Description The internal placement day consisted of an introductory talk with Halina Tombs covering her background and information on The National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists. The equine and canine demonstrations involved; taking a case history from the owner, a static assessment, gait assessment, palpation of the animal and treatment of the animal.
Feelings Sheldrake (2016) states that under-confidence in students may have a detrimental effect on motivation, I found after being disappointed with my OSPE that the placement day did increase my confidence and motivation. I left university feeling enthusiastic about coming home to write my reflection and research some of the topics covered in the day e.g. fibro myalgia which one of the dogs we assessed displayed.
Evaluation Halina gave information through demonstration and I found the delivery suited my learning style, Švarcová and Jelínková (2016) define learning style as “…the way in which the person approaches thinking and in which he or she best perceives and processes the information.” My learning style is embedded in my biological conditionality and difficult to change (Švarcová and Jelínková, 2016), having felt so pleased with the amount I gained during the placement day I am keen to start placement with a veterinary physiotherapist.
Analysis Detection of equine hind limb lameness relies on the identification of movement asymmetry (Starke et al, 2015), as an Equine Sports Massage Therapist I have previous experience in assessing horses, some of which have been lame. Unfortunately, due to recent injuries I have been unable to treat horses since September, the lack of practice has resulted in a loss of confidence when assessing horses, but this placement day reassured me that I am still capable to do so.
Conclusion The experience was highly beneficial, boosting my enthusiasm and confidence, as well as highlighting what I need to revise and research. This has enabled me to devise a study time-table to allow me to effectively manage my time which is only possible through self-motivation (Chitkara, Singhal and Aggarwal, 2014). References
Chitkara, N. Singhal, P. Aggarwal, P. (2014). Study Habits of Higher Performing Engineering Students: A Survey. International Journal of Computer Applications. 97 (2), 33-37.
Sheldrake, R. (2016). Confidence as motivational expressions of interest, utility, and other influences: Exploring under-confidence and over-confidence in science students at secondary school. International Journal of Educational Research. 76, 50-65.
Starke, S. May, S. Pfau, T. (2015). Understanding hind limb lameness signs in horses using simple rigid body mechanics. Journal of Biomechanics. 48 (12), 3323-3331.
Švarcová, E. Jelínková, K. (2016). Detection of Learning Styles in the Focus Group. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 217, 177-182.
