title: Training in animal handling for veterinary students at Charles Sturt University, Australia.
abstract: Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia, is responding to a national need for veterinarians with the skills and attributes to fulfill roles in rural practice and the large-animal industries. Rural practitioners must competently and confidently handle a range of large animals if they are to build a relationship of mutual trust with clients and deliver effective animal-health services. Training in animal handling begins in the first year of the course with highly structured small-group practical classes involving cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, pigs, poultry, and laboratory animals (rats and mice). Other experiences with animals in the first three years build on basic animal-handling skills while performing other veterinary activities. Students who provide documented evidence of prior animal-handling experiences are admitted, and learning and teaching strategies aim to enhance skills and knowledge. Rigorous examinations use a competency-based approach prior to extramural placements on farms and in veterinary practices. A continuing process of evaluation, review, and refinement will ensure continual improvement and graduate veterinarians with strong skills in animal handling.
authors.affiliation: Charles Sturt University, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, Wagga Wagga, Australia. haustin@csu.edu.au
authors.forename: Heidi E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.forename: Jennifer H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hyams
authors.forename: Kym A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Abbott
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004520:Education, Veterinary; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population; D013663:Teaching; D014495:Universities; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000379:methods