“The SOFTVETS Competence Model” – a preliminary project report

Aim: Recent developments measured using statistics and surveys among veterinarians show that integrating key competence training into veterinary education is becoming increasingly important.

This article describes the collaborative development process of the first work package within the SOFTVETS project. The SOFTVETS project aims to create a competence model and an ideal version of a soft skills curriculum that can be implemented in veterinary higher education throughout Europe.

Method: In the course of a desk research phase, a literature review and an inventory of the current practice of key competence training within veterinary education was carried out. An initial set of recommendations for three competence areas was developed using the Handbook for Internal Quality Management in Competence-Based Higher Education. Finally, an alternating sequence of individual and collaborative expert reviews was carried out.

Result: Experts from five European countries participated in the process. The derived competence model consisted of the following three competence areas with the corresponding number of defined competences: ten communication, nine entrepreneurial and eight digital competences.

Conclusion: In the next work packages, learning objectives, teaching and assessment methods will be collected. Training concepts for facilitators to provide professional competence training will be established. In addition, an evaluation toolkit will be developed to standardise the implementation, evaluation and assessment of competence training events.

The SOFTVETS competence model should help educators to be able to integrate the training of key competence training into the veterinary curriculum. This detailed list of competences can also be used as a tool to identify existing deficiencies and thus enable further curricular changes.

Keywords: veterinary medicine education, communication, entrepreneurship, digital competences