Veterinarian Swedish University Of Agriculture Sigtuna, Sweden
Confidence Among Veterinary Students to Perform Canine Orchiectomy in Relation to Surgical Experience. Peck C1, Prabert J2, Enlund K1, Höglund O1. 1Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden; 2Uppsala Veterinärmottagning, Uppsala, Sweden.
Canine orchiectomy (COE) is commonly performed in veterinary surgery. The aim of this study was to assess veterinary students’ confidence to perform COE in relation to their previous experience of the procedure. The hypothesis was that confidence and willingness to perform COE amongst final year veterinary students increased after having participated in COE as part of surgical training. A cross-sectional study of veterinary students who had completed clinical rotation was performed. Students with varying amounts of experience of the procedure answered a questionnaire about their willingness to perform COE both with and without assistance. Data was compared using a non-parametric test. Out of the 65 responding students (response rate 83 %) 24.6% had performed the procedure, 47.7% had observed the procedure, and 27.7% had not seen nor performed the procedure. The confidence and willingness to perform the procedure without assistance was significantly higher among students who had performed or solely observed COE compared to students who had neither performed nor observed COE. A positive relationship between surgical training and confidence of veterinary students to perform COE was, in agreement with previous research, established. Study limitations were restriction to a single class of students and a single surgical procedure. No standardized self-confidence scale was used, which affected replicability. Practical experience of COE contributed to student confidence and willingness to perform COE, which shows the importance of practical surgical training during veterinary education.