A Scalable and Effective Course Design for Teaching Competency-Based Euthanasia Communication Skills in Veterinary Curricula

Abstract

Veterinary staff must be able to navigate end-of-life care with sensitivity and skill to create the best possible outcome for the patient, client, and veterinary team collectively. Despite the clear importance of euthanasia communication and procedural skills in veterinary practice, recent graduates of veterinary programs identified gaps between skills deemed important in clinical practice and skills emphasized in the curriculum. Little time is allocated to euthanasia procedural or communication training across the board in US veterinary programs. Thus, it is of paramount importance to establish intentional and well-designed instruction and assessment of euthanasia communication skills for veterinary trainees. A course on veterinary euthanasia communication skills was designed to emphasize themes and topics essential for a competent veterinarian. Through course evaluations, students expressed the sentiments that this course improved their euthanasia communication skills, that euthanasia communication skills are essential for their careers, and that the course content should be integrated into the core curriculum. This article presents a scaffold for the instruction and assessment of veterinary euthanasia communication skills in alignment with a competency-based veterinary education (CBVE) framework and outlines specific learning interventions used in the course that are scalable and may be extracted and incorporated into existing courses.

Defining a “Good Death”: Exploring Veterinarians’ Perceptions of Companion Animal Euthanasia

“…Despite the fact that most small animal practitioners will conduct numerous euthanasias over the course of their career, many veterinarians feel inadequately prepared by their veterinary school training. This is likely due to the low number of hours dedicated to the procedure in the curriculum [ 32 , 37 , 39 ]. While acknowledging that there is limited space within veterinary curricula, nevertheless we feel it important to insert more targeted euthanasia training that includes content related to both technical skills and client communication [ 37 ].…”

“…This is likely due to the low number of hours dedicated to the procedure in the curriculum [ 32 , 37 , 39 ]. While acknowledging that there is limited space within veterinary curricula, nevertheless we feel it important to insert more targeted euthanasia training that includes content related to both technical skills and client communication [ 37 ]. Veterinarians’ level of confidence in performing the medical procedure and managing communication components appears to increase during clinical practice years, through direct experience.…”

“…A similar perspective has been shared by other countries [ 15 ]. This has led many veterinarians to feel their preparation for both the technical and communication aspects of euthanasia is lacking [ 37 ]. This study was designed to explore the elements veterinarians feel are important in creating a positive euthanasia procedure for the patient and client.…”

Euthanasia and Pain in Canine Patients with Terminal and Chronic-Degenerative Diseases: Ethical and Legal Aspects

“…Therefore, communication with the owner is crucial to provide solutions, alternatives, and proper management depending on the case [ 43 ]. Although effective euthanasia communication with the guardian is essential for daily practice, it is one of the least prioritized skills in a veterinarian curriculum [ 44 ], but necessary to explain in which cases the health of an animal is threatened or will decline in a short period [ 45 ].…”