Case Study P: An Automated Approach to Managing Clinical Placements

At the University College Dublin School of Veterinary Medicine (SoVM), students on the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (MVB) undertake 24 weeks of clinical work placements off-campus. Known as clinical extra mural studies (CEMS) the module aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop their day-one competencies and to gain exposure to a variety of veterinary careers. On successful completion of the CEMS module students are awarded 40 ECTS credits. The CEMS module spans the final three years of the MVB programme, meaning the module coordinator and support team are responsible for monitoring the progress of nearly 400 students in any academic year. In addition, due to the nature of the module, students complete their 24 weeks of placements to meet their own individual learning plans which could conclude on the final day of the module. As a result the monitoring of individual student progress, at every level, at all times is critical to the success of the module and ultimately for students to complete their degree. Students self-identify appropriate placements across a variety of veterinary work environments, e.g. small animal, equine, meat plant, research work, etc. Students must apply to the SoVM for approval before undertaking each placement. Once approved students must complete the placement and submit a workplace assessment form within 30 days. The assessment form is completed by their nominated placement supervisor, but it is the responsibility of the student to ensure this form is successfully completed and submitted to the SoVM for verification. Prior to September 2015 all CEMS application and assessment forms were in paper-based format, which required an administrator to digitise submissions into a variety of Excel spreadsheets. From September 2015 onwards, two new online systems were introduced which mandated students to submit all CEMS forms online, thereby automatically generating a database of student activity from which the module coordinator and support staff could export a variety of reports for analysis.