Veterinary students worldwide have received world-class online training during the Covid-19 lockdown, supported by our team of experts.
Our veterinary team has always played an active role in teaching the next generation of veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, farriers and equine dentists.
Our Senior Veterinary Surgeon and education lead Alex Thiemann was quick to step in and offer support after being asked to help students with 'Extra-Mural Studies' (EMS) during the lockdown. EMS help to prepare veterinary students for work in clinical environments.
Our team put together a suite of resources suitable for pre-clinical and clinical students. The resources included webinars, fact sheets, narrated power points, weblinks and case studies.
Some students attended seminars over Zoom led by our veterinary surgeons. The seminars aimed to teach how to treat donkeys and the vital role they play in supporting the livelihoods of 500 million people internationally.
Alex says: "In a normal year, we would devote many hours to hands-on teaching at our state of the art donkey hospital or would spend time at universities and colleges in the UK and abroad.
"It's really important to us that we share our expert knowledge on donkey welfare and care with the next generation of veterinary professionals. Covid-19 means we have to work differently to deliver this support, taking our teaching online to reach 1,000s of students."
Initially requested by the University of Nottingham, the free resources helped benefit students from as far away as Massey in New Zealand, and Guelph in Canada.
Professor Sarah Freeman, from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham, said: "We are hugely grateful to The Donkey Sanctuary for sharing their fantastic resources and expertise.
"It has been a difficult time for the students with so many opportunities and practical experiences cancelled. Being given access to a range of excellent resources and their staff's advice and expertise, and learning more about donkeys and the amazing work that The Donkey Sanctuary does has been a real positive experience in challenging times."
