Veterinary medicine today demands more than knowledge - it requires vets to apply what they know in fast-moving, complex clinical environments. Modern medical teaching needs to adapt to encourage this – and that’s where problem-based learning comes in.
What is problem-based learning?
Problem‑based learning (PBL), sometimes called problem-oriented learning, is an educational approach that flips the traditional model on its head. Instead of starting with lectures and theory (and anatomy and physiology) and then trying to apply that knowledge later, learners are presented with a real‑world problem from the outset. Working through that problem becomes the route to acquiring and applying knowledge.
How is problem-based learning taught?
In practice, this means vets in a PBL environment might begin with a complex case – perhaps a patient with overlapping symptoms, incomplete history, and a worried owner – and explore it step by step. They identify what they already know, where the gaps are, and what further information they need. They research, discuss, and reflect as they go, building not just subject knowledge but also reasoning skills, confidence, and teamwork.
It’s an approach that feels much closer to life in practice, where cases rarely present neatly and decisions are rarely made with perfect information. Rather than learning the theory, then struggling to apply it, this style of teaching means the theory is built around the application. For example, in our Online Small Animal Medicine Certificate Programme, we’ve taken the ‘gastroenterology’ modules and turned them into ‘how to evaluate, diagnose, treat, and monitor the patient with vomiting’. Instead of returning to vomiting as a symptom in every applicable module, problem-based learning allows our learners to start at the symptom and consider all the body systems that might be involved, consolidating their knowledge in a more useful way.
Why problem-based learning makes sense in veterinary postgraduate education
When you’re taking a postgraduate certificate, you’re already an experienced vet, and you will have seen vomiting cases already. Instead of going back to a theoretical learning environment - learning about organs and systems, and trying to work out how it’s relevant to your day-to-day work - learning with a problem-based approach means you can apply what you’ve learned from the very beginning. In other words, you’ll start from a clinical presentation you’ll already be familiar with, and work forwards from there to fill gaps in your knowledge, so that next time you see a vomiting case you’ll immediately think of how you approached it in the certificate programme.
What’s the evidence for problem-based learning?
That sounds great in theory, but is it really better? Well, many leading medical schools have adopted this approach, and in fact you may have had aspects of this sort of teaching at vet school, since this has been used since the late 1990s in veterinary schools all over the world. In undergraduate veterinary sciences, problem-based learning has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and clinical performance (Lane, 2008).
Much of the evidence for PBL comes from human medicine, strong systematic studies and meta-analyses have shown promising results. For example, one meta-analysis found problem-based learning is better than traditional lectures in surgical teaching (Zheng, QM et al, 2023) while others have found it suitable for undergraduate medical education (Trullas et al, 2022, Vernon and Blake, 1993), especially when it comes to problem-solving, self-learning, satisfaction, and clinical skills – which are all directly applicable to postgraduate veterinary education.
Our approach to problem-based learning
So, when it comes to our groundbreaking certificate programmes, what can you expect to be different?
Modules
As we hinted earlier, the modules that make up the new certificate courses have been reimagined. Instead of starting with diagnostic tests and then moving on to modules that each deal with a system, the online Small Animal Medicine Certificate programme and the Blended Soft Tissue Surgery Certificate programme start with clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills, move through diagnostic test selection, and then dig straight in to a common presenting problem.
Case-by-case
All of our modules are underpinned by real cases. In each module, the speaker shares their own case experiences, "How Would I Treat...” and their “Tips and Mistakes”. While case-based learning like this is nothing new, the sheer number of real cases – and the real complexities and errors that go with them – means that students on our new programmes consolidate their own knowledge while learning from the mistakes of others.
Reverse engineering of the clinical case
In our new approach, learners also explore cases in reverse—starting from the final diagnosis and working backwards to uncover the decision-making process that led there. It’s a way to highlight where key decisions were made, what options were ruled out, and where errors or bias might have crept in. This reflective practice helps vets build sharper clinical judgement and spot patterns earlier in their own work.
FAQs about Problem-based Learning
Which of your certificates use problem-based learning?
While all of our certificate programmes have aspects of case-based learning, the programme-wide changes described above apply to the Online Small Animal Medicine Certificate programme and the Blended Soft Tissue Surgery Certificate programme only for now.
Can problem-based learning improve my clinical skills and confidence?
Yes, problem-based learning has been shown to improve problem-solving, independent learning, satisfaction, and clinical skills in human medicine and undergraduate veterinary education. By simulating the complexity of real practice, it prepares vets to make better decisions under pressure and builds the confidence to apply new knowledge immediately.
Is there strong evidence for problem-based learning in veterinary education?
Much of the evidence for the efficacy of problem-based learning in postgraduate education comes from human medicine, but the way in which vets learn is very similar. Problem-based learning has been used since the 1990s in undergraduate veterinary education and the results have been good.
What are the disadvantages of problem-based learning?
For the learner, there are two main disadvantages to a PBL approach. Firstly, PBL is likely to require a higher cognitive load - in other words, it works because it makes you think harder, but this can be more tiring. The other major disadvantage is that it may not place enough emphasis on the basic underlying scientific principles, causing undergraduate students to struggle in parts of their exams - but in postgraduate education, where the basic science should already underpin everything, this is less disadvantageous.
Conclusion
Problem‑based learning isn’t about replacing knowledge - it’s about making it more usable. For postgraduate vets who already bring experience to the table, it offers a way to deepen that experience through application, reflection, and practice. While not every learner prefers this approach, many find that it helps them translate learning into action more effectively.
As we continue developing our programmes, we’re committed to offering learning experiences that meet vets where they are, and prepare them for where they’re going.
To find out more about the new programmes, see
After graduating from the University of Nottingham in 2016, Jo moved into small animal practice in the midlands, where she grew a passion for client communication and the subjects that most need it - like geriatrics and dermatology. Since 2020 she has worked as a locum vet in the Channel Islands as well as as a content writer in pet health topics.
