Bayer HealthCare scholarship encourages veterinary students to learn
how to effectively communicate with pet owners
Eight pilot schools drive inaugural Bayer Excellence
in Communication Award
Shawnee, Kan. September October
3, 2012 – A veterinarian's ability to effectively communicate with a client is key
for determining the best course of care and treatment for an animal and
developing good client relationships. Yet, as evidenced by findings from the
Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study, because of a perceived communication gap, a
discrepancy exists between the value placed on regular veterinary care,
including annual pet well-visits, between veterinarians and pet owners.
To help future veterinarians develop
strong communication skills to close the gap, Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal
Health Division has launched the inaugural Bayer Excellence in Communication
Award. The competition consists of eight scholarships to be awarded to veterinary
students who display the strongest communication skills during a client
interview in a clinical setting. One scholarship winner will be named the
national winner and will double his or her scholarship.
"The Bayer Excellence in Communication Award was created to focus
attention on the importance of good communication between veterinarians and
their clients," said Ian Spinks, president and general manager of Bayer HealthCare
Animal Health, North America. "We are proud to offer these scholarships to future
veterinarians, who, already as students, have committed to making themselves the
best veterinarians they can be by being better communicators."
Shaping communications skills
from the beginning
In 2001, Bayer HealthCare
Animal Health partnered with the Institute for Healthcare Communication to
develop the Bayer Communication Project. This collaborative partnership developed
a communication skills training module offered to colleges of veterinary
medicine for incorporation into their curriculum. Selected faculty from all
U.S. veterinary colleges have been trained via the Bayer Communication Project "Train
the Trainer" development program.
The
Bayer Excellence in Communication Award is the next phase of this project.
Piloting in eight leading veterinary schools, veterinary students will be able
to submit a filmed client interview. One student from each school who demonstrates
effective communication skills will be awarded a $2,500 Bayer Excellence in
Communication Award scholarship.
Each
school's winner will then compete as a finalist for the national Bayer
Excellence in Communication Award scholarship, with the national winner
receiving an additional $2,500 scholarship.
In
addition, the national winner's school will receive complimentary tuition and
travel for one faculty member to attend the Bayer Communication Project's "Train
the Trainer" course.
The Bayer Excellence in
Communication Award is available to juniors and seniors enrolled at the eight
pilot veterinary colleges. Competing students will be filmed during a client
interview in a clinical setting. Judging will be conducted by an independent panel of Bayer
Communication Project-trained faculty members, who will use a standardized
Score Sheet to evaluate each submission. The eight initial winners will be
selected by March 1, 2013 and the national winner will be announced by May 1,
2013.
Bayer Excellence in
Communication Award Pilot Schools
- Colorado
State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences - Michigan
State University College of Veterinary Medicine - Ohio
State University College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas
A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences - University
of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine - University
of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine - University
of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine - Washington
State University College of Veterinary Medicine
About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the
fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a
subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 17.2 billion (2011), is one of
the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical
products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the
global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and
Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture
and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer
HealthCare has a global workforce of 55,700 employees (Dec 31, 2011) and is
represented in more than 100 countries. Find more information at
www.bayerhealthcare.com.
Contact
Staci
Gouveia, Tel. 913.268.2577
Email:
staci.gouveia@bayer.com
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subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results,
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