Peer support for pre-arrival

Peer support for pre-arrival: resource and support package for students of the BVM&S degree

Team members: Jessie Paterson, Kay Aitchison, Catriona Bell, Gura Bergkvist, Eoghan Clarkson, Susan Rhind

Abstract

Building on the successful R(D)SVS peer assisted learning scheme VetPALs, this project aims to expand VetPALs to pre-arrival. Like all students, Vet students can find the transition into Vet School challenging and stressful. Being accepted into Vet School has often been their aim from early childhood and the weeks prior to starting can be a worrying time with many anxious to get started on the course and get a “feel” for what the content is like.

The School introduced VetPALs in 2013-14 for all first years as a means of providing formalised peer support. This has been successful on many fronts with the first year students appreciating hearing from students who have recently been through first year. Expanding this to pre-arrival seems like a logical next step.

This student-led project will co-develop (and/or re-purpose) content to aid transition into Vet School and build this into a peer-support package for pre-arrival. Working with existing students and core teaching staff the student team will identify areas of content that lend themselves to pre-arrival and provide in-coming students with resources and materials to work on relating to the main subjects taught in first year. These materials will be built as a sustainable resource and support package within Learn with a peer-support an integral component.

Final Report

Final Report may be downloaded from here.  (This includes copies of poster presentations and other dissemination from this project.'  linked to attached pdf.)