Veterinary students are faced with the challenge of balancing their school life, with time for studying for their licensing boards, along with their personal life. Mix that with dealing with the stress of a world-wide pandemic and now there is even more pressure to keep up. 

That’s why Vet Candy is teaming up with the AVMA Trust, to bring Vet Candy Outbreak – an interactive outbreak simulation game-  to Facebook Live.

Veterinary students around the world are welcome to participate in the fun. 

Vet Candy Outbreak is an adventure game in which teams work together to solve the mystery surrounding an outbreak in a fictional community using clues, hints, and strategy. It’s a type of infectious disease simulation game where the players move around the board to solve the mystery disease pathogen. 

 “The idea is to make learning fun,” says Vet Candy’s Strategy Officer Dr. Jenifer Chatfield, “with our game, teams compete to solve the mystery surrounding an outbreak.”

The live event will be hosted by infectious disease guru and Vet Candy’s Chief Strategy Officer, Dr. Jenifer Chatfield.

Dr. Rebecca Stinson with the AVMA Trust points out, “According to a 2013 study by Buur, et al., games can be used to promote active learning with the veterinary curriculum through concrete experiences, which can enhance student learning.1  We hope this can be one example of fun feedback.”

The game will be played by Dr. Courtney Campbell, a graduate of Tuskegee College of Veterinary Medicine and a board-certified veterinary surgeon who hails from California. His opponent will be Dr. Jason Chatfield, a Texas A&M graduate who is the former veterinary director of Jungle Island in Miami, Florida. 

Players are given a set time limit to complete their task of identifying the disease, and the virtual audience can help by commenting during the Facebook Live event.

As the players move through the game board, they will pick up cards – wild cards, mystery cards, and clue cards – that move the players around the board and eventually to the end of the game where the mystery disease is solved. 

According to Dr. Rebecca Stinson from AVMA Trust, “We are very happy to co-host this fun, educational and engaging night. We are partnering with Vet Candy on “Outbreak” to encourage veterinary students across the globe to watch the game and interact on the comments, helping their favorite player win the game.” 

 In addition to supporting their favorite player, veterinary students will be learning all about infectious diseases, from leptospirosis to influenza viruses.  Game technology is also a proven method to make learning easier, especially when dealing with complicated information.  

“Vet Candy is committed to providing fun, engaging, and educational experiences for veterinary students,” said Dr. Jill López, veterinarian and CEO of Vet Candy. “With our “Outbreak” game, we are offering a way for veterinary students to enjoy themselves while learning about complicated disease processes from some of the coolest veterinarians on the planet!”

Vet Candy and AVMA Trust is inviting veterinary students from all over the world to attend this fun, interactive game. They can visit Vet Candy’s Facebook page at @myvetcandy on August 7 at 8:00 PM EST to participate.