Veterinary parasitology teaching at London - Meeting the 'Day-One Competency' needs of new veterinarians

Distance Education for Supporting “Day One Competences” in Meat Inspection: An E-Learning Platform for the Compulsory Practical Training of Veterinarians

Obtaining a Veterinary Surgeon degree relies on the acquisition of “Day One Competences” (DOCs), among which professional skills related to meat inspection are acquired during visits to abattoirs. In 2020, lockdown measures due to COVID-19 pandemic limited on-site practical training. The present study describes the creation of an e-learning course on bovine and swine slaughtering as an alternative tool for compulsory DOCs achievement within the course “Inspection and control of food of animal origin” during the fourth year of the Veterinary Medicine degree program (Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Pisa). Academics and external professionals took part on the planning and development of the learning material. Video pills, consisting of shooting of the slaughtering coupled with trainers’ descriptive explanations, were produced. The perceived effectiveness of course contents, trainers’ communication skills and technical quality were assessed with a questionnaire. The developed e-learning platform consisted of four main sections (Introduction, Swine slaughtering, Bovine slaughtering and Additional topics), integrated by multiple-choice questions for the student’s self-assessment. According to students’ assessment, the platform, of high technical quality, effectively condensed contents on meat inspection. Despite the unique and irreplaceable role of practical training in the achievement of the professional skills included in the veterinary curriculum, the e-learning course may concur in providing DOCs and is in line with the adoption of a modern teaching model where e-learning resources engage students in deeper learning approaches.

Knowledge and perception on ticks and tick-borne diseases among veterinary medicine students from the North African countries of Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia

Ticks are important vectors of both animal and human pathogens. The epidemiology of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) has dramatically changed in several regions in the world. As parasitology is a continuously growing field, assessing the knowledge of veterinary medicine students provides useful indicators and information on the level of intervention required to adapt parasitological courses to meet the demands in a changing world.

This study aimed to assess, in three North African veterinary education establishments, the basic parasitology knowledge of veterinary medicine students. Such a study is essential to build up core competencies regarding ticks and TBDs, and to suggest suitable adjustment measures to parasitology courses.

The present study was based on a self-administered and anonymous questionnaire on ticks and TBDs basic knowledge and perception. The survey was completed by 558 veterinary medicine students in Algeria, Egypt, and Tunisia in 2018. The students were divided into two groups: the “before” group – students who had not yet completed the parasitology course, and the “after” group – students who had already completed it.

In all studied countries, the “after” students' group gave significantly more correct answers (83.16%) than the “before” students' group (16.84%) (p < 0.001). Similarly, the percentage of “no answer” was higher in the “before” students' group (51.02%) compared to the “after” students' group (48.98%) (p < 0.001). The most frequent false answers provided by the “after” students' group regarded the number of tick species present in their own countries (5.14% of correct answers), and the most common tick species in their countries (18.11% of correct answers).

Almost 58.38% (216/370) of the “after” students' group knew that ticks transmit zoonotic pathogens to humans; among them, only 63 (29.17%) gave the correct names of the zoonotic diseases in their country.

Among the three countries, more than 80% of the “after” students' group thought that climate has an influences on ticks. According to this group, the most frequent factor that has influences on ticks' abundance is heat (53.02%).

As North African countries share several similitudes, we suggest creating a network of parasitological teachers where common teaching sources and resources could be developed for both teachers and students in the region. This network would allow the exchange of teaching approaches and materials to introduce harmonization into veterinary parasitological courses across North African countries. This is particularly important when considering the increasing incidence of ticks and TBDs in the region.