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Community of practice in the Equine Hospital  (ST)

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Community of practice in the Equine Hospital  (ST)

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Our community in the Equine Hospital circulates around the concept of patient care. At the centre is the hierarchy of those performing patient care i.e. students, interns, residents, senior clinicians. Students are brought into this hierarchy to allow practical application and consolidation of equine skills. Allocated time slots (treatment times) are explained and responsibility is given to each student (the care of a patient). Those lower on the hierarchy interact with students the most: student to student interaction is encouraged on first principles, followed by student to intern, student to resident and then student to senior. All avenues of communication are open so that students don't feel intimidated to enquire as to how to complete a task, and they can receive the appropriate level of scaffolded learning as required.
The challenge with this format is that some more passive students avoid engaging in learning, performing the bare minimum requirement of tasks without acquiring the associated knowledge. In the context of a hospital, we can attempt to encourage learning by providing goals e.g. performing treatments and then having a more structured seminar. Frequent communication with students can help to identify more passive students or students that are over-challenged and not absorbing information e.g. students that are not familiar with horses and therefore are afraid to perform tasks. Checking in with how students are doing is something all members on the hierarchy attempt to do frequently. Interestingly, it is usually the interns whose teaching the students appreciate the most. The learning the interns provide is the most practical and least passive (they teach students how to perform treatments or concepts directly relating to cases on the hospital floor most commonly). This is arguably a nod to the value of contextual learning and learning from different types of individuals, rather than solely from the traditional individuals (senior clinicians).

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The core value at the center of my community is student learning.

These students can be a at a variety of different stages in their learning journey, for example summer school students, undergraduate and postgraduate learners.

At the center of my community circle diagram I have placed the teachers with the most student interaction. These are the academic lecturers who plan and deliver the course content in the learning environments (who are also Project student's main supervisors) as well as residents, clinical Pathologists and the students themselves who help their own peers to learn.

In the mid zone I have placed those who help facilitate student learning, for example the teaching technician team. These roles can involve some direct teaching interaction with students, but also indirect interactions such as writing health and safety forms, practical teaching Laboratory preparation and equipment ordering for students.

In the periphery I have placed community members who keep the administration systems working and the university building functioning, such as the cleaning and portering team, the IT team, student exams office and academic registry who organize student timetables.

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I was thinking within a university context what I would consider my community of practice. The VEEPH group within the RVC would be the clearest example, but because there are then sub-groups within VEEPH I suppose they could be considered a sub-community...?

I would consider the undergraduate students at the centre of the community along with the professors and lecturers within VEEPH.

The postgraduate students and post-docs would be in the mid-zone. A lot of postgraduate study is self-directed, so I suppose it may depend on how much the postgraduates interact with those at the centre as to whether they move towards that zone.

Those at the periphery would potentially be the administrators and (thinking within the VetCompass group) the software developers.

May have to think on this more and come back to it...!

(Camilla)

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As a postgraduate student, the main community of practice I engage with is the working lab environment. At the centre is generally the person who actively supervises the students on a day-to-day basis (e.g. the PIs, or another more senior lab members such as a post-docs or research fellows). These are the people who do the most 'teaching' as they are generally the most experienced.
In the periphery is the new students, either an undergraduate student or a new post-graduate student. These are the people that have the most to learn, but they can also very quickly move towards the mid-zone and teach other students in the periphery when they become more confident in their new skillset.
In the mid-zone is the post-graduate students who are further along their course, who still look towards those in the centre for advice, but don't need the every day teaching/supervision to perform their more basic, common tasks. They also are often acting as teachers towards those in the periphery.

While each individual lab group will have these roles (generally a supervisor and student at the minimum), the wider community is more important, with the different lab groups that occupy the same physical and/or scientific space often forming the whole community of practice. There is not one person who knows everything, but rather a large number of people who are very experienced and know a lot about a little, and a little about a lot, and are generally willing to disseminate their knowledge to others. As new members join, it is usually those in the centre that do the most initial teaching regarding the theories and practicalities of the lab work a new student will do, although it is often those in the mid-zone that end up providing more support for the learners in the long term as they are typically around them more. This helps the both the development of the learner and the teacher, slowly moving both more towards the centre.

-Anna

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Also as a lab based postgrad student my community of practice is also similar to Anna's. In the centre of the community is the supervisor/PI of the group. Then in the mid zones are the more experienced post grad students who are further through their course, plus any Post Docs or technical staff who have experience in the area. Then in the periphery zones are the less experienced and newer members of the group. These may be undergraduate students doing research projects with the group or postgraduate students. Each part of the community can learn from someone who is closer to the centre and you can move closer to the centre once more experience/knowledge is gained.

There are lots of lab groups which each have their own community, then lab groups within the same department/whose research areas are relevant to each other, also can interact, to help provide training and support to other groups. For example in a technique they specialise or have more experience in.
- Emily

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I have been considering the community of practice in the mycobacteria research group.

At the center are my two supervisors. One oversees the practical aspects/ real-world applications and the other directs the direction of the research and the "big-picture" work. I typically act as an intermediary between the two, sharing results between the two.

I am also in charge of the day-to-day running of the lab. Ensuring all reagents are ordered and mycobacteria are cultured. I also act as the link between students and the community center (the two supervisors) students will come to me asking for lab time, projects etc. and I discuss these with the center members.

Students will mostly learn from myself. Which many are surprised by because they  think the supervisor who advertised the project will be there point of contact. Occasionally students will work with the center community members but this is mostly to check their progress and check I am doing a good job.

Being a small group I was surprised by how independently people operate. On a daily basis there is little communication, most contact is by monthly (often longer) meeting.
-Chris

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I have been doing a computational project and working from home (I'm in my 2nd year). My day-to-day community of practice are my two supervisors. I would say, at the beginning of the PhD I was in the periphery and now I think I'm in the mid-zone, with both my supervisors at the centre.

I think I have moved towards the centre by improving my knowledge, showing outputs, and incorporating their feedback.

I expect to do some work in the lab in the coming months which will expand my CoP.

(Adriana)

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Nursing of patients and their welfare is the goal. If focusing on the SVN they would initially start with helpful tasks that are within their skillset. They are gradually pushed and progress - this is as their skills develop and equally their confidence/relationships with their colleagues. Directly above them would be their clinical coach usually followed by vets/senior memebers of staff.