Effective Study Strategies for the Veterinary Technicians National

Effective Study Strategies for the Veterinary Technician’s National Exam (VTNE) Steven I Mc. Laughlin DVM, MPH, DACVPM steve@zukureview. com www. zukureview. com

A Story Once upon a time, there was a world called veterinary medicine, covered in many forests. One forest was called “Dogs”; another “Pigs” and so on. In the Dog forest, there were many trees. One tree might be called “Radiology” and another called “Anesthesia”. On that anesthesia tree might be a single leaf called “isoflurane” One day, a good-hearted but near-sighted student wandered into the Dog forest, and got so engrossed studying a leaf on a single tree that she got lost, and a big bad wolf called VTNE came and ate her. The End

The need for speed It is time to go fast, people. • The goal is not to know everything • The goal is not to get every question right • The goal is to pass In the forests of knowledge, let this be your map

The 3 most effective things you can do • Do practice questions that are as much like the real VTNE® as possible (~50%) • Study notes, books with images (~50%) • Leave 2 -3 weeks free before VTNE to RE-do test-mode tests and review notes

This presentation • VTNE Structure • Test-taking strategies • Study Strategies (hitting the books)

VTNE Structure • 170 Multiple choice questions • 3 hour test – About 1 minute per question • 20 questions are “pilot” items – Not scored – Cannot tell which questions are “pilot” – Being evaluated for use in future VTNE exams • The clock doesn’t stop once you begin your test – Can take short breaks, but clock is still ticking Source: VTNE Candidate Bulletin http: //www. aavsb. org/VTNE/Candidate. Handbook/

VTNE Practice Domains • • • Domain 1. Pharmacy & Pharmacology ~18 Qs (12%) Domain 2. Surgical Nursing ~17 Qs (11%) Domain 3. Dentistry ~10 Qs (7%) Domain 4. Laboratory Procedures ~18 Qs (12%) Domain 5. Animal Care and Nursing ~33 Qs (22%) Domain 6. Diagnostic Imaging ~10 Qs (7%) Domain 7. Anesthesia ~24 Qs (16%) Domain 8. Emergency Medicine/Critical Care ~10 Qs (6%) Domain 9. Pain Management/Analgesia ~10 Qs (7%) 150 Qs* (100%) *Remember: There actually 170 questions total, but 20 “pilot” questions don’t count. You won’t know which ones are the pilot questions. Source: VTNE Candidate Bulletin http: //www. aavsb. org/VTNE/Candidate. Handbook/

Worth Remembering on Test Day • Must show up 30 minutes early – Must have Authorization to Test (ATT) letter w/ unique i. d. number – Must have identification • Photo-i. d. with name (ie: driver’s license, passport, military i. d. ) • Name on i. d must match ATT name • i. d. must not be expired • No personal belongings allowed in test room – No calculator, cell phone or digital watch – No food or drink – No backpack, brimmed hats, purse or coat • What is allowed ? – Erasable whiteboard provided for calculations – Some people bring earplugs Source: VTNE Candidate Bulletin http: //www. aavsb. org/VTNE/Candidate. Handbook/

Study Smarter • Start with a calendar – Map out your study plan, week by week – Make test prep part of your routine • 1 st Pass: from now through July 5 – All study-mode tests – Make or study summary notes with IMAGES! • 2 nd Pass: last 2 -3 weeks before VTNE® – RE-DO all questions in timed test-mode – Review summary notes, books

VTNE Prep: Top 3 Useful Tools 1. Get one good book Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, Mc. Curnin and Bassert 8 th edition 2. Do practice questions regularly • Workbook for Clinical Textbook for Vet Techs, 8 th ed. , Mc. Curnin and Bassert’s • Zuku Review • • • Question of the Day http: //zukureview. com/vtne/qod VTNE course http: //zukureview. com/vtne/subscriptions/ AAVSB self assessments for VTNE http: //aavsb. ucertify. com/ 3. Tune up with a good review VSPN VTNE Review • • • A live, online class with practice questions, notes and a forum. Taught 3 X/year by experienced and highly credentialed technicians. Comprehensive and very well done. http: //www. vin. com/CE/TECH 120 -0913_VSPN. htm

Prep strategies for VTNE The 50: 50 rule Practice testing ~50% Study ~50% -ROUTINE 4 -6 days a week -Hit the books -Write summary notes -REVIEW those NOTES Goal: Finish practice testing, complete notes 2 -3 weeks before the test

“It is not enough to be a good chess player, you must also play well. ” -Savielly Tartakower

Practice testing for VTNE: ~50% of your time “You don't get ready for a marathon by reading a book about it. You put on your running shoes and run. ” -Dr. Zuku

Multiple choice tricks of the trade • The Good News Correct answer is GUARANTEED to be among the choices • The Bad News You WILL hit questions you don’t know Common mistake: Spending MOST of your time on questions about which you know the LEAST. • Key to success: Train yourself to MAKE CHOICES and then MOVE ON.

Multiple choice tricks of the trade • READ the question first (DON’T look at answers) • PREDICT the answer (protects you from distractors) • Is your answer the best of the choices ? If “Yes” SELECT it and move on • Unsure of the correct answer ? ELIMINATE wrong ones, choose from what’s left, and MOVE ON

“What if I don’t think this system will work for me ? ” Do what works for you. “How do I know when I should I change an answer ? ” Stick with your first answer unless you recognize that it is clearly not correct - studies show that changed answers are more frequently wrong. “I am clueless about chickens/cardiology/box turtle halitosis, what do I do? ” Read, Predict, Eliminate, Select -The correct answer is guaranteed to be among the choices. Whittle the choices down to as few as possible and guess.

Sources of practice questions 1. Books • Workbook for Clinical Textbook for Vet Techs, 8 th ed. , Mc. Curnin and Bassert’s • Mosby’s Comprehensive Review for Vet Techs, 3 rd ed. , Tighe & Brown • Review Questions and Answers for Vet Techs, 4 th ed. , Colville 2. Online • VSPN VTNE review course: 8 weeks http: //beta. vin. com/CE/Catalog. VSPN. htm • Zuku Review VTNE practice tests: http: //zukureview. com/vtne/subscriptions/ Winter 2014 TECH 120 -0114 (Starts each January) Spring 2014 TECH 120 -0514 (Starts each May) Fall 2014 TECH 120 -0914 (Starts each September) • • Question of the Day (free) http: //zukureview. com/vtne/qod AAVSB self assessments for VTNE http: //www. testrac. com/aavsb/

VTNE self assessments A good way to prepare for VTNE • Produced by same people who write the VTNE • Two tests available • $45 each, 75 questions each • After test, look up answers to ones you didn’t know • Orients you to VTNE-question style, depth Link: American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) self-assessment https: //www. aavsb. org/vtne/howtostudy http: //aavsb. ucertify. com/

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time. ” - Leonard Bernstein

Hitting the books for VTNE: ~50% of your time “Successful learning is not measured by how many hours you study. Successful learning means using the hours you do have effectively. ” -Dr. Zuku (Steven I Mclaughlin DVM, MPH, DACVPM)

A study technique that doesn’t work “I spent 6 hours reading pharmacology on Saturday, …. . But Monday, I didn’t remember any of it !” “Reading = Learning”

USE IT OR LOSE IT • MOST adults forget 50% of what they just read • And 80% within 24 hours BUT !! • Anything you have studied well will come back very quickly with a review …. if you make good notes

Summary Notes (and hitting the books) ~1/3 of your time • Why review visual summary notes? (and good visual books) – Faster, more effective than wading through pages of text – Images are like “mental duct tape” – Information sticks to them • Visual summary notes worth their weight in gold in weeks before test

Mental velcro: Images A picture IS worth a thousand words: Add pictures to your notes Fluid-filled lungs: Pulmonary edema “Floating lungs”: Pleural effusion Images courtesy of Dr. Terri Defrancesco, DVM, DACVIM All rights reserved, copyright 2013

Mental velcro: Disease Horner’s Syndrome: Remember "My 3 rd Sunken Toe“ (Miosis, 3 rd lid protrudes, Sunken eye, Ptosis) A syndrome, not a disease per se. See 4 things with Horner's, ALL associated with the eye: 1. MIOSIS (constricted pupil) 2. PROTRUSION 3 rd eyelid 3. ENOPTHALMOS (sunken eye) 4. PTOSIS (drooped eyelid), What is it? Image courtesy, Dr. Joel Mills, Wikimedia Commons http: //commons. wikimedia. org/wiki/File: Horner %27 s_syndrome_dog. JPG

Outside a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx If you believe everything you read, better not read. - Japanese proverb

Good Books for VTNE For overall review * Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians, 8 th ed, Mc. Curnin & Bassert If you can have only one book, this is the one. Covers everything, Great images. Anesthesia, dentistry, surgery, nursing, imaging, calculations-its all there * VSPN Notebook version 4. 0 Practical, clinical and constantly updated online. An excellent clinic and VTNE resource. Available online to VSPN and VIN members as part of membership. http: //www. vin. com/Members/CMS/misc/Current. aspx? id=6096&pid=49&catid=&said=2 Available to VSPN and VIN members in print form https: //store. vin. com/custom/edit. asp? p=100020 Mosby’s Comprehensive Review for Veterinary Technicians, 3 rd ed. , Tighe & Brown Outline format is a little dry (few pictures), but lots of multiple choice questions after each chapter, and a long practice test at the end. Pharmacology: Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook, 7 th edition, Donald C. Plumb Also available online to VSPN and VIN members as part of membership. For background on medicine and diseases These may be too clinical for VTNE, but have excellent disease summaries and images Bovine: Guide to Bovine Clinics 4 th edition—Chris & Susan Pasquini Equine: Guide to Equine Clinics 3 rd edition—Chris & Susan Pasquini, Phil Woods Dogs and Cats: Tschauner's Guide to Small Animal Clinics 2 nd ed. —Chris & Susan Pasquini Veterinary Clinical Advisor, Dogs and Cats, 1 st ed. Cote' ed. *Pick of the Litter

The final 2 -3 weeks Second Pass Practice testing Timed test-mode- redoing Qs you did in last few months to reinforce -One minute per question -60 Qs at a time to build stamina -Random topics -No answers as you go -Try to mimic the real thing Study -REVIEW your notes -Skim misc. topics not in notes -Test yourself with flashcards, friends, game cards Goal: Redo your practice questions of last few months Review summary notes until solid in your mind

The final 2 -3 weeks: Keep a routine • Get regular exercise …Run, swim, square-dance, walk your dog, hamster or wombat • Get up at about same time you need to wake up on test day • Eat breakfast • Go immediately into 1 -2 hours of practice tests, then notes review • Get your mind & body into a routine so the big day feels routine too • Don't give up. • Watch this video: Building confidence before a challenge- Excellent TED talk. http: //www. ted. com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are. html • On test day, walk in with your head held high, and take it one question at a time

Good luck! “No student knows his or her subject: the most he knows is where and how to find out the things he does not know. ” –Woodrow Wilson

Selected references: Psychology of learning and decision-making Good summaries “To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test”, New York Times, Jan 20, 2011, P. Belluck http: //www. nytimes. com/2011/01/21/science/21 memory. html Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? ” New York Times, Aug 17, 2011, J. Tierney http: //www. nytimes. com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue. html? hpw Peer-reviewed Karpicke, J. D. , & Blunt, J. R. (2011). Retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping. Science, 331, 772 -775. http: //www. sciencemag. org/content/331/6018/772. full. pdf? keytype=ref&siteid=sci&ijkey=m. ESd. LR 0 p 25 r 8 k Roediger, H. L. , & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17, 249 -255. http: //memory. psych. purdue. edu/downloads/2006_Roediger_Karpicke_Psych. Sci. pdf Roediger, H. L. & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, 181 -210. http: //memory. psych. purdue. edu/downloads/2006_Roediger_Karpicke_Review. pdf Carrier and Pashler: The Influence of Retrieval on Retention, Memory and Cognition, 1992, 20 (6) 633 -642 http: //laplab. ucsd. edu/articles/Carrier_Pashler_Mem. Cog 1992. pdf

References The summary of multiple choice strategies comes principally from: “What Smart Students Know” by Adam Robinson, co-founder of The Princeton Review test preparation company George Washington University Academic Success Center- “Strategies for Multiple Choice Questions” Kaplan Test Prep US Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE) Strategy Sessions VTNE Candidate Bulletin http: //www. aavsb. org/VTNE/Candidate. Handbook/

Example of a page from Pasquini From: Pasquini, Pasquini & Woods, Guide to Equine Clinics, 3 rd ed. p. 113