Enhancing veterinary training through humane innovations

SynDaver’s ultra-high-fidelity canine intubation and upper airway trainer

SynDaver’s ultra-high-fidelity canine intubation and upper airway trainer

Our 18th 3Rs Webinar will take place on Wednesday, June 7, at 10 am New York/ 3 pm London/ 4 pm Berlin. Nick Jukes from the International Network for Humane Education (InterNICHE) will give a presentation titled ‘Enhancing veterinary education and training through humane innovations’.

The design and evolution of the curriculum for veterinary education and training involves choices about the methods employed to meet teaching objectives. Ensuring that these tools and approaches are the most appropriate requires clarity on teaching objectives and an awareness of developments in technology, educational practice and ethics. Harmful animal use, including animal experimentation and the dissection of purpose-killed animals, continues to be employed in some practical classes. However, innovative and fully humane methods – ‘alternatives’ – are now widely available and have been implemented in many university departments to achieve replacement and to enhance the acquisition of knowledge and skills. This transition reflects a growing commitment to best practice, recognition of the advantages of alternatives, and an appreciation of the need for efficient methods that can meet the demand for competence upon graduation.

Students and trainees can now learn through the use of a wide range of ethical tools and approaches. The non-animal tools include traditional and 3D-printed models; video and animations; virtual laboratories for physiology and pharmacology classes; virtual reality software and advanced synthetic cadavers, organs and tissue for hands-on clinical skills and surgery training; and scenario-based simulated clinics for classes including internal medicine and clinical pharmacology. The ethical approaches comprise work with animals, but with zero harm, or a positive impact on the individuals involved. They include supervised clinical learning opportunities with animal patients, and client donation programs to provide ethically sourced animal cadavers.

In this presentation, these methods are explored in detail, with a focus on teaching objectives. Some of the myths and misunderstandings concerning animal use will be uncovered and explained, and the lessons of the hidden curriculum identified. The interconnection between animal welfare education and alternatives is described, and their broader pedagogical, scientific, ethical, economic and environmental advantages are addressed.

Case studies of the development and implementation of these humane innovations are provided from university departments and producers at the forefront of progressive change in veterinary education and training. They are illustrated using footage from the new InterNICHE documentary film series DVM: Training the Animal Doctor. Through interviews, demos and student labs, the film demonstrates the feasibility of full replacement of harmful animal use across all disciplines. The impact of this curricular transformation is described for students, educators, the animals, the veterinary profession, and society itself. The presentation will show that such tools and approaches are often no longer considered ‘alternative’, but the norm.

Bio:

Nick Jukes is Co-ordinator of InterNICHE, the International Network for Humane Education. Nick has been working internationally for over 30 years to enhance education and training in medicine, veterinary medicine and the life sciences through replacement of animal experiments and dissection. He co-authored the book from Guinea Pig to Computer Mouse (2nd ed.) (InterNICHE, 2003) and has published widely on alternatives. He has helped establish a range of international resources including libraries of alternatives and the website www.interniche.org, with its databases of alternatives and academic studies. Nick has co-organised conferences and exhibitions across the world and InterNICHE activity has led to widespread direct replacement. Current projects include a documentary film on humane innovations and a book of case studies. Nick Jukes, InterNICHE and its partners have won a number of awards for provision of resources, global networking and replacement work, including the Lush Prize for Training.