Bovine calving simulator to improve farm teaching and learning.

The RVC Animal Care Trust has awarded a grant of almost £31,000 to fund a bovine calving simulator. The simulator, based at the Royal Veterinary College’s (RVC) Boltons Park Farm and equipped with a functional udder, will offer improved learning opportunities to veterinary students before working with live animals.

The life-sized calving simulator has multiple uses for teaching and learning at the RVC. Using the simulator, veterinary students can learn calving in a hands-on manner without the need for working on a live animal. In addition, students can learn rectal palpation and the simulator also has a functional udder allowing for the teaching of mastitis investigation and milk sampling.

The calving simulator comes with a life-size calf so that real-life situations can be reproduced, and the calf bends as a real calf would. The simulator also has various uterine inserts that can be used to practice artificial insemination and pregnancy diagnosis (there are various stages of pregnancy).

Nicola Blackie, Lecturer in Production Animal Science at the RVC, said: “Calving is an emergency situation - which is a day one skill - so being able to practice this before attending a live calving will give the students confidence and practise their skills.”

“We are very excited to use the calving simulator for teaching when the students are back and when it is safe to use within the context of physical distancing.”

The calving simulator improves the welfare of animals by allowing teaching and learning to take place on a simulator before working on a live animal, and it is hoped that the multi-functionality of the simulator will improve the quality of learning. The simulator will also prepare students to better deal with emergency cases; a skill needed as early as possible for veterinary students.

The RVC Animal Care Trust is grateful to the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund for supporting the funding of the bovine calving simulator.