An international team of veterinarians has developed a list of learning outcomes (LOs) for use in training veterinary practitioners in shelter medicine as the result of a $5,000 grant from CIVME. “Development of internationally relevant learning outcomes for undergraduate and postgraduate study in shelter medicine” has been accepted for publication in a future edition of the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education.

The study, a collaboration between the University of Nottingham, Royal Veterinary College, Utrecht University and University of Pennsylvania, used a Delphi format to leverage the expertise of existing practitioners and educators in shelter medicine. Shelter medicine has been a recognized clinical specialty in the United States 2014, and is a growing area of practice in many locations worldwide. The International Veterinary Students’ Association expressed their desire to see shelter medicine included in the veterinary curriculum in 2017. Click here for details.

This article reports on the development and outcome of a competency-based veterinary education (CBVE) framework created through multi-institutional collaboration with international input from veterinary educators and veterinary educational leaders.The CBVE Framework is designed to reflect the competencies expected of new graduates from member institutions of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).The CBVE Framework consists of nine domains of competence and 32 competencies. The AAVMC has recently established a Council for Competency-Based Veterinary Education. Click here for detailed report.

Recognizing that veterinary faculty are often not trained as professional teachers, SEVEC hosts a VetEd Bootcamp annually to develop teaching skills of junior faculty. They also hold monthly online journal clubs and in-person and online seminars covering topics ranging from active learning to research to online education. The group has been particularly active during the COVID-19 pandemic in sharing best practices for online learning and assessment, as well as providing much-appreciated interaction with colleagues during social distancing.

This year’s bootcamp, hosted virtually by North Carolina State University July 20-21, focused on assessment-traditional, online, and clinical with many break-out sessions and workshops for attendees to apply new skills. Dr. Kent Hecker (University of Calgary) provided the keynote address, discussing the special challenges of online assessment. The Bootcamp also sponsored a mini-grant contest for collaborative research funding in veterinary education. First prize was won by Phillipa Gibbons of Lincoln Memorial University for development and validation of an bovine caesarian section model. Second place was garnered by Stacey Fox-Alvarez of the University of Florida for an educator peer-review process.

SEVEC, founded in 2019, embodies the collegial nature of veterinary medical educators and sets a great example of the cooperation that can take place across institutions to further the field and improve the future of the veterinary profession through faculty education. For more information on SEVEC, visit their website at sevec.vet.

Hussein El-Maghraby is Vice President of Education and Students Affairs, Benha University, Egypt and a Professor of Veterinary Surgery, Anesthesiology and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Hussein has also served as acting president of Benha University. Hussein has been a long-standing member of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Higher Education and Student Affairs that regulates and monitors higher education in Egypt.

As a Vice President of Education, he leads, supervises and monitors many committees and centers in Benha University that enhance its education policies and target its strategic directions. In addition, Hussein has been deeply involved in the development of higher education in the Middle East during the last 15 years.

Hussein earned his PhD in veterinary sciences under mutual supervision with the University of California – Davis and has published over 30 scientific articles in the field of Veterinary Surgery, Radiology and Anesthesiology in international and national journals. He has also authored five textbooks. Click here for a detailed article.

The European Board of Medical Assessors will present a virtual and sequential conference titled “Past, Present and Future Assessment in Medical Education Education” through a series of webinars from September 2020 through March 2021. The conference will include keynote addresses, symposiums on program assessment, a variety of academic presentations and posters. Q & A’s will be included and all webinars will be recorded and available for one year.

Conference details may be found in the digital conference handbook. All webinars will be supported by Skyros, a user-friendly platform which will facilitate discussion, sharing ideas and forging collaborations in real time.

The Virtual Conference will maintain the quality of education that EBMA is known to deliver and the virtual format will offer opportunities to continue to network and meet with your international colleagues.

The European Board of Medical Assessors (EBMA) consists of a group of European professionals who have expertise in assessment and/or have leadership roles in universities or other bodies concerned with medical education and training.

The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) presented AMEE 2020: The Virtual Conference September 7-9, 2020.

The conference featured a variety of programs focused on excellence in education in the health professions using a 3D virtual reality platform with registrants interacting through avatar.

AMEE is a worldwide organization with members in 90 countries on five continents. AMEE promotes international excellence in education in the health professions across the continuum of undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education.

For more information, click here.