Analysis of the first‐time pass rate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care certifying examination (2010–2015)
OBJECTIVES
To disseminate information regarding the annual pass rates for the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) certifying examination. To compare the first-time pass rates (FTPR) of ACVECC residents trained in academic and private practice settings.


DESIGN
Retrospective study.


SETTING
ACVECC examination.


ANIMALS
None.


INTERVENTIONS
None.


MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Anonymized ACVECC examination performance data from 2010-2015 inclusive were analyzed. Overall pass rates and FTPR were calculated for all candidates and categorized by type of residency training program. The overall pass rate for all candidates was 64.3%. The median pass rate for the 6-year period was 63.8% [IQR 59.3-67.3%]. The FTPR for residents trained in academic programs was significantly higher than for residents trained in private practice (77.1% vs 47.2%, P < 0.0001). When residents were subdivided by species-focus of training program, there was no significant difference between academic versus private practice training programs for large-animal candidates (P = 0.2), but there remained a significant difference between residency training programs for small-animal candidates (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Between 2010 and 2015 residents trained in academic training programs were significantly more likely to pass the ACVECC certifying examination compared to those trained in private practice training programs. The causes of this difference are uncertain, are likely multifactorial and warrant further investigation.
Prospective investigation of factors associated with success on the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care certification examination (2016-2018).
OBJECTIVE
To assess the association of candidate attributes and residency training factors with success on the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) board certification examination and to develop multivariable models of first-attempt success.


DESIGN
Prospective survey-based study.


SETTING
Post-assessment ACVECC examination candidates.


ANIMALS
None.


INTERVENTIONS
None.


MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Comprehensive surveys were distributed to ACVECC examination candidates in 2016 to 2018 after completion of their assessments, but prior to publication of examination results. Unique anonymous candidate identification numbers were used to match survey responses to outcome data from the office of the ACVECC Executive Secretary. After curation to retain only the first response from each candidate, there were 97 unique candidate responses available for analysis. Univariate analyses identified multiple factors associated with first-attempt success and multiple differences between academic and private practice residency programs. Multivariable logistic regression modeling suggested that 5 factors were independently associated with first-attempt success on the ACVECC examination, specifically younger age, more weeks of study prior to the examination, training at a facility with more ACVECC Diplomates, training at a facility with more ACVECC residents, and having no requirement to manage both Emergency Room (ER) and Critical Care (CC) cases simultaneously.


CONCLUSIONS
Numerous resident and training center factors are associated with success in the ACVECC board certification examination. Residents and training centers might be able to use these data to enhance training, but caution must be exercised because these data are associative only.
Teaching learning disability to undergraduate medical students
The education of doctors shapes their professional identity: who they are and how they practise. Where does the issue of learning disability fit in? What is it and of what factors should doctors in training be aware?

The training of medical students has been defined by the General Medical Council (