Transforming Education

The RVC Alumni Fund helps bring learning to life. New teaching equipment ensures students are ready to practice their clinical skills on live animals. With your help we can continue to improve the learning experience.

Clinical Skills Centre gains new ultrasound

The Scan IQ Ultrasound Phantom enables students to learn how to perform an ultrasound without the need for a patient. Being able to practise skills in a safe and stress-free environment helps build student proficiency and confidence. The ultrasound is used by BVetMed and Veterinary Nursing students. They learn basic principles and gain practical skills before they progress to scan live patients.

The new ultrasound enables students to learn:

psychomotor skills
probe positioning
3D spatial relationships
and screen orientation.

Access to online training

The ultrasound includes a training course that can be accessed remotely. This was used to create virtual resources which were made available on Learn, our online learning platform. During the COVID-19 pandemic, students followed the training activities virtually. Being able to learn how to use the ultrasound in advance of seeing the device, meant they were well-prepared once in-person teaching resumed. Students can refresh their knowledge at any time by accessing the virtual resources.

Future Prospects

The Clinical Skills Centre is available for students to practice their skills for their exams, rotations, and placements – improving veterinary care for future generations. Feedback has been very positive and students value being able to revisit their diagnostic imaging skills whenever they need. For example, students on rotations at the RVC’s Queen Mother Hospital for Animals have come in to use the ultrasound. The Centre plans to run extra practical sessions with the diagnostic imaging team for final year BVetMed and Veterinary Nursing students. As the ultrasound is learner-friendly they also hope to incorporate the teaching earlier in the BVetMed curricular.