Anatomy knowledge is vital for the development of any veterinary physiotherapist (MCGOWAN et al., 2007)  The detailed knowledge of anatomy helps to determine the best course of action for a condition.  Without a compressive and extended knowledge of the anatomy of our client, we would not be able to assess the client properly or to find what Is the problem or create a plan for the client and give them solutions and treatment.

 

The knowledge in this field is the most important tool that a veterinary physiotherapist has.  

My experience with animal Anatomy is practically nil. Although I do have experience with human anatomy as I am a Nurse and in my training. I  had to gain anatomical knowledge of the human body during my BSc in Nursing Science. . This has given me the experience of the way I should study animal anatomy more efficiently, seeing on my PDP.

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The gold standard for learning anatomy is dissections (Ashdown et al., 2013), although it has been shown that dissection classes can produce in student high level of stress and anxiety (Romo Barrientos et al., 2018).  In my case, I did not feel any stress or anxiety, I was very excited about it because I knew it was the best way to see all the parts of the anatomy in horses and dogs. 

My issue was COVID 19 pandemic as all the classes on-site got delayed and some of them change it to online. Feedbacks from the previous assignment got delayed, causing me more stress. As the longer you wait for feedback, the less optimistic you become (Shepperd et al., 1996)

 

Online classes can affect directly student motivation, understanding of the material and decrease in communication level (Alawamleh et al., 2020).

I am writing this reflection with the experience of only one dissection day ( equine spine), online classes and knowing I am not going to be able to attend the next dissection day scheduled for April. This fact has caused me a high level of stress and anxiety. I feel scared of not be able to learn anatomy properly or not be able to pass the practical Anatomy exam. 

My plan to achieve the desired knowledge in Anatomy and reduce my levels of stress and anxiety is to delay the onsite session until I am able to travel. I have achieved this goal with the professor’s help, who have been very patient and comprehensive. Also, I am working with my peer gaining feedback from them, increasing the work quality (Allen, 2015)

 

I feel more confident about the anatomy knowledge I need to gain after making my Personal Development Plan. I am also aware of my anatomy knowledge level for the second year will be slightly lower than expected due to the pandemic, but I have the plan to review all the Anatomy during summertime and I have to arrange some private classes with a Veterinary friend who is going to help me to review the Anatomy. In this manner, I will feel more confident in my second year. 

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REFERENCES

 

Alawamleh, M., Al-Twait, L. and Al-Saht, G. (2020) The effect of online learning on communication between instructors and students during Covid-19 pandemic. Asian Education and Development Studies. ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print)

 

Allen, D. (2015) ‘Personal and procedural factors in peer feedback: A survey study’. Komaba Journal of English Education, 5 p.47.

 

Ashdown, L., Lewis, E., Hincke, M. and Jalali, A. (2013) Learning Anatomy: Can Dissection and Peer-Mediated Teaching Offer Added Benefits over Prosection Alone?. ISRN Anatomy. 2013, pp.1-4

 

MCGOWAN, C., STUBBS, N. and JULL, G. (2007) Equine physiotherapy: a comparative view of the science underlying the profession. Equine Veterinary Journal. 39(1), pp.90-94

 

Romo Barrientos, C., José Criado‐Álvarez, J., González‐González, J., Ubeda‐Bañon, I., Saiz‐Sanchez, D., Flores‐Cuadrado, A., Luis Martín‐Conty, J., Viñuela, A., Martinez‐Marcos, A. and Mohedano‐Moriano, A. (2018) Anxiety among Medical Students when Faced with the Practice of Anatomical Dissection. Anatomical Sciences Education. 12(3), pp.300-309

 

Shepperd, J., Ouellette, J. and Fernandez, J. (1996) Abandoning unrealistic optimism: Performance estimates and the temporal proximity of self-relevant feedback. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 70(4), pp.844-855

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