective teaching.
Assessments & Additional Experience
- Assessment includes a practical exam students must pass before proceeding to the third year of their course.
- In the third year, students get additional experience through 14 hours of mandatory practical instruction featuring a wide variety of animals. Students also have to gain farm experience during vacation periods in the second and third years.
Further Training and Curriculum Components
- In their 4th and 5th years, students get to handle a wider variety of animals including rams, bulls, stallions, and alpacas, allowing them to further consolidate their experiences.
- No formal course is however provided for handling small animals.
Factors Affecting Course Success
- The large-animal handling program owes its success to on-campus facilities purpose-built for practical teaching.
- The major barriers affecting the effectiveness of this learning endeavour include time constraints, lack of facilities and animals. Additionally, the inclination of administrators to prioritize economic considerations over educational benefits also presents a challenge.
Cite This Article
APA
Chapman HM, Taylor EG, Buddle JR, Murphy DJ.
(2008).
Student training in large-animal handling at the School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Australia.
J Vet Med Educ, 34(5), 576-582.
https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.34.5.576 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia. hchapman@murdoch.edu.au
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry / education
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animals
- Animals, Domestic
- Australia
- Camelids, New World
- Cattle
- Clinical Competence
- Curriculum
- Education, Veterinary
- Horses
- Humans
- Rural Population
- Safety
- Sheep
- Swine
- Teaching
- Universities
- Veterinary Medicine / methods
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Guinnefollau L, Gee EK, Norman EJ, Rogers CW, Bolwell CF. Horses Used for Educational Purposes in New Zealand: A Descriptive Analysis of Their Use for Teaching. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 1;10(9).
- Guinnefollau L, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Norman EJ, Rogers CW. Benefits of Animal Exposure on Veterinary Students' Understanding of Equine Behaviour and Self-Assessed Equine Handling Skills. Animals (Basel) 2019 Aug 28;9(9).
- Gronqvist G, Rogers C, Gee E, Bolwell C, Gordon S. The Challenges of Using Horses for Practical Teaching Purposes in Veterinary Programmes. Animals (Basel) 2016 Nov 11;6(11).
- Roshier AL, Foster N, Jones MA. Veterinary students' usage and perception of video teaching resources. BMC Med Educ 2011 Jan 10;11:1.
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