Use of a Clinical Skills Training Center to Supplement a Distributive Model of Education in a Veterinary Technology Program

Authors

Megan Taliaferro, Tidewater Community CollegeFollow

Author Bio(s)

Megan Taliaferro is the program director of Tidewater Community College's Veterinary Science department. She graduated from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. After practicing for 13 years in general practice and emergency medicine, she began the Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary Technology programs at TCC. She was responsible for the creation, implementation, and national accreditation of both programs. The veterinary technology program is the first newly accredited veterinary program in Virginia in over 40 years.

Abstract

A distributive model of education has recently become a popular method for training veterinary technicians in the United States. Although this model has significant benefits, such as decreased cost of program infrastructure, there are significant challenges in managing students and their clinical skill acquisition using private veterinary hospitals. A clinical skills training center was implemented at Tidewater Community College to address a main shortcoming of the distributive model, namely the lack of specialized training models at outside hospitals. Based on survey findings, both students and clinical mentors found the veterinary technology clinical skill training center to be a beneficial addition for student clinical skill acquisition.

Recommended Citation

Taliaferro, M. (2023). Use of a Clinical Skills Training Center to Supplement a Distributive Model of Education in a Veterinary Technology Program. Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 26 (1). Retrieved from https://commons.vccs.edu/inquiry/vol26/iss1/7