The Clinical Skills Laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine opened

Phantoms of large animals on a scale of 1: 1, models for training the application of dressings or intravenous injections, innovative applications for virtual reality are just some of the modern teaching materials in the Clinical Skills Laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. On November 7, 2022, in the presence of representatives of state and local authorities, the Laboratory was officially opened.

The ribbon was ceremoniously cut by (order according to the photo above, from the left):

social advisor of the Minister of Education and Science Marek Konieczny, Voivode of Lublin Lech Sprawka, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Iwona Puzio, PhD, Associate Professor, Rector of the University of Life Sciences in Lublin Krzysztof Kowalczyk, PhD, DSc, ProfTit.

The laboratory equipped with real phantoms of animals will allow students, and future veterinarians, to practice key skills in their profession. As the Dean of the Faculty said, Iwona Puzio PhD, Associate Professor, the vast majority of graduates choose a professional path related to clinical practice, and therefore launching this type of laboratories in which clinical skills can be taught in a standardized manner is very important and allows for even better compliance with European standards. These include the accreditation of the European Association of Faculties of Veterinary Medicine (EAEVE), which the Faculty received until 2028.

“The need to maintain animal welfare and ethical issues limit the use of animals to learn the procedures necessary for the work of a veterinarian, hence the global trend and EAEVE requirements to divide this science into two stages. The first in laboratory conditions on models, and then the second on live animals. Such a model of education will also reduce the stress of students, allow for effective learning to remember based on pedagogical rules and ultimately contribute to the improvement of the quality of education. ” – explains Marta Kankofer, PhD, DSc, ProfTit, responsible for the project of creating the studio.

It is worth noting that it is also the first centralized veterinary laboratory in Poland, where students have the opportunity to train clinical skills on phantoms and models not only during regular classes provided for in the study program, but also individually in their free time.

The project, under which the “Skills lab” for students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine” was created, was financed by the Ministry of Education and Science from the state budget – “Investments related to education” – for the amount of PLN 1,673,580. The investment included, among others the purchase of phantoms and simulators for learning clinical skills, preparation of teaching materials (station descriptions, individual study kits) and adaptation of existing rooms.