The Math Variable in Veterinary Technology Curriculum

There have been a few skills that were believed to be of universal importance to students of veterinary technology and to veterinary technicians in practice. These skills include students’ ability to address challenges with a positive and professional attitude, their ability to understand their own impact on animal welfare, and - math. The first two are easy for students to understand but the third one can be tough for students to process. Perhaps it is even more so if there is no direct connection between the math curriculum and how it will apply to work in the field.

For a long time, there has been a belief that the successful accomplishment of any rigorous college math course demonstrates an ability to master the mathematical concepts associated with conversions, dosage and fluid rate calculations and other common mathematical tasks associated with veterinary technology. On a purely anecdotal basis, that belief was supported when I compared student success in the trigonometry-based algebra required in our veterinary technology program at York County College (YCCC) with the success of those same students in our pharmacology course, the program’s toughest course and the one that requires the ability to apply mathematical concepts. Those who successfully completed this rigorous, required math course were also those who successfully completed pharmacology. The flaw in this thinking may be, however, the belief that the trigonometry-based algebra provided skills leading to the success in Pharmacology. Instead it may be that those students who succeeded in both the trigonometry based algebra and pharmacology classes were engaged in math.

Dr. Grandin’s Concerns: “Get Rid of the Algebra!”

“I hate math!” is one of the most frequent emotional statements instructors hear from students. A common response is telling students that it is okay to struggle with math. If students continue to struggle with math, then instructors need to continue to search for ways to help them succeed. But hating math is a different issue and one that often leads to the suggestion that students should perhaps look to a different career choice since math is an integral part of most of what veterinary technicians do. As educators, however, we should do our best to deliver math curriculum that is appropriate, relevant and relatable to the work they will be doing in order to avoid causing undo anxiety.

The YCCC veterinary technology program is a relatively new program (fall of 2013) so while math and the road block that it causes many students is a frequent topic of conversation for faculty, it did not rise to the level of taking action until I had a conversation with Temple Grandin, PhD and Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Dr. Grandin was contacted to ask for a personal quote for YCC’s first graduating class. I use the HBO produced movie (TEMPLE GRANDIN: Autism Gave Her a Vision. She Gave It a Voice, 2010)⁵ a biopic of Dr. Grandin’s life story used to encourage students to focus on maintaining a positive approach to challenges and realize the importance of understanding their own impact on animal welfare. Instead of focusing on an inspirational quote for our graduating students, I became engaged in a conversation about appropriate math requirements for students of veterinary technology.

Dr. Grandin shared concerns that trigonometry-based algebra courses simply create an undo road block for many veterinary technology students (T. Grandin oral communication, April 2017). At YCCC, it was common for students to have to repeat the required algebra course once and sometimes twice while others who struggled simply would opt out of the program. Dr. Grandin asked for YCCC to seriously consider changing its math requirement from the trigonometry-based algebra to one that would include concepts that were more relevant to the mathematical skills applicable to the work of veterinary technicians (T. Grandin oral communication, April 2017). Ultimately Dr. Grandin convinced the YCCC Curriculum Committee to change the program requirement to a course that covers topics that include linear equations, proportions and statistics. As a part of making this change, however, Dr. Grandin was asked if she would be willing to share her perspectives about math requirements as unnecessary road blocks for veterinary technology students.

Practical Analysis: Dr. Grandin’s Perspective

Dr. Grandin shared her own perspective on supporting student success in math in the most practical sense stating,

What saved me in college was that algebra was not the required course in 1967. The required class was finite math which had a lot of statistics and probability. Algebra was impossible for me but I was able to do finite math. In the 1950's, I had old fashioned elementary school math. I did well in that. Today I have seen students who can do all the fancy algebra but they cannot find the area of a circle or determine the volume of a container. What matters for a vet tech is math for dosing. These college students thought it was cool when I showed them how to find the floor area of a room. They knew the fancy stuff but they were not able to do the practical stuff (T. Grandin, written communication, April 2017).

In addition to the comments that Dr. Grandin shared with directly, she pointed out in her book, Thinking in Pictures, “Another reason for changing the math requirement is that some of the students who are poor at algebra may be the BEST at handling animals. My visual thinking mind, that is poor at algebra, helped me understand animals.”⁴ Anecdotal stories of student struggles with college algebra suggest that Dr. Grandin is not unique in her views and considering her recognized achievements in animal science and animal welfare, perhaps some of the movement away from the college algebra requirement may be appropriate.

How Others Approach the Equation

Tracy Blais, Veterinary Technology Department Chair at Mount Ida College in Massachusetts, leads a program with a rigorous math curriculum including algebra and statistics as well as a course in medical calculations. Blais identified that the medical calculations class is her “favorite course and the most helpful” (written communication, January 2017).

Samantha Geiling, a credentialed veterinary technology educator at Windward Community College at the University of Hawaii, agrees with Dr. Grandin’s position, “having more challenging math requirements is an unnecessary road block.” Geiling added that she believes students are sometimes “paying tuition to get through a requirement that doesn’t help them pass the VTNE, doesn’t help them in any other classes, and doesn’t help them after they graduate” (S. Geiling, written communication, January 2017). Like Mount Ida College’s math curriculum that includes a course in medical calculations, Windward Community College students take a math specifically designed for veterinary technology students that focuses on fluid calculations, drug dosage calculation, the metric system and dilutions (S. Geiling, written communication, January 2017).

A specific course in medical mathematics like the one used by Windward Community College at the University of Hawaii seemed ideal. The Hawaii model was shared with Dr. Pete Bill, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Teaching, and Learning at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. Dr. Bill shared his own assessment of the tasks veterinary technicians perform and the relevant math skills needed were the following (P. Bill, written communication, March 2017):

Basic dosage calculations

Calculation of cost of dispensed medications

Percentage solutions - changing concentrations

Temperature conversions (F to C and vice versa)

Metric system conversions

Other measurement system conversions (e.g., tablespoons to mL)

Dilutions - changing concentrations

Drip rates for IV fluids

Determination of fluid loss replacement

Blood loss calculation and replacement

“If we use these as our outcomes and trace backward the type of mathematics necessary to accomplish these tasks in a reliable manner, then we can justify the type of math needed” (P. Bill, written communication, March 2017). Dr. Bill noted that none of these topics require advanced algebra, trigonometry or graphing.

Scott Keller, DVM and past AVTE President, has seen his own program move from an intermediate algebra requirement to elementary algebra because of the challenges experienced by students. However, Dr. Keller’s (written communication, January 2017) concern is the recognition that math skills are important in many ways for veterinary technology students and success in this area is important in order to understand fundamental concepts such as “where the tenth place of a decimal is, understand what a mixed fraction is, or even know how many quarts are in a gallon, let alone what a liter is.” Dr. Keller pointed out, “Maybe the question shouldn’t be about what upper level math we should be teaching, but rather how do we stop having to teach developmental math in college?” (S. Keller, written communication, January 2017).

Dr. Anne Hermans, Program Coordinator for the veterinary technology program at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut, shares Dr. Keller’s concerns. “I find that too many of our students come to the program intimidated by math, disliking it, not understanding its value, and not able to do very basic arithmetic, setting up ratios and proportions, or conceptualization” (A. Hermans, written communication, January 2017).

At the Root of the Problem

It is nearly impossible to talk about concerns associated with college math success without considering the issue of the need for and success of remedial education needed to prepare high school graduates for college level work. According to a 2016 APM Report, more than 40% of college students “will end up in developmental math and English classes… and many of them have a worse chance of eventually graduating.”^1¶10 The report also identified an annual cost of over $7 billion for these developmental programs.¹

In addressing this concern, YCCC is engaged in the construction of a developmental math lab hoping to overcome these challenging odds for students. For context, it is important to note that concerns with student struggles with college algebra are not new. In 2002, the Mathematical Association of America, presenting on this topic to the US Military Academy, said of college algebra that it “is a cash cow that many mathematics departments do not want to tamper with, especially if it means smaller classes and higher costs. If this attitude is maintained too long both the cash and the cow may disappear as students opt for useful and interesting quantitative literacy that teaches them how to solve problems, they will encounter and be paid to solve.”^{2, ¶38}

In order to fully explore Dr. Keller’s question regarding how colleges can stop having to deal with developmental math concerns, educators will need to find ways to alleviate the anxiety associated with math. According to a study by Andrew and Brown as reported in the journal, Education, the literature is outdated and needs “contemporary insight to the overwhelming problem of math anxiety and avoidance in STEM-related degrees across college campuses in the United States.”^{3, p. 365} They conclude that if “educators can help students get through the road block of mathematical inferiority and anxiety and gain confidence in their ability to apply math skills successfully, students can begin to face the challenges associated with math and move forward rather than avoid such challenges”.^{3, p. 369} Their study suggests that difficulties with math anxieties begin as early as middle school, indicating efforts should be made to minimize assessments that contribute more to the onset of anxiety than the instruction of math.³

Summing It Up

It has, at times, weighed heavily on my mind, as I am sure has been of concern to other instructors, that some of the best student candidates may get lost in the battle with potentially irrelevant math curriculum. Dr. Grandin’s thoughts certainly suggest that this may be true. Feedback provided by other accomplished veterinary technology educators supports developing curriculum that is more practically and directly designed to support the tasks performed in practice. However, adequately preparing them to apply these concepts in the face of time and credit limitations is no simple task. The challenges of assessing prior knowledge, providing remediation and reducing math anxiety are unlikely to go away any time soon. Perhaps veterinary technology educators (or all college educators) should consider becoming more involved with conversations about the math curriculum at the elementary and secondary levels in order to save money spent on developmental math programs and to improve student success. On the college level, veterinary technology programs should assess their current math requirements and move to modify their math content to assure a focus on those math skills that will be applicable to the real world practice environment.

References

¹ Hanford E. Stuck at square one: College students increasingly caught in remedial education trap. APM Report website. http://www.apmreports.org/story/2016/08/18/remedial-education-trap. August 18, 2016. Accessed April 2017

² Packer A. College algebra. Mathematical Association of America website. http://www.maa.org/college-algebra. February 2002. Accessed April 2017.

³ Andrews A, Brown, J. The effects of math anxiety. Education, 2015; 135 (3): 365-369.

⁴ Grandin T. Thinking in Pictures. New York, NY: Vintage (Random House); 1995

⁵ Temple Grandin. 2017. DVD.