1. Equine anaesthesia in the field...
Dr Mark Senior BVSc PhD CertVA DiplECVAA MRCVS
Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital
University of Liverpool Leahurst Campus
Neston,
South Wirral
UK
marks@liv.ac.uk
A new approach to teaching anaesthesia
to veterinary undergraduates
Avril Senior BVSc MA MRCVS & Dr Mark Senior BVSc PhD CertVA DiplECVAA MRCVS
avrils@liv.ac.uk J.M.Senior@liv.ac.uk

2. Overview
• Anaesthesia teaching to undergraduates
• How anaesthesia used to be taught
• Basis for change?
• What changes have occurred?
• Reflections

3. Anaesthesia teaching to undergraduates
• 3rd year
• 4 hours in introductory clinical course
• 4th year
• 34 hours in clinical theory course
• 5th year
• 1 week small animal anaesthesia rotation
• 1 week equine/ large animal anaesthesia rotation
• Optional: 4 weeks anaesthesia elective
E.M.S.

4. Anaesthesia teaching to undergraduates
• “Day one competencies”

5. How anaesthesia used to be taught
• Tedious lecture weeks
• 30+ hours of didactic oration
• 1 lecturer did the majority of lectures...
• Students/ teachers became jaded
• Course material: ‘The Blue Book’
• Poor retention on rotations/ prior to exams
•  Needed to review the way we taught

6. Basis for change
• Students learn better when they are active
participants in their own learning
• Repetition is more effective if different learning
styles and modes of delivery are considered
• Formative assessment allows students to identify
gaps in their understanding
• Application of knowledge, using real-life
scenarios, contextualises a subject
• Better and more efficient of student and staff time
= confident and competent students!

7. Pros and Cons
Pros:
• Time is utilised efficiently
• Gaps in knowledge are identified
• Engage in peer discussions about areas of
contention
Cons:
• Obsession with ‘tests’- formative or summative
• Rely on tests at the expense of other learning
methods
• ‘Multi-tasking’ during video lectures

8. Quiz Fever
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
90.0
1 attempt 2 attempt 3 attempt 4 attempt 5 attempt 6 attempt 7 attempt 8 attempt
Mark(%)
Average mark per attempt for all students
Last attempt
All attempts

9. What changes have occurred?
• Feedback on course development
• 10 question (3 free text) questionnaire handed to
students at end of clinical theory course
• 5 question questionnaire during clinical rotations
• Review
• Refresh

10. What changes have occurred?
• Pre-clinical theory course test  adaptive release
of course resources
• E-learning resources
• DIVA video guides e.g. Breathing systems
• Camtasia lectures e.g. Fluid therapy

11. What changes have occurred?
• Interactive lectures now 50% of clinical theory course
• PRS
• Communicubes: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/landt/lt/docs/bostock-hulme-davys.pdf
• Increased number of staff lecturing (6)

12. What changes have occurred?
• Examples:
What are the two best things about the lecture week?

13. What changes have occurred?
• Examples: Front-loading needs preparation time  moved CTC week

14. What changes have occurred?
• Examples: ‘difficult’ subjects taught in a variety of ways
e.g. Fluid therapy, breathing systems
What was the muddiest point i.e. The subject/ theme you found most difficult
to understand?

15. What changes have occurred?
• Examples: Pre-rotation test

16. Reflections
• Student & Staff response positive
• Balanced teaching methods important
• Large amount of preparatory work..
• BUT, once done may reduce further time
commitments
• Students can direct their own learning
• This process has informed us, about how/ what
we teach and how our students learn
• Continuing development
• Subjective v objective measures?

17. Acknowledgments
• E-learning development team in the School of Veterinary Science
• Staff within the Veterinary Anaesthesia Group
• Past and present students