Pre-clinical Skills: The Building Blocks of Surgical Success

Learning foundational surgical skills requires different study and preparation techniques than traditional didactic learning. Incorporating hands-on skills, anatomical and physiological knowledge, the ability to organize a team, and critical thinking strategies in the face of high pressure are necessary for practitioner competence in the operating room, regardless of the complexity of the surgical procedure. This lecture focuses on the foundations for building a practice-ready veterinarian who is comfortable and competent in surgical skills with an emphasis on pre-clinical skills training. A spiral curricular model is presented with examples of hands-on teaching using models, simulators, and ethical use of live animals reinforced with didactic and problem-based learning. Special attention is given to the need for collaboration between general practitioners and surgery-boarded educators with input from external stakeholders.