Partnering with veterinary students to enhance clinical workplace learning: development of a learning environment champions initiative

Abstract

Negative experiences in clinical learning environments (CLEs) lead to long-term consequences such as decreased confidence, reluctance to engage, and attrition from Veterinary programmes (Holt, Farrell and Corrigan, 2023). The Small Animal Hospital, a training site for final-year Veterinary students, immerses them in real-world clinical practice. As a potentially high-stress environment, measures to improve student psychological safety were implemented, with the launch of a Learning Environment Champions (LEC) initiative. Developed in response to student feedback, it encompasses a compassionate pedagogical approach involving staff and students working in partnership, with the aim of enhancing the CLE by promoting supportive and positive learning experiences. This case study describes the first year of the initiative, which is a system for monitoring student perceptions of, and experiences within, the CLE while simultaneously working to change the culture of the CLE by focusing on civility and psychological safety. Using an iterative cycle of feedback and improvement, developments included a new staff role, staff training, a hospital social contract, a process for student safeguarding, and student-led creation of resources. Reflective professional discussions highlighted that the initiative has built staff appreciation of the importance of a civil CLE, has positively influenced teaching and clinical support of students, but raised concerns of unintended consequences for LECs including compassion fatigue. The early phase of this initiative has created a support system for students during their practicum. Long term, this may help to significantly improve student perceptions of the CLE, thus improving the learning potential for this environment.