8th International Conference on Communication in Veterinary Medicine (ICCVM)

Dear Colleagues,

The practice of excellent veterinary medicine is inextricably linked with skilled communication: you cannot have one without the other. This is true no matter what role you play in the profession of veterinary medicine, no matter whether you work in urban or rural settings, primary or specialty care, small animal, equine, production animals, avian-exotics or public health. The research evidence to date confirms that the achievement of a number of outcomes in veterinary medicine are highly dependent on communication competence. The evidence in favor of the significance of communication to the veterinary profession is too strong to refute and identifies clinical communication a vital competency for good practice and patient care.

Over the last several years, interest in communication in veterinary medicine and education has increased across veterinary practitioners, researchers, educators, students, industry, and various organizations and councils on veterinary education. Considering the findings regarding the relationship between communication and many important outcomes, it’s not surprising that communication must be and is starting to be taught with as much rigor as medical technical knowledge, clinical reasoning, physical examination and other procedural skills.

At the helm of early research regarding communication in practice settings and veterinary education, the first International Conference on Communication in Veterinary Medicine (ICCVM) was held in 2004 in Ontario Canada. The 2004 meeting and the five meetings thereafter brought together researchers, educators, practitioners, industry partners, social workers, lawyers, psychologists, physicians and others.  This critical mass of people has served as a compass and guide to moving communication forward to promote the health and well-being of the veterinary profession.

The ICCVM is THE communication conference with thought-provoking keynotes, experiential workshops, podium and poster presentations. The meeting has endeavored, with great success, to link current research in veterinary communication to practical applications in veterinary–client interactions, veterinary team dynamics and veterinary communication education and curricula development.

The eighth ICCVM, and that which this special issue of Veterinary Science will highlight, and will include communication research conducted over the past few years, educational research and methods of teaching and assessing communication competence. In-depth information will also include the science and art of feedback, how to set up a simulated client and patient program in teaching and practice settings, communication and coaching skills for use in education and practice settings.

The ICCVM is sponsored by the following communities: Royal Canin; Merck; Virbac; University of Calgary, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Guelph; Ross University School of Veterinary medicine. Thank you to our 2018 Sponsors!

Conference Website: https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/iccvm2017/483526/

Assist. Prof. Dr. Elpida Artemiou
Prof. Dr. Cindy Adams
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Veterinary Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.