Motivation and Experience Matters: What Veterinary Mentors Think About Learning Communication Skills: A Qualitative Study.

Communication skills are a core competence in veterinary medicine. These skills play a pivotal role in professional success in the animal health professions. Over the last few decades, there has been an increased focus on communication skills in veterinary curricula. Conversely, we know less about the knowledge and motivation behind the communication skills of those veterinarians in different work domains who are acting as mentors outside the university. In 2016, semi-structured interviews (