| Unit name | Professional Studies 2 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | VETS24000 |
| Credit points | 0 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Blaxter |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
All other units in BVSc 2: Anatomy 2 ; Animal Health and Husbandry ; Parasitology and Environmental Science ; Physiology 2. |
| School/department | Bristol Veterinary School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
This Unit is vertically integrated with Professional Studies units in Years 1, 3, 4 and 5 and allows continuing development of an understanding of the complex issues and responsibilities associated with being a veterinary professional. Communication skills - Teaching facilitates the development of sound and effective face-to-face and verbal communication skills, primarily through reflective experiential practicals. Business management - This element explores how services and products are developed in a business environment and the complex factors that affect business success. The specific factors affecting an agricultural business associated with EMS experience is explored in detail. Study Learning and Investigation - The evaluation of effective personal study strategies continues in this element and the search for and evaluation of evidence in response to both research and clinical questioning is explored.
Aims:
Communication skills:
Students should be able to:
Describe the communication skills required to effectively gather and give information both face-to-face and on the phone.
Identify and analyse the use of these skills in their colleagues and themselves.
Reflect on their personal verbal communication skills and identify what changes might improve their effectiveness
Business management:
Students should be able to:
Describe the basic steps required to provide or develop services or products in a veterinary business environment.
Work in a group to identify the external factors (political, economic, sociological and technological) that operate on businesses of all sizes and apply this to a specific agricultural business.
Study, Learning and Investigation:
Students should be able to:
Search for information and evidence on line and from texts. Identify the type and level of evidence described in varying information sources.
Describe the distribution of data from different sources. Apply database searches to projects on biomedical research and/or clinical questions.
Reflect on their personal approach to studying and identify what changes might improve the effectiveness of their methods
Lectures, seminars, practicals, computer-assisted-learning, reflective journal
ASSESSMENT: To progress to the 3rd year, BVSc students must submit satisfactory coursework, assessed on a bimodal pass-fail basis, as follows:
1. A piece of cooperative course work on Business Management, produced as a Wiki which allows both individual and joint contributions to be visible
2. The online proforma on the filmed record of their communication skills.
3. Entries in their online Professional Studies portfolio, to be discussed with and assessed by the Unit Director and/or the personal tutor, of: a) an acceptable reflective journal entry on communication skills. b). an acceptable reflective journal entry on personal study methods. .
PROGRESSION
1. Business Management Wiki: Students will be given opportunities throughout Term 3 to resubmit unsatisfactory submissions. Failure to submit a satisfactory entry will result in failure to progress.
2. Communication skills: Specific information will be given to students on what constitutes acceptable submissions, which can be made (and if necessary repeated) at any time throughout the year. The Unit Director will monitor submission of these and give students opportunities to discuss unsatisfactory submissions prior to resubmission. Failure to submit a satisfactory entry will result in failure to progress.
3. Reflective journal entries: Following discussion with their personal tutor, students will be given opportunities throughout Term 3 to resubmit any unsatisfactory entries. Failure to submit a satisfactory entry will result in failure to progress.
4. To progress to Year 3 students must complete and submit Health and Safety risk assessments associated with all their preclinical EMS placements (which continue until the summer vacation after Year 2). These must be placed in the student’s Professional Studies portfolio as well as be submitted to the EMS Office.
