Assessment methodVIVA Vocce Examination to Test Clinical Reasoning

At the completion of the third year of the BVSc curriculum, students are assessed for the ability to integrate the content they have learned and their preparedness to enter the clinical phase of the curriculum. Students are examined on two cases, one small animal and one large/production animal. The VIVA examination runs one hour and consists of two parts. During the first 30 minutes of the exam, students are presented with a photo or short video of a patient presenting with a clear abnormality (e.g. jaundice, lameness, seizure). Students begin by identifying the abnormality and creating a visual schema of the problem and the possible pathologic processes responsible for creating this clinical sign. Students then continue to a 30 minute oral examination (split equally between both cases) during which they are asked a serious of standardised rubric questions that follow the case through pathologic process, possible diagnoses, diagnostics, testing results, and therapeutics. An overall passing mark of 50% is required to pass the exam and it is a hurdle examination to pass out of 3rd year. Although this examination is clinical in nature, the procedures used to administer the examination and the structure of the rubric are widely applicable to other disciplines where assessment of a candidate's ability to follow a logical process and reason through a challenge is needed. It is used across VETS 3024, 3050, 3060, 3070 Courses.