Giving veterinary students an opportunity to learn procedures on patients poses a challenge when patient safety and optimal treatment outcomes are priorities. So the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine is pioneering a new approach: Using multimedia to develop and strengthen procedural skills in veterinary medicine.

Their first product is a six-hour, self-paced training DVD that focuses on peripheral nerve blocks in dogs, an approach that Luis Campoy, a lecturer of anesthesiology, helped to pioneer in veterinary medicine.

"Peripheral nerve blockade is a relatively new technique in veterinary anesthesia that significantly improves the ability to manage patient pain," said Campoy. "The procedure has many advantages over more traditional pain management techniques, including reducing the amount of anesthetic required during surgery (in fact, certain orthopedic surgeries, such as cruciate surgery, can be performed under conscious sedation), superior post-operative pain relief and quicker return to normal function. In the past, it's been very challenging to try to teach this procedure to students, residents and veterinarians. With this new course, we're finding it's much easier for them to understand the specific anatomy involved in the blocks, and we anticipate this will translate into a more rapid mastery of the techniques."

The DVD course, which includes a variety of 3-D models, videos and interactive objects, was developed by Campoy; Jodi Korich, director of Partners in Animal Health; and Abraham Bezuidenhout, senior lecturer of anatomy. The DVD course, Peripheral Nerve Blocks in the Dog, has been accredited by the RACE American Association of Veterinary State Boards.

The course, said Korich, provides an immersive learning experience. "The team designed the course to increase the efficiency at which students and veterinarians are able to master these clinical skills," said Korich. "This is the first step in a progressive series of new approaches that will ultimately provide more opportunities for students and clinicians to practice clinical procedures on a computer simulator, before performing them on patients."

The Cornell community can access the DVD course free of charge through the Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library. The public can purchase the DVD course online for $389.

"For practitioners who find it challenging to attend continuing education conferences, this type of computer-based continuing education represents an excellent alternative," said Lorin Warnick, associate dean for veterinary curriculum. "The course uses the latest in 3-D imaging and digital technology to help practitioners relate anatomy to the anesthetic technique that they are learning."

For more information about Partners in Animal Health or to access the Peripheral Nerve Blocks in the Dog DVD course, visit http://www.partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/product.

Stephanie Specchio is communications director at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.