The iVTG: also an appropiate veterinary progress test?

Abstract

Progress testing is not common in the curriculum of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht, although medical curricula are used to this form of testing. The medical curricula in the Netherlands have the interuniversity Progress Test of Medicine [in Dutch: ‘interuniversitaire VoortgangsToets Geneeskunde’], also known as the iVTG. Both veterinary and medical curricula prepare students in a comparable structured pre-clinical Bachelor, therefore this iVTG could be also an appropriate veterinary progress test. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the results of third-year veterinary students compared to the results of third-year medical students on the overall iVTG and on different disciplines and categories of the iVTG. The second aim of the study was to research if the iVTG databank could (partially) be used as a question databank for a veterinary progress test.

The comparison between third-year veterinary students (VET) and their third-year medical counterpart students (MED) provided insight in the level of similarity between their knowledge and competences. VET scored lower on the overall iVTG and on categories of the iVTG when compared to MED, but do have the same or even better score on specific disciplines of the iVTG. Prior to the test, the questions of the iVTG tests were scored by relevance to veterinary students’ knowledge and understanding, as described in the veterinary program outcomes. Based on the significant similarity in scores between VET and MED on questions in relevance category 1, especially in disciplines like ANA, BCG, EMS and FY, the iVTG could partially be used as a databank for a veterinary progress test. Progress testing in the veterinary curriculum was found useful by veterinary students.