NCHU Leads Taiwan in Veterinary Education: Launch of Small Animal Bionic Teaching Aids

In 2020, with the support of the Ministry of Education's Higher Education Sprout Project, the College of Veterinary Medicine at National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) became the first in Taiwan to introduce life-sized bionic dairy cow teaching aids from Canada and developed a fish blood sampling model by Professor Chia-Yu Hsieh of the Department of Veterinary Medicine. In 2024, with funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, the university further introduced life-sized small animal bionic teaching aids, including various canine models designed for different diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, with five sets procured for each type. The inauguration ceremony for these bionic teaching aids was held on January 3, 2025, marking NCHU as the university with the most comprehensive collection of veterinary bionic teaching aids in the country. This initiative not only enhances students’ clinical training but also prioritizes animal welfare.

NCHU President Fuh-Jyh Jan emphasized that the investment in bionic teaching aids not only establishes NCHU's College of Veterinary Medicine as a leading veterinary education institution in Taiwan but also brings multiple benefits to students, animals, and society as a whole. For students, the system offers a learning environment where they can repeatedly practice procedures, shortening the learning curve and improving outcomes. For animals, it significantly reduces the need for live-animal practice during internships, embodying the principle of “education-driven animal welfare.” For society, bionic teaching aids make veterinary education more accessible and modernized, aligning Taiwan’s veterinary medical practices with international standards and raising the overall level of professional veterinary care.

Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Ter-Hsin Chen, explained that traditional veterinary internships often rely on live animals or animal cadavers for hands-on practice. However, due to limited animal resources and concerns over animal welfare, the introduction of bionic teaching aids provides students with a standardized and highly efficient learning model. This not only greatly reduces dependency on live animals for practice but also enables students to repeatedly hone their technical skills in a stress-free environment, ensuring proficiency in core clinical techniques for small animals.

The small animal bionic teaching aids cover procedures such as leg blood sampling, tracheal intubation, nasogastric intubation, dental surgery, spaying female dogs, bandaging, and skin suturing. These aids allow students to acquire professional skills in a simulated environment while fully adhering to the “3Rs” principle of animal experimentation, particularly the core concept of replacement, thus embodying the spirit of animal welfare.

Vice Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Peng-Wen Chan, highlighted that NCHU adopts a “case-based teaching” approach, enabling students to practice and resolve problems in simulated clinical scenarios. This practical, hands-on teaching model not only enhances learning outcomes but also equips students with the skills needed to transition seamlessly into the workforce. By ensuring that every graduate is “practice-ready” upon graduation, NCHU sets a benchmark for professional veterinary education.