Veterinary medicine students face the challenge of acquiring diverse clinical skills, from bandaging to sutures and injections. These so-called “Day One skills” should be acquired by the end of their undergraduate studies, and are essential for their future practice. Traditionally, teaching clinical skills followed a “see one, do one, teach one” approach, in which veterinary students learn by practicing on animal patients under guidance in a clinical environment. The ethical concerns associated with practicing on live animals and the stress imposed on both students and sick animals during initial skill acquisition necessitate alternative training methods. Therefore the Skillslab at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, was established in 2016. Led by Prof. Annelies Decloedt, the Skillslab team, comprised of dedicated veterinarians, focuses teaching clinical skills using simulators. This also includes creating and enhancing models and simulators for students to practice.

Various "home-made" models have been developed in the skillslab for training clinical skills. However, interactive training opportunities are limited for teaching the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, a critical skill for veterinary students and everyone working with laboratory animals. Fifth-year veterinary students receive training on anesthesia skills, including machine preparation, leak testing, intubation, and patient monitoring. However, the monitoring aspect lacks interactivity, limiting students to static examples.

To address this gap, the Skillslab team explores the integration of the "Open VetSim" platform developed by Cornell University into the anesthesia skills lab. Open VetSim is an open-source, scenario-based immersive simulation platform for veterinary training, offering a dynamic and interactive environment. The software controls a simulated patient monitor with parameters such as ECG, ETCO2, SpO2, non-invasive blood pressure, and temperature. The teacher can modify values directly or pre-program scenarios, allowing students to observe dynamic changes and encounter abnormal situations. The adoption of VetSim in the anesthesia skills lab holds promise for enhancing the educational experience. When learning about monitoring, students can transition from static examples to dynamic screens that mirror real-life scenarios. In a subsequent phase, the potential for immersive simulations arises, combining VetSim software with hardware in a simulation dog. This advanced simulation can replicate heart and lung sounds, pulse, chest movements (spontaneous breathing), and detect chest compressions and manual ventilation.

The educational intervention using immersive simulation will be evaluated using a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics, including students' progress in mastering anesthesia skills, students' understanding of monitoring and anesthesia principles and students' perceptions, experiences, and insights regarding the realism, engagement, and overall effectiveness of the VetSim-enhanced anesthesia skills lab.