Tracking the Perceived Need for Clinical Communication Training in Veterinary Medicine Over Time: Bridging the Gaps Between Education and Practice

This chapter tracks the evolution of communication training in human and veterinary healthcare programs, from the earliest days when communication was perceived to be a soft skill. Today, graduates of colleges of veterinary medicine that are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) are required to train in communication to develop proficiency prior to graduation. Communication is best learned when applied alongside of other knowledge-based and hands-on skills. This chapter introduces the evidence for communication training in healthcare and highlights our program's approach to intentional scaffolding of this skill over two pre-clinical years (six consecutive semesters) in a three-year, year-round Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program.