VETM803B

041469

The Clinical Skills coursework (VETM 803A, 803B, 803C, and 803D) represents four consecutive semesters of primarily experiential learning designed to create and build upon a foundation of core knowledge and techniques that are essential to the practice of veterinary medicine. In VETM 803B, students will add onto their foundational knowledge from VETM 803A and continue to apply core content from the Systems-Based coursework to their study of clinically relevant skills. The spring semester is built around the Musculoskeletal and Vital Circuitry units. Clinical skills laboratories will highlight the value of focused physical exams involving these body systems.

The successful student will learn how to perform entry-level orthopedic and lameness exams, as well as hoof exams, arthrocentesis, and nerve blocks. Radiographic evaluation and distal limb ultrasonography will be introduced as crucial imaging modalities for examining the musculoskeletal system, particularly in equine practice. Students will also be able to perform cardiothoracic auscultation and abdominal palpation to examine clinically relevant urinary structures (I.e. the kidneys and the urinary bladder in companion animal patients). Students will be able to classify heart murmurs and identify cardiac arrhythmias through analysis of electrocardiograms (ECGs). Students will be introduced to thoracic and abdominal imaging studies with concentration on the heart, lungs, kidneys, and urinary bladder. Urine collection and urinalysis will be practiced as common in-house diagnostic tests. Monitoring equipment for the airways will be introduced, including pulse oximetry and capnography, and students will have opportunities to practice intubation through exercises in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Live animals will augment the use of non-animal teaching tools and simulators to practice minimally invasive techniques that facilitate diagnosis. This hands-on approach to learning will be fully integrated with the systems-based curriculum. Skills will be taught using a layered approach, such that the complexity of the skills that are introduced and ultimately assessed build upon one another and advance in difficulty throughout the curriculum. Students who complete this series of courses will be well prepared for VM 818 Advanced Professional and Clinical Skills, which culminates in Sophomore Surgery.

PNP - Pass/Fail

Veterinary Medicine