Professional Veterinary Development

Nicki Wise DVM, PhD, DACVIM (LAIM)
Email: lwise1@sgu.edu

Adria Rodriguez DVM, MSc, MS TCVM, CVA, CVCH
Email: airodriguez@sgu.edu

Other faculty/lecturers/coordinators:

Talia Guttin VMD, M.Ed, DACVIM (SAIM)
Email: tguttin@sgu.edu

Heather Douglas DVM, MBA 
Email: doctordouglas@douglasanimalhospital.com

Stacey Byers DVM, DACVIM
Email: sbyers1@sgu.edu

Jennifer Frey DVM – AVMA PLIT
Email: jennifer.frey@avmaplit.com

Rebecca Stinson DVM -- AVMA PLIT 
Email: rebeccastinsonDVM@AVMAlife.com

Katie Toop – Assistant Director, Financial Aid SGU
Email: ktoop@sgu.edu

Keshia John, Simulation Technician/Communication Lab Coordinator Email: kjohn5@sgu.edu

Sis Hall, Charter Hall Lab, KB Taylor Hall Blue, Panopto, Zoom, Sakai Lessons/Assignments/Tests and Quizzes.

This course does not have a required or recommended textbook. All recommended resources will be provided electronically on Sakai or in class.

None

1. Students who need accommodations should contact Student Accessibility and Accommodations Services (SAAS), located in the Welcome Center, inside the International Students Office.
2. Information can be found at mycampus.sgu.edu/group/saas

None.

This course is the sixth of 6 courses within the curriculum focused on professional development. Through experiential learning methods, students will be exposed to topics and skills related to personal development, self-care, ethics and animal welfare, communication skills, business and financial literacy. The course is designed to re-emphasize the essential American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) "non-technical" competencies and professional attributes presented during Term 1 as well as to introduce additional concepts and tools that will allow the students to enter their clinical year and their career prepared for many of the significant challenges that veterinarians face on a daily basis. The skills introduced in this course are essential in order to develop into a competent and successful veterinarian.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate effective clinical communication skills.
2. Evaluate colleagues and offer effective feedback.
3. Summarize their personal and professional financial responsibilities and options for loan repayment.
4. Explain the legal and ethical issues facing veterinarians and be equipped to deal with such issues.
5. Design a simulated veterinary business plan with attention to practice and personnel management.
6. Review the non-technical competencies related to communication, teamwork, self-awareness, and servant leadership in the context of entering their clinical year and career.
7. Discuss the importance of wellness and mental health for veterinarians.

At the conclusion of the sections listed below, the student will be able to: Domain 1: Personal Development/Leadership

• Prepare for their 4th clinical year
• Discuss all aspects of the NAVLE as well study strategies that can be used to be successful

Domain 2: Wellness

• Define resiliency and recall and apply the necessary steps to develop and improve resiliency in their personal and professional lives.
• Identify and recognize societal cues that may affect their mental health in their personal and professional lives.
• Strengthen their social awareness and create healthy boundaries which, together with resiliency, will foster a safe, healthy, and growth mindset .
• Identify and use resources which will help them thrive mentally, emotionally, and spiritually after graduation.

Domain 3: Ethics and Animal Welfare:

• Understand ethical and legal issues facing veterinarians Domain 4: Communication

Client Communication:

• Demonstrate knowledge of communication skills described in the Calgary Cambridge Guide and how to apply these skills in a variety of settings
• Complete an effective client interview focusing on:
  • Forming a rapport with the client and generating a contract for their animal’s care
  • Gaining the information necessary to form an accurate diagnostic plan
  • Recognize and react to verbal and non-verbal cues from the client
  • Providing general information in an accurate and supportive way to the client
• Participate in small group interactions including giving and receiving constructive and specific feedback from their coaches, peers, and simulated clients.
• Develop self-assessment techniques and be able to reflect on the interviews and what can be done to improve their communication skills

Other Communication:

• Review the concept of effective feedback and review guidelines for giving and receiving it
• Discuss the different mindsets and how they are related to feedback

Domain 5: Business and Financial Literacy:

Veterinary Business Practices:

• Interviewing and salary negotiation
• Licensing
• Develop career SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time- Based)
• Learn how to establish fees and understand the basic finances behind running a practice
• Understand the veterinarian's role in management
• Understand how to prepare for job interviews and other professional interactions Other BFL:
• Review aspects of personal financial literacy including clinical year finances, loan repayment and budgeting

Mapping CLOs to PLOs and Competencies

1. Demonstrate effective clinical communication skills
2. Evaluate colleagues and offer effective feedback
3. Summarize their personal and professional financial responsibilities and options for loan repayment
4. Explain the legal and ethical issues facing veterinarians and be equipped to deal with such issues
5. Design a simulated veterinary business plan with attention to practice and personnel management
6. Review the non-technical competencies related to communication, teamwork, self awareness and servant leadership in the context of entering their clinical year and career
7. Discuss the importance of wellness and mental health for veterinarians

Course Level Learning Outcomes                                                                             SGU SVM Program Outcomes                                                                           RCVS Outcomes

Changes in this schedule may occur at the course director’s discretion, students will be notified at the earliest convenience. 

COMMUNICATION LABS:

FRIDAYS, 1:30-5:30 PM AST Week 4 – Week 12 based on SAMS 528 rotation schedule

Communication Self-Assessment due within 1 week of your lab date.

*See Syllabus for description of assignments

The course will be graded Pass/Fail.

100%-69.5% = Pass

<69.5% = Fail

A grade of passing will be determined by:

1. Successful completion of all assignments by the scheduled due date (see below)
2. Mandatory engagement in the course content which includes:
   1. Attendance of all sessions
   2. Review of all recorded lectures when indicated
   3. Completion of “in-class” and other assignments and activities.

A student who fails to adhere to attendance and engagement guidelines will be placed on non-academic probation by the CAPPS committee.

The course will consist of a mix of lectures, Zoom sessions and one communication lab.

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory for all Term 6 students and participation is expected. If you have a conflict, please let us know (email both course directors), and we will deal with this on a case-by-case basis. Life happens, but professional communication that is timely is expected. If you miss a lecture, you are expected to watch the lecture recording promptly (we will monitor this).

If you cannot make your communication lab due to a medical issue at the last minute, please urgently email: Ms. Keshia John (kjohn5@sgu.edu) AND Dr. Wise (lwise1@sgu.edu) AND Dr. Rodriguez (airodriguez@sgu.edu), along with submitting a medical excuse through the DOS.

Students are also expected to be on time! Arriving after attendance has been taken or leaving before the end of class will count as an unexcused absence. Any student unable to adhere to the attendance policies of this course is mandated to complete the online "Medical Excuse Submission" form PRIOR to missing the required activity. Failure to complete the "Medical Excuse Submission" form will result in an unexcused absence.

Virtual Learning Students: Your presence at lectures as they are streaming on Zoom is mandatory. Let us know ahead of time if you have a conflict (email both course directors), and we will deal with this on a case-by-case basis, as well as monitor that you watched the Panopto video recording for the missed session.

Assignments/Lab: Students must submit the following assignments on time to pass the course and attend one communication session.

Feedback/Mindset Assignment: After watching the feedback lecture and the TED Talk, please submit the reflective journal assignment - details found in Sakai assignments. DUE DATE January 23rd, 2022.

Business Assignments: To complete the business module, you must complete the following assignments. More details will be provided by Dr. Douglas. DUE DATE January 30th, 2022 at 11:55pm

1. CV Review and Cover letter - Review your CV and make final changes to prepare for applying for your first job or internship. Create a cover letter that emphasizes how you will be a valuable team member and what you can offer to the practice.
2. Salary Calculator - Use the salary calculator on the AVMA website to determine what your approximate salary should be based on geography and interests. https://bit.ly/2ZGsHs3
3. SMART Goals - Create a SMART goal for applying for your first position. It must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
4. Contract Negotiation - Evaluate the contract provided. Propose changes to the contract and describe how you would negotiate with the practice owner to obtain those changes.
5. Write 5 interview questions and record your responses as if you were being interviewed for a position. Submit video recorded responses. Limit to 5 minutes.

Wellness Assignments: Note that these are due BEFORE the Wellness lecture on 11/16.

1. Wellness Assignment 1  DUE DATE April 12th, 2022 by 11:55pm.
2. Wellness Assignment 2. DUE DATE April 17th, 2022 by 11:55pm.

ICVA Practice Test: completing this practice test is required for you to pass the course. This will be available for you for 60 days, starting on February 10th, 2022. DUE DATE is April 10th, 2022 by 11:55pm. Additional details will be provided during the NAVLE lecture/session.

Communication Lab: This term, you will virtually attend ONE 4-hour communication session on Fridays from 1:30pm-5:30pm AST. The date you sign up for is your choice, but you must complete one lab from Weeks 4 – 13.

• You will be guided through these communication simulations by a faculty member on zoom.
• Each student will conduct 2 interviews at each session (time permitting) – the other member(s) of the group will observe and offer feedback after the interview using the Calgary Cambridge Guide (as you did during Term 5).
• More details on this will be provided by Dr. Wise and Dr. Byers.
• Attendance of ONE lab is mandatory to pass the course.

Communication Assignment: After your communication lab, you will review your video and complete the SELF Assessment QUIZ on Sakai. DUE BY April 10th at

11:55pm. It Is recommended that you complete this assignment by 1 week from your lab date. Failure to complete the assignment on time will result in an incomplete grade in the course.

Remain engaged throughout the course to benefit from the various active learning activities.

The student is expected to adhere to the guidelines provided throughout this syllabus including attendance and assignment submission.

The student is expected to communicate with the Course director professionally and in a timely manner in the event of technical difficulties, inability to attend lectures or hand in assignments on time for any reason.

Respond to emails from faculty within 24 hours.

Always exhibit professional and respectful behavior towards colleagues, faculty, and staff. Please be on time and engaged in course content as directed. Off island student’s may be required to turn on their cameras during live sessions. Please be mindful of this regarding attire and surroundings. If you are asked to turn on your camera and you are not able to, please email your lecturer in advance prior to the live session.

Students are expected to be available during the standard 8:30am-5:20pm AST school day, to attend, engage with in-person/online content, and participate in all classes and clinical rotations for which they have registered. Employment is not an excusable absence. Although attendance, engagement, and participation may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance, engagement, and participation is graded for mandatory sessions. Students’ lack of attendance, engagement, and participation may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy.

If failure to attend, engage, or participate in individual classes, examinations, and online activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed.

Zoom Synchronous Seminar Attendance policy (off-island students): Attendance is mandatory. If a student has received an excused absence or there are external circumstances which are communicated to the course director in a timely manner, students will be required to view the video of the lecture within a week of the session.

Attendance is required for ONE communication lab session. If you cannot attend the session you signed up for, notify Dr. Byers and Dr. Wise immediately. Please see section XIII for details about mandatory attendance at lectures.

Students who fail to attend an examination (Sakai quiz/test or ExamSoft) or submit an assignment by the deadline without a valid reason (see student manual: SGUSVM POLICY ON AN EXCUSED ABSENCE (EA) FOR STUDENTS) will receive a score of “0” points for the examination.

Students who have technical issues during the examination MUST inform the Course Director (hjanicke@sgu.edu ) and

IT (tellexaminationservices@sgu.edu OR support@sgu.edu OR call 1-631-665- 8500 ext. 4444 (US, NU, International) OR 1-473-439-2000 ext. 4444 (Grenada), AND Dean of Students (DOS@sgu.edu) during the open period for the examination. Failure to do so immediately will result in the student receiving the highest score recorded at the time, but NOT being eligible to take a completion examination.

Failure to submit or re-submit any assignment will result in the student being placed on non-academic probation by the CAPPS committee.

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The materials (such as slides, handouts and audio/video recordings) provided to students who are taking courses at St. George’s University (SGU) are the intellectual property of the Faculty and/or Administration of SGU. Students are free to use these materials solely for the purpose of group or individual study. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.