The Veterinary Medicine Skillslab

How can we help students from Veterinary Medicine develop essential practical skills while paying attention to animal welfare? This includes skills such as placing bandages, sutures or injections. 

This is possible in the Skillslab of the Ghent University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, where models and simulators are used to help students practice in a calm and safe environment. 

The Skillslab is used every year by around 1,000 students. Starting in their second year, vets in training start learning basic skills such as handling animals, so they can go on to practice more complex procedures throughout the year, such as anaesthesia, or castration.

Want to make a donation to the Veterinary Medicine Skillslab?

Your donation to the Veterinary Medicine Skillslab will be used to purchase new models for students to practice before they do procedures on live animals. 

With your donation of €40 we can make eight silicone skins for practicing sutures. With a donation of €2000 we can buy a commercial simulator for practicing first aid on dogs.

We gratefully welcome donations to the Veterinary Medicine Skillslab – donations can be made via bank transfer to the account number BE26 3900 9658 0329, including the message “Skillslab DI". Your gift is tax deductible starting from €40 per year.

“The professionalism of veterinarians in Flanders is highly regarded, also abroad. The subjects taught in our programme at Ghent University are in line with what you will need later as a practicing vet. The Skillslab, where you practice techniques on ‘living’ dummies , can help you feel more confident in the later years, for example when you go on to work with live animals.” _{- Zakaria Grevisse, final year student, Veterinary Medicine}

More information about the Veterinary Medicine Skillslab?

Background information

The Veterinary Medicine Skillslab was established in 2016. The Skillslab team consists of a few enthusiastic vets who support the students while also themselves developing new models to provide training in as many skills as possible.

Aim

In the veterinary medicine programme, students have to learn different clinical skills ranging from placing bandages to sutures or injections. But of course learning these skills on test animals is not a responsible option in terms of animal welfare. Practising these skills for the first time (under supervision) on a sick animal can be disturbing for the patient and stressful for the student. This is why the Skillslab was established as a space where models and simulators can be used and where students can practice in a calm and safe environment.

Want to find out more about the Skillslab?

• Prof. Annelies Decloedt (contact person)
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
• Skillslab webpage, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
• Skillslab Facebook page

What else can I do?

• Support a fund through your legacy
• Organise a fundraiser or event to support the fund
• Want to set up your own fund?