Surgical confidence and competence among US veterinary students after a high-volume sterilisation campaign in rural Mexico.

Objectives: To evaluate whether participation in a high-volume sterilisation campaign increases veterinary students' confidence in surgical and anaesthetic skills. We hypothesised that the intervention would improve confidence across key domains and lead to satisfactory technical competence. Design: Prospective, observational pre-post-intervention study. Setting: Field-based surgical campaign conducted over 10 days in eight rural communities in coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. Participants: Thirteen fourth-year veterinary students from two US universities volunteered to participate. Inclusion required students to be in their final year of training; all the students completed the study. Interventions: Participants engaged in a 10-day sterilisation campaign, assisting in pre-, intra- and post-operative care under the supervision of licensed veterinarians. Surgical procedures focused on ovariohysterectomy and orchiectomy in dogs and cats. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The primary outcome was change in self-reported confidence across 11 surgical domains, measured pre- and post-intervention using a 0-10 Likert scale. The secondary outcome was technical competence, which was assessed on the final day using a modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills rubric covering five domains. Results: Significant increases in confidence were observed in 10 of 11 domains (Wilcoxon Conclusions: Field sterilisation participation increased students' surgical confidence and end-of-campaign competence, but single-site uncontrolled sample and self-report limit generalisability; larger multisite controlled studies are needed objectively.