Tolerance of Ambiguity in Veterinary Students at the Beginning and End of a Second-year Clinical Pathology Course

Abstract

Tolerance of ambiguity (TOA) is essential for veterinarians because ambiguity and uncertainty are unavoidable aspects of veterinary practice. However, TOA has been little investigated in veterinarians or veterinary students. In this article, the 27-item Tolerance of Ambiguity of Veterinary Students (TAVS) scale, including eight additional clinical pathology-specific items, is used to evaluate TOA in veterinary students at the beginning and end of a clinical pathology course. Clinical pathology is often one of the first subjects in which students encounter ambiguity because real-life cases are used in teaching. The hypotheses are that TOA will increase across the course and that TOA will correlate with the final grade in the course. Analysis of the TAVS scale revealed very good inter-item reliability (α = 0.80) and a positive correlation between the original TAVS items and the new clinical pathology items (ρ = 0.63). Students demonstrated a significant increase in TOA across the course for TAVS items and a similar trend for clinical pathology items. Four items related to affinity for complexity and novice view showed significant increases in TOA. Two items related to discomfort from uncertainty showed significant decreases. There was no correlation between TOA and final grade in the course. Students rated their personal frustration with ambiguity in the course as low and did not think ambiguity in cases was problematic for teaching. The results suggest that the increased TOA at the end of the course might relate to students being taught—and learning how to cope with—ambiguity through the real-life cases used for teaching.