CVS has co-presented a Vet Ed workshop with the University of Bristol to explore the teaching of contextualised care during student placements in practice.

Senior educators came from both UK and international veterinary and nursing schools to discuss and agree approaches to teaching contextualised care in first opinion practice for the first time. 

The workshop aimed to give delegates an understanding of what contextualised care is and why it is important.

It also covered the types of clinical training settings that are conducive to supporting contextualised care learning.

Delegates then discussed the challenges associated with contextualised care learning in community-based clinical training settings.

They included: perceived conflicts between educational and commercial interests, a lack of previous formal teaching of contextualised care (during education), and the absence of established culture (and experience) of undergraduate teaching in clinical practice.

Workshop co-presenter and CVS’ Equine Development Lead Charlotte Sinclair, said: “Most veterinary graduates will enter primary care practice upon graduation and we know the majority of new graduates and employers agree that graduates are not prepared to practice contextualised care. The consequences of not being prepared include a tension between presumed ‘gold standard’ and the realities of practice, stress and moral distress.

“We hope that our landmark workshop will go some way towards helping trainers to support graduates in developing authentic communication skills, building client rapport, creating shared decision making, and being outcome focused. As true contextualised care relies on all of these skills.”

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