Postgraduate Course: Professional and Clinical Skills for Advanced Veterinary Practice (VESC11109)
Course Outline
| School | Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | The course emphasises three general key skills areas:
- Communication,
- Personal and Professional Development
- Research Skills for Personal and Professional Development
Students will be supported in identifying and addressing their own key skill development needs. Opportunities to develop these skills will be embedded within each week of the course.
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| Course description |
The aim of this module is to develop professional skills by providing a foundation for advanced veterinary practice.
Its specific objectives are to:
Develop the knowledge and skills required for advanced veterinary practice.
Ensure that students comprehend and can critically apply the professional requirements required of veterinary practitioners.
Develop students as independent learners not just as preparation for further postgraduate study, but also to meet life-long professional and personal learning needs and obligations.
This five-week course is fully taught online through a mixture of recorded presentations, formative activities and asynchronous discussion. Live non-compulsory sessions may be scheduled depending on student group availability and time zones.
As a guide, each week students will spend approximately seven hours working through online materials including essential reading and up to three hours of online discussion and activity. A further ten hours may be spent on additional self-study and work on the assignment. As it is very difficult to measure time spent in any intellectual undertaking, the timings are only intended for guidance.
Professional Communication
This area of study will focus on aspects of practice communication, including appropriate marketing and digital footprint of the practice and staff.
Emergency Care
The purpose of this study area is to ensure that principles relating to the emergency care of animals remain as a foundation of advanced practice.
Animal and Public Health Protection
This area of study is intended to ensure that veterinary responsibility for protection of human and animal health is established as a foundation of advanced veterinary practice.
Animal Welfare, Professional Conduct and Veterinary Ethics
This area of study is intended to ensure that welfare and ethical concerns are integrated into all aspects of advanced practice.
Quality and Safety in Veterinary Practice
The aim of this area of study is to encourage students to promote continuous improvement in the quality and safety of their chosen area of veterinary practice.
Key Professional and Research Skills
Key skills provide a foundation for academic, vocational and personal development. Key skills underpin effective performance in a wide range of settings and may assist students to respond more effectively to unfamiliar problems and challenges.
The course emphasises three general key skills areas:
- Communication,
- Personal and Professional Development
- Research Skills for Personal and Professional Development
Students will be supported in identifying and addressing their own key skill development needs. Opportunities to develop these skills will be embedded within each week of the course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
| Course Start Date |
08/08/2022 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative assessment:
One essay (max 1500 words)
Learning diary (200-250 words x 6 posts)
Compulsory - participation in weekly activities
Formative assessment:
First essay submitted in advance for feedback to assist with preparation of remaining essays.
Peer and tutor feedback on weekly activities
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons will recognise completion of this course as achieving the requirements for the A module of the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice.
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| Feedback |
All assignments will be marked and feedback provided within a period of 15 working days following submission (excluding holidays periods whereby the University of closed, e.g. over the Christmas period).
Opportunities for informal feedback arise within the course discussion boards and live sessions as well as through email discussions. Formal feedback and feedforward will be provided on coursework assignments and on formative activities.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Communicate confidently and effectively in order to achieve their professional objectives and demonstrate the importance of maintaining and developing professional competence.
- Describe the reasons for maintaining and improving the quality and safety of the service they provide and the means of achieving this.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of the roles and responsibilities which veterinary surgeons in general practice have, and the principles and knowledge that underpin these.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of the principles of emergency care (including first aid, pain relief, euthanasia and emergency slaughter) in all species that might be encountered by veterinarians in general practice.
- Interpret and appraise their obligations towards animal welfare and professional conduct as laid down in the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct.
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Reading List
The course reading list will be provided via the University¿s Resource List service and a link will be provided on the Learn course. A maximum of three essential reading items will be given each week with further reading as required. Additional resources will be provided, making full use of university electronic library, Learn, Media Hopper and other online resources. Other support material will be available through external open-access websites.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
A. Research and Enquiry
Graduates of the University will be able to create new knowledge and opportunities for learning through the process of research and enquiry. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- be able to identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create processes to solve them
- be able to exercise critical judgement in creating new understanding
- be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
- be able to critically assess existing understanding and the limitations of their own knowledge and recognise the need to regularly challenge all knowledge
- search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and understanding
- have an informed respect for the principles, methods, standards, values and boundaries of their discipline(s) and the capacity to question these
- understand economic, legal, ethical, social, cultural and environmental issues in the use of information
- recognise the importance of reflecting on their learning experiences and be aware of their own learning style
B. Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
Graduates of the University will be able to work independently and sustainably, in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- be able to identify processes and strategies for learning
- be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement
- be able to make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account ethical and professional issues
- be able to use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and strengthen their own views
- be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest
- be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts
C. Communication
Graduates of the University will recognise and value communication as the tool for negotiating and creating new understanding, collaborating with others, and furthering their own learning. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
- use communication as a tool for collaborating and relating to others
- further their own learning through effective use of the full range of communication approaches
- seek and value open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness
- recognise the benefits of communicating with those beyond their immediate environments
- use effective communication to articulate their skills as identified through self-reflection
D. Personal Effectiveness
Graduates of the University will be able to effect change and be responsive to the situations and environments in which they operate. This may be understood in terms of the following:
- appreciate and use talents constructively, demonstrating self-discipline, motivation, adaptability, persistence and professionalism
- be able to create and harness opportunities
- be able to manage risk while initiating and managing change
- be responsive to their changing surroundings, being both flexible and proactive
- have the confidence to make decisions based on their understandings and their personal and intellectual autonomy
- be able to flexibly transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from one context to another
- understand social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and issues
- be able to work effectively with others, capitalising on their different thinking, experience and skills
- work with, manage, and lead others in ways that value their diversity and equality and that encourage their contribution to the organisation and the wider community
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| Keywords | veterinary,professional,communication |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Sharon Boyd
Tel: (0131 6)51 7449
Email: Sharon.Boyd@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Linda Pollock
Tel: (0131) 650 6149
Email: Linda.Pollock@ed.ac.uk |
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