A Workshop on Veterinary Systems Thinking

David R. Smith,1 Kimberly A. Woodruff,1 W. Isaac Jumper,1 and John T. Groves2

1Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State, MS; 2Livestock Veterinary Service. Eldon, MO

Veterinary practice and beef cattle production systems are complex adaptive systems, meaning that they have a purpose, multiple parts, and they adjust to the conditions around them. Because they are complex, their response to surrounding conditions may not be predictable. Understanding the way systems behave can provide some insight into managing systems or at least anticipating unintended consequences. The science of systems thinking recognizes that underlying the events we worry about (e.g., calves getting sick) and things we do to directly manage those events (e.g., administering vaccines) lay a myriad of complex interactions of biology and human actions and decisions (e.g., you bought those calves from where?!) that make up complex adaptive systems. Failing to understand the behavior of systems may lead to unintended or less than desirable outcomes.

 The goals of this one-day workshop are to:

  1. help veterinarians recognize complex adaptive systems in their professional activities and provide a framework to help them think about the elements of the system and how they interact.
  2. inspire veterinarians to dig deeper into the important problems they face -especially around the elements they can control
  3. convince the practitioner they are in the best position to understand more about the systems in which they work than someone viewing the system from outside.

 We will achieve these goals through a combination of discussions, interactive games, and practice scenarios. By the end of the workshop, attendees will be able to:

1.   recognize and better understand complex adaptive systems
2.   know how to read and formulate a causal loop diagram
3.   understand the role of time-delays and feedback in systems

4.   apply systems thinking in their own professional activities

 Registration is free for recent graduates (2018 – 2026). The workshop is limited to 30 seats.

 This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Veterinary Services Grant Program #2024-70024-43122.Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.