Veterinary Medical Education Division

Student experience

At the R(D)SVS the student experience goes hand in hand with academic learning. VMED has a strong role in promoting and ensuring that our students have a student experience that is fit for purpose.

Through funded research, the team have explored the needs of students and evaluated the usefulness of various interventions. This has included work around mindset and psychological wellbeing, developing and evaluating a Peer Support system, as well as exploring the use of peer-generated resources to aid transition into University.

Selected projects

  • Peer support for pre-arrival: resource and support package for students of the BVM&S degree.
  • Development and evaluation of a contextualised intervention to embed resilience training.
  • Exploring the understanding and development of human empathy in undergraduate veterinary students.

Key staff members

  • Kirsty Hughes
  • Jessie Paterson
  • Susan Rhind
  • Stacy Spielman

Selected outputs

Paterson, J., Keys, C., Phillips, K., Yntema, M., MacKay, J. “Peer-Led Academic Support for Pre-Arrival Students of the BVM&S Degree Program” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (2019) doi.org/10.3138/jvme.1017-149r

Whittington, R.E., Rhind, S., Loads, D., Handel, I. “Exploring the Link between Mindset and Psychological Well-Being among Veterinary Students” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (2017) 44(1) 134-140

Spielman, S., Hughes, K., Rhind, S. “Development, Evaluation, and Evolution of a Peer Support Program in Veterinary Medical Education” Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (2015) 42(3) 176-183