The LMU-Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine’s (LMU-CVM) is introducing a Professional and Clinical Skills Digital Badging Program to incentivize young professionals to achieve mastery of marketable skills for a demanding work environment.
“When I first heard about the badging program I was thrilled,” said Tara Barron Fellows. “With a background in corporate business at a top 10 fortune company, I was familiar with badges. Bringing this to the veterinary community, especially students, is innovative and opens a door of endless opportunity. Having badges readily available across LinkedIn and in our email signatures shows potential employers our experience before opening our resumes. This will set students apart in the job market.”
Digital badges are a validated indicator of an accomplishment, skill, quality, or interest that can be shared/distributed in an online setting. Over the past two decades, badges have become increasingly popular within many industries as a mark of participation and achievement in various activities. Large corporations and major universities are using badges as incentives for training and advancement.
The purpose of the LMU-CVM Digital Badging Program is to form a centralized platform for professional programs to create, distribute, and authenticate digital badges. Anatomical and Clinical Skills Veterinarian Michael Center, DVM, and Assistant Professor of Anatomy Lucinda Dixon, DVM are working on the project together.
“Our goal is to create a series of badges linked to marketable skills within the profession that appeals to both new graduates and prospective employers,” said Center. “Students that acquire badges will be able to share them across multiple digital platforms. It is our hope that using incentives like badges will encourage mastery of marketable skills more efficiently than a traditional grading scheme. This program has the potential to change the way students approach gaining the skills needed to enter the workforce, and the way employers select qualified candidates.”
By clicking on the badge graphic, prospective employers can view and verify a student’s skills and abilities more efficiently than by contacting references or merely reviewing a resume.
“I congratulate Drs. Center and Dixon on the innovative work they have undertaken in the micro-credentialing realm,” said LMU-CVM Dean Stacy Anderson, DVM, MVSc, PhD, DACVS-LA. “The LMU-CVM badge program will ultimately serve as a digital reference allowing employers to validate skills that potential employees, our graduates, have mastered while in the LMU-CVM program.”
Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The LMU-College of Veterinary Medicine is located on LMU’s main campus in Harrogate, Tennessee, with additional academic facilities in nearby Lee County, Virginia. LMU-CVM is an integral part of the University’s medical programs and provides real-world, community-based education in a collaborative learning environment. For more information about LMU-CVM, call 1.800.325.0900, ext. 7150 or visit us online at vetmed.LMUnet.edu.
