Process of developing basic veterinary clinical performance guidelines based on common clinical manifestations in Korea

Importance: Standardized clinical education across veterinary schools is essential for the achievement of core graduation competencies. Thus, a structured set of clinical performance tasks, grounded in clinical signs commonly reported by animal owners, can serve as an effective means to standardize and improve clinical education. Objective: To explain process of developing basic veterinary clinical performance guidelines, based on frequently observable clinical manifestations, thereby supporting competency-based veterinary education in Korea. Methods: A structured review of learning outcomes established by Korean Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (KAVMC) was conducted by a planning committee including veterinary educators, practitioners, and advisory members. Owner-oriented descriptions were used to frame each performance task, and each was mapped to corresponding learning outcomes. These tasks were aligned with learning outcomes recommended by the KAVMC to support the development of communication, clinical reasoning, and performance-related competencies among veterinary students, thereby enhancing day-one clinical readiness. Results: In total, 63 clinical manifestations for a guidebook format that can be used for clinical education were identified and categorized by organ systems that are described in language understandable to animal owners. Conclusions and Relevance: The basic veterinary clinical performance guidelines based on common clinical manifestations would serve as a vital component in veterinary education to reinforce core graduation competencies.