Lindsey Ramirez of Sugarland, Texas, and a second-year student at Lincoln Memorial University-College of Veterinary Medicine (LMU-CVM) won the Most Likely to Replicate Award for her feline urethral obstruction model presented at the International Veterinary Simulation in Teaching Conference (InVeST) Oct. 16-19 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Over 115 veterinary educators, veterinary technicians and industry leaders attended the conference which included multiple networking sessions, keynote and workshop presentations, facility tour and simulation exercises.

“During the conference many professors and model builders from other universities expressed their interest in replicating the model,” Ramirez said.

The purpose of Ramirez’s research was to develop a feline urethral obstruction model for teaching veterinary students in a clinical skills laboratory. Urethral obstruction is a common, potentially life-threatening condition of male cats. Learning to perform the skills necessary to relieve the obstruction requires hands-on training and deliberate practice. This model allows students to practice these skills to competency while receiving feedback on their performance.

“It was amazing to witness so many intelligent and highly skilled educators come together from all over the world to collaborate and share their research and innovative ideas to advance my education and the field of veterinary medicine,” Ramirez said. “As a one of a handful of students that attended the conference, I deeply appreciated the opportunity to experience a behind the scenes view into the thought processes and efforts that go into creating the models we use in our clinical skills labs at LMU.”

During day two of the conference, attendees traveled to Ewing, Virginia, to visit the LMU-CVM DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center (DVTC). The DVTC houses state-of-the-art teaching spaces including a large clinical skills laboratory, equine stable, equine teaching center, bovine teaching center and includes a model-building laboratory on site. Attendees toured the facilities, viewed and manipulated the clinical skills models created by LMU’s faculty and interacted with the model-building team.

“When I started my research in the summer of 2018, I had no idea that LMU had a model-building workshop,” Ramirez said. “I also had no idea that my university was one of the pioneers in developing and utilizing simulation models in clinical skills labs, which allows students to have hands-on experience from day one. I have learned so much during my time of research and model building and it continues to reaffirm why I chose to attend LMU.”

Ramirez received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Texas State University and a Master of Science in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Ramirez is a member of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association, the Veterinary Business Management Association, the Zoo, Exotics, Wildlife and Aquatics Club and the Veterinary Anatomy Club. She has participated in numerous community service and research projects. She is the daughter of Chris Ramirez and Teresa Ramirez.