Shelter medicine rotations help students rethink care for underserved communities: a qualitative analysis of veterinary student reflective journals.

Community-based shelter medicine rotations develop essential soft skills and cultural competence in veterinary students.

This qualitative study analyzed reflective journals from 53 veterinary students who completed shelter medicine rotations at the University of Pennsylvania between 2015-2019. Using collaborative qualitative content analysis, researchers identified eight major themes reflecting student learning experiences. Key findings demonstrated that students underwent significant perspective shifts regarding pet owners, developing enhanced cultural humility and contextualized decision-making skills. Both the duration and diversity of community engagement experiences contributed to acquisition of critical soft skills including social competence and emotional intelligence. The research emphasizes that structured, reflective, community-based experiential learning can effectively challenge traditional veterinary education paradigms and address the hidden curriculum. Findings suggest integrating sustained and ethically grounded community engagement into veterinary curricula better prepares graduates to serve underserved populations and navigate complex social contexts. This educational approach demonstrates measurable impact on professional development beyond technical competencies.

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