Professional Practice 1 (Hospital)

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

Lectures will consider the following topics: food safety and public health; state veterinary medicine; legislative control of animals and animal diseases (Livestock Diseases Act, Quarantine Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, etc.); reporting adverse drug reactions; handling disease emergencies (Austvetplan); aquatic animal health; animal welfare; and urban animal management.

Students will undertake weekly clinical rotations in sections of the Department of Veterinary Science and Department of Veterinary Clinic and Hospital, with daily attendances on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8am to 5pm. Some sections require out-of-hours work during the week, on weekends and on public holidays.

Clinical rotations include autopsy, clinical pathology, microbiology and parasitology; diagnostic imaging; small animal medicine; small animal surgery; anaesthesiology; equine medicine and surgery; agriculture animal medicine; animal reproduction; and small animal emergency and critical care.

Extramural work between teaching periods and between clinical years involves two weeks in third year and two weeks in final year in the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital, including an out-of-hours component and additional attendance as directed by clinicians; twelve weeks of approved extramural work with an academic associate of the faculty, or other approved experience during the third and final years; and one week at the Rural Veterinary Centre, Maffra. This work must be completed by the end of second semester of final year.

1. Perform physical examination of dogs and cats and other small animals.
2. Develop a problem oriented approach to solving medical cases.
3. Perform minor surgical tasks such as suturing the skin and perform basic selection of appropriate suture materials. Perform routine surgery such as ovariohysterectomy or castration.
4. Calculate anaesthetic doses, select anaesthetic drugs, induce anaesthesia in a patient and monitor anaesthetic depth in a patient.
5. Perform basic manual skill such a phlebotomy, intravenous catheter placement and administration of medications (oral and injectable).
6. Assess emergency cases, develop appropriate plans for intravenous fluid therapy, understand common analgesic drugs selections and usage.
7. Perform post mortem examinations.
8. Perform basic clinical pathology tasks such as blood smear preparation, cytology smears creation and urinalysis.
9. Interpret haematology and biochemical profiles.
10. Demonstrate appropriate medical record keeping and SOAP writing.
11. Take radiographs of patients and interpret radiographs appropriately.
12. Develop basic skills in ultrasonography.
13. Demonstrate correct animal handling skills including holding animals for examination, radiography and phlebotomy.

Clinical rotations, including two Veterinary Public Health group assignments (70%), one 2-hour multiple choice examination at the end of semester, covering clinical and applied aspects of professional practice (20%) and one oral examination covering all aspects of Veterinary Public Health (10%). The first assignment is a four page report due early in the semester and the second is a 2000 word report due at the end of semester. The marks for clinical rotations will be weighted equally between the rotations, with the assignments weighted as a single rotation. Students are required to pass all components of assessment, including all clinical rotations.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students completing this subject should have acquired the following:

• cognitive, analytic and problem solving skills, involving independent thought, rational enquiry and self-directed learning;

• respect for intellectual integrity and professional ethics;

• professional and technical skills;

• writing skills and the use of advanced communication technologies;

• time management and planning skills;

• people management, the ability to participate effectively in collaborative learning, interpersonal relationships and grief counselling; and

• finance and business management skills.

Special requirements: suitable protective clothing is required for all practical work in the clinics and laboratories. A white scrub suit or white short-sleeved coveralls are required for surgical clinics, a clean white coat for medical clinics, and grey or khaki coveralls and rubber over-boots for all large animal clinics. Students must provide themselves with a stethoscope, thermometer, pen light and dog lead.