Communication Skills In Undergraduate Veterinary Education In Germany - Approaches For The Development Of A Core Curriculum

Training of communication skills is not explicitly named in the curriculum of undergraduate veterinary medicine studies in Germany. With the aim of promoting the implementation of teaching and assessment formats for communication competences in veterinary medical education, a workshop for the development of approaches towards a core curriculum "Communication in veterinary medical education" was held in 2015.Through the World Cafe method, learning objectives, competencies of lecturers, rising of student awareness, timing, scope, curricular implementation and appropriate assessment formats were elaborated within different main topics.The results of the main topics are summarized in this article as a collection of ideas for a core curriculum.Students, lecturers and practitioners showed great interest and saw a need for training opportunities in the field of communication competences. This supports our findings and conclusion that an explicit consideration of the subject of communication in the German ordinance concerning the certification of veterinarians (TAppV) should be encouraged.Experiences and results from previous teaching events in the area of elective courses as well as continuing education can be used towards a successful integration of communication into the veterinary undergraduate curriculum in Germany. The curriculum should be integrated longitudinally, i.e. throughout the whole veterinary medical education rather than an add-on. Training should go beyond communication between veterinary practitioners and their clients. Moreover, students should be enabled to communicate appropriately, adapted to their role and given situation. This implies that students can perform adequately and establish a relationship with their counterparts. They should be able to structure a conversation, obtain and provide relevant information, adapted to the target audience, in a comprehensible way.