I never thought this academic year would come to a close so quickly! It only seems like a couple of weeks ago I was absolutely terrified walking into my first mammalian anatomy and physiology lecture of the year. I recall walking out of the hall panicking about how much we just learnt and how much we were going to learn. To think at the start of the year I didn’t even know where the bones were in a canine, to now knowing that B vitamins are digested in the colon and increase appetite and that the equine gracilis muscle in innovated by the obturator nerve (Budras., 2012).
When we were first told that we would be completing an e-portfolio throughout our entire first year, I failed to see how it would benefit me in any way, as I had never created my own website before. The portfolio became a challenging project. The factor that made the portfolio even more of a task was the reflective writing. I have never had to do much reflective writing in previous years, therefore I was puzzled at where to start. Once I had completed the first reflection on my canine handling skills I was able to see the skills I already had and the ones I needed to improve on. By identifying these weaknesses, I was able to set myself targets for improvement. I have had many years handling many different types and understood behaviour of horses therefore I felt I didn’t need to improve in these area as much.
By focusing on my canine handling skills throughout the first semester, I was able to pass both my canine and equine OSPE examinations. I spent many hours practicing routines and handling skills in preparation. I was not nervous when the exams days came around, I was able to be calm and the animals behaviour reflected that, as I have mentioned in my OSPE reflection. Without passing this exam I would not be able to move on from second year. It is an essential exam, that we are required to take in order to be able to handle animals safely and I am very pleased I was able to do it first time around. We were handling different breeds of canines whilst practicing for our exam and I was able to identify my animal Welfare Assignment topic of chondrodystrophic dogs. By conducting my own in-dept research about chondrodystrophy, I was able to develop my knowledge on the disorder. This will have benefits to me as a physiotherapist as I now know that they are prone to suffering from herniations in the spine that cause intervertebral disc disease(IVDD) (Davies., 2018). If I come across a canine that has a possibility of IVDD then I will be referring the animal to a veterinarian before proceeding with treatment.
Once I had reflected on my handling skills and seen the correlation between identifying my weaknesses, improving them and then passing both my exams, I started to understand how and why reflective writing is so beneficial for us a students. Zimmerman (2011) identified the importance of reflection and how self-regulated learning increases overall academic performance.
Having looked back on smaller tasks, I found it extremely discouraging when it came to reflecting on our overall performance in our first semester exams. I knew I had not performed as well as I could have done, however, whilst reflecting using the lecturers feedback combine with my own evaluation I began to see a pattern in where I was going wrong. As a more practical learner rather than academic learner, I find writing exams extremely challenging. From reflecting on how I had prepared myself for the exams, I have made the decision that for this semesters exams I will make use of the materials, such as quizzes and exam questions, that have been provided for us to develop on my writing technique. From completing the final exams reflection and the introduction to biomechanics reflection I was able to create a personal development plan (PDP). As I have mentioned in this artefact, a PDP is used by individuals and business to identify weaknesses and find way of improving them. As part of my PDP I conducted a SWOT analysis. This type of analysis requires you to identify your individual strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Whilst filling out the table I observed my main weaknesses and found ways to improve them, praised myself on my strengths, all in addition to realising how many incredible opportunities await me during this course and once I become a qualified veterinary physiotherapist.
During semester two, our main modules were Functional Anatomy and Canine and Equine Nutrition. Both topics are very detailed and were a massive step-up from what I thought was a challenging Semester One. Although in-depth, I found both modules a lot more interesting and could relate them more to our practical lectures and industry. For functional anatomy, there was a lot of background reading required to complete our formative assessment which came in the form of our work-book. The background reading meant that I had to add a reference for every book or article I used to complete the sheet. As it was a sheet that we were required to fill out, I was unable to use any of my own words (as I do when I write reflections, which reduces my referencing). By not using a tool to aid my referencing, at first I found it difficult to reference manually. However, with persistence I got the hang of it, learning how to reference will help me in the future as consequently with doing an Integrated Masters Degree I will be writing two dissertations (one in 3rd year and one in my 4th year), without being taught how to reference this early on, I would have definitely struggled which would have had a negative effect on my overall grade.
One of the last artefacts to complete was the Business Case Study for which I used my own Farrier; Ray Higgins (2019). I felt as thought this task would benefit me more if I researched another business in either the equine or canine industry. As a physiotherapist we will be required to work alongside many other specialists for the same patient. I chose a Farrier as previous to starting the artefact I attended a guest lecture from a Farrier. The benefits from a correctly fitted shoes is something, as a student physiotherapist and horse owner, I had never thought about before. Before statically and dynamically assessing a horse I now always check their feet and how they have been shot to see if the shoes or trim is the reason for a stance, or if there is anything that could be done to improve the stance (Davis, S., 2019). By speaking to individual businesses, it made me more aware of how they are run and what rules need to be followed in order to practice, be successful as well as financially safe. As one of my future goals is to run my own business, being given advice from people with experience is extremely beneficial in the early stages of my education and it prepares me for what’s to come. Speaking to both people about their businesses and the benefits of shoeing, it inspired me to think about possibly taking a farriery course once I have completed my Integrated Masters Degree, as I could identify and be able to solve issues that I might be related to poor or incorrect shoeing myself.
To conclude, this academic year has been a been challenging to say the least. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning all six modules. At the start of the year I could not imagine that I would develop a sense of feeling through my hands that would allow me to feel the difference in muscle tone and texture under the skin of an animal. I know I will walk away from my first year as a Veterinary Physiotherapy Student with a lot more knowledge on the subject than I initially had, regardless of my results. I am proud of what I have achieved this year and Ian looking forward to continuing my education and improving even more going into my second year by reflecting on my e-portfolio and final exam results.
I will continue to reflect on my work throughout the next three years in order to make sure I am improving academically and developing my knowledge. Overall, after practicing reflection, I am more motivated to maintain my work ethic in order to complete my degree in 2022 and leave Writtle University a confident, well qualified veterinary physiotherapist.
References
Budras, K.D.,(2012). Anatomy of the Horse. 6th ed. Schluetersche.
Davies Veterinary Specialists, (2018), Intervertebral Disc Herniation or “slipped disc” Fact sheet. [online]. Available at: https://vetspecialists.co.uk/fact-sheets-post/intervertebral-disc-herniation-or-slipped-disc-fact-sheet/. (Accessed: 25 March 2019)
Zimmerman, B.J., (2011), Handbook of self-regulation of Learning and Performance, 1st ed. P.1-52
Personal Communication
Higgins, R., (2019), Farriery conversation, Personal Correspondence [Phone Meeting]. Davis, S., (2019), Farriery, Conference, Personal Correspondence [Meeting]
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