Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

The program of study will be four years full time, and will be delivered at the Parkville campus (Years One and Two) and at the Werribee campus (Years Three and Four).

The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) curriculum will assume prior knowledge and experience of scientific thought processes. This will allow for the early introduction of an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to veterinary studies, an approach that provides opportunities for students to apply their understanding to authentic cases, to practise evidence-based decision-making, to solve clinical problems and to acquire clinical competencies in an ordered and sequential way, from the first year of their course. By the time they reach the final year of the DVM, students will be immersed in a community of best practice in the University’s Hospital, where the explicit teaching of the lecture theatre, practical class and tutorial room gives way to peer to peer teaching and experiential learning.

Students successfully completing the Veterinary Bioscience specialisation of the Animal Health and Disease major of the BSc will have guaranteed progression to the DVM, with credit for all subjects in DVM1.

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with Distinction

The Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with Distinction will be awarded to completing students (graduates) who have achieved a weighted average mark of 80% or more across all subjects in the final three years of the DVM course.

The primary aim of the Melbourne DVM curriculum is to graduate highly capable veterinary scientists whose abilities to solve problems, to draw on the substantial body of veterinary knowledge, to interpret evidence, and to make decisions and act upon them within a clear ethical and professional framework embody all of the graduate attributes to which the Faculty aspires.

The DVM curriculum has been developed around five learning domains that describe the student’s progressive acquisition of the graduate attributes of a veterinary scientist. These domains or strands, that traverse all subjects of the DVM program, are:

• the scientific basis of clinical practice
• ethics and animal welfare
• biosecurity and population health
• clinical skills, and
• personal and professional development.

All subjects in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine are compulsory.

See section below (Subject Options) for the structure of this course.

All subjects in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine are compulsory - there are no majors/minors/specialisations

All subjects in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine are compulsory.

Year One (DVM 1)

Students enrolled in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

N.B. All students are to enrol in the Year Long availability of these two subjects, unless directed by the Faculty of Veterinary Science.

Year One (DVM 1) with advanced standing

Students enrolled in the DVM who have been granted advanced standing based on completed studies at the University of Melbourne.

For students who have previously completed all three of:

• VETS20014 Foundations of Animal Health 1
• VETS20014 Foundations of Animal Health 2
• VETS30015 Veterinary Bioscience: Cells to Systems

These students should enrol in both

Year One (via Veterinary Bioscience specialisation in the BSc)

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science - Animal Health and Disease Major (Veterinary Bioscience specialisation).

N.B. The subjects VETS20014 Foundations of Animal Health 1 and VETS20015 Foundations of Animal Health 2 are completed prior to the final year of the Bachelor of Science.

Year Two (DVM 2)

Year Three (DVM 3)

Year Four (DVM 4)

The fourth year of this course will be offered for the first time in 2014.

The entry requirements are reproduced from the Resolutions on Selection: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/abp/rs.html

Normal entry (i.e. ‘Graduate selection’)

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue the course successfully using the following criterion ‐

• successful completion of the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Biomedicine or Bachelor of Agriculture degree at the University of Melbourne, or an equivalent degree from another institution, including specified prerequisite subjects (at least one semester of study in biology and at least one semester of study in biochemistry). Emphasis will be placed on results in science‐based subjects.

2. The Selection Committee will consider a personal statement from an applicant demonstrating commitment to the veterinary science profession and any experience applicants have gained in fields relevant to veterinary science; and may call for referee reports or employer references; and conduct interviews to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

3. The Selection Committee will consider Graduate Access Melbourne applications and may make appropriate adjustments to applicants’ GPA as appropriate. Adjustments will be considered in the selection process for Commonwealth Supported places and Australian Fee places.

Entry with advanced standing via the Veterinary Bioscience specialisation of the Animal Health and Disease major of the Bachelor of Science (i.e. ‘Undergraduate selection’)

An alternative pathway for entry to the DVM degree is available to current undergraduate students who have completed two years of a science degree (BSc or BBiomed) at the University of Melbourne (including the prerequisite subjects of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (or equivalent) and Foundations of Animal Health 1 and 2). Applicants apply for the DVM at the end of their second year and, if successful, are enrolled into subjects in Veterinary Bioscience specialisation of the Animal Health and Disease major of the Bachelor of Science program. Students who then successfully complete the Bachelor of Science including all subjects in the Animal Health and Disease major (Veterinary Bioscience specialisation) will be guaranteed entry to the DVM program, with credit for all subjects at the DVM first year level (100 points). The selection point into the DVM is therefore at the end of second year in the Bachelor of Science.

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue the course successfully using the following criterion ‐

• successful completion of first and second year of the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Biomedicine degree at the University of Melbourne, including specified prerequisite subjects. Emphasis will be placed on results in science‐based subjects.

2. The Selection Committee will consider a personal statement from an applicant demonstrating commitment to the veterinary science profession and any experience applicants have gained in fields relevant to veterinary science; and may call for referee reports or employer references and conduct interviews to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

3. The Selection Committee will consider Graduate Access Melbourne applications and may make appropriate adjustments to applicants’ GPA as appropriate. Adjustments will be considered in the selection process for Commonwealth Supported places and Australian Fee places.

Guaranteed entry pathway for high‐achieving school leavers

The Faculty of Veterinary Science offers guaranteed entry into the DVM for high‐achieving school leavers. This pathway is via the Veterinary Bioscience specialisation of the Animal Health and Disease major in the Bachelor of Science and the selection point is at the end of second year in the Bachelor of Science. The approved arrangement is as follows:

For a Commonwealth supported place:

• achieve an ATAR (or equivalent) of 98.5 (in the final year of schooling in Australia); commence a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Melbourne following completion of schooling; and complete first and second year science with the appropriate prerequisite subjects with a minimum H2B (70%) average in both first and second year science subjects

For a Fee‐paying place (international or Australian):

• achieve an ATAR (or equivalent) of 95.0; commence a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Melbourne following completion of schooling; and complete first and second year science with the appropriate prerequisite subjects with a minimum H2B (70%) average in both first and second year science subjects

N.B. The guaranteed entry pathway for a Commonwealth Supported Place is limited to students who are Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents at the time of commencement of the Bachelor of Science degree at the University.

Special pathway for graduates from rural campuses

Subject to a limit on the number of Commonwealth supported places that may be allocated under this pathway, applicants who have completed at a rural campus a relevant undergraduate degree approved by the Board will have their GPA (on a scale of 100) increased by 5 in the competition based on academic merit for a Commonwealth supported place or a fee place. Until otherwise determined by the Board, the maximum number of places that may be allocated under this pathway is 10, and the following program is approved as a relevant degree from a rural campus:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison website:
http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

It is a requirement of the course that students fully participate in teaching activities involving the use of animals. There are no exceptions to this.

The University has a policy regarding the conscientious objection to animal use. However within the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine activities involving the use of animals for teaching purposes are essential to the development of relevant skills and attributes and the requirement for all students to fully and actively participate cannot be waived.

Additional requirements of the course are that students agree to be vaccinated against Q fever and tetanus and that they undertake and complete an approved short course in animal handling and safety.

The Faculty of Veterinary Science policy outlining requirements in relation to student disability for entry to and progression within the DVM are outlined below.

The provision of deliberate misinformation about the student’s ability to successfully complete the course will be regarded as unprofessional practice and treated as such.

All students of the DVM must possess the intellectual, ethical, physical and emotional capabilities required to participate in the full curriculum and to achieve the levels of competence at graduation required by the faculty and the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria.

A student with a disability may be asked to provide independent medical or other clinical assessments of the disability and its possible impact on the ability of the student to successfully complete the course, before being accepted into the course. This statement would be treated in confidence with only those on the admissions committee and Disability Liaison having access to the document.

While the Faculty of Veterinary Science will make reasonable adjustments to minimise the impact of a disability, all students must be able to participate in the program in an independent manner. It is not reasonable for students to use an intermediary as an adjustment to compensate for a disability impacting on any of the five categories listed below. In the clinical environment there is a primary duty of care to the patients and the needs of students cannot compromise this. It is expected that all students will be able to participate fully in all classroom based learning activities and to successfully fulfil the self-study requirements of the course. The presence of a disability will not automatically entitle the student to preferential treatment in clinical place allocation.

A candidate for the DVM must have abilities and skills in the following five categories across all aspects of the course including practical classes and in clinical work:

• observation
• communication
• motor
• intellectual
• behavioural and social.

Observational Skills

Visual acuity is required in most aspects of the program. Students must be able to observe and participate in practical laboratory classes in the basic sciences, including physiology and pharmacology demonstrations and experiments, anatomy dissection classes, and practical classes in histology, general pathology, parasitology, microbiology and immunology. Visual acuity is necessary to identify and interpret gross lesions indicative of disease, view and interpret tissue sections and fluid smears via light microscopy, recognise pathogenic agents either with the naked eye or by microscopic examination, and read and interpret the results of many diagnostic tests.

Communication Skills

Students must be able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in written form. They must be capable of preparing written case reports, essays and other written assignments, of making oral presentations, and of satisfactorily completing examinations that require comprehension skills, clarity of expression, and the demonstration and application of relevant knowledge that is presented in a logical and coherent fashion.

Students must be able to maintain comprehensive and accurate written or electronic records, and to communicate effectively (both verbally and in writing) with the lay public, farmers, representatives of animal industries, diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical agencies, government and other responsible authorities, and members of the veterinary profession, using language that is appropriate to the audience and context.

Motor Skills

Students must possess sufficient motor function to be able to participate fully and independently in all classes. Practical class and clinical work activities require coordination of gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision. Students must be capable of identifying the potential risk of injury and take responsibility for their own safety, the safety of others and the safety of animals (including animal handling) whilst undertaking these activities.

Intellectual Skills

Problem-solving, a critical skill demanded of disease investigators, requires conceptual, integrative and quantitative intellectual skills. Students are expected to have the necessary intellectual capacity to permit them to develop and hone their skills in measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis over the course of the program, building on a strong foundational knowledge of the biological sciences. Students must also have the capacity to develop skills in critically evaluating scientific evidence and to comprehend and integrate complex information relating to multiple scientific disciplines.

Behavioural and Social Skills

Students must possess the behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. As they also contribute to the learning of other students in a collaborative learning environment, they are expected to demonstrate inter-personal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment components may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Students program must be capable of working effectively both as individuals and as members of teams. They are expected to behave in a respectful and collegial fashion not only with other students but also with academic, administrative and technical staff of the Faculty, members of the veterinary profession, representatives of animal and allied industries, and government authorities.

Students must be mature, self-aware and have the emotional health necessary to utilise their intellectual abilities fully. They must be aware of their personal limitations, and be cognisant of when and where to seek assistance or professional advice and support.

The DVM program encourages students to achieve the attributes of all graduates of the University of Melbourne in terms of academic excellence, knowledge acquisition, community leadership and responsibility, cultural sensitivity, and international awareness.

In particular, the Melbourne School of Veterinary Science intends that graduates of its DVM program should:

• be able to seek solutions to problems through the application of knowledge, the ability to initiate and integrate new ideas, an appreciation of the broad picture of science, and an understanding of the importance and application of scientific method
• deal with integrity and honesty with professional colleagues, clients and the general public
• demonstrate empathy and concern for animals and people
• possess an understanding of both scientific and vocational aspects of veterinary science
• be motivated to be a veterinarian, aware of the veterinarian’s place in society, and prepared to be a leader in the community
• have broad knowledge of veterinary science and be able to develop intellectual and physical skills as circumstances dictate
• be trained in all disciplines and aspects of veterinary science
• be adaptable to changes in their specific field of employment and to advancements in veterinary science in general
• be confident in their veterinary capabilities on day one post-graduation whilst recognising the limitations of their training
• be aware of the global society and equipped to contribute to it
• be a graduate of choice for employers.

As a Masters level course, the DVM assumes and builds on the prior knowledge and experience in scientific thinking of students entering the course. From the first year of study an integrated and interdisciplinary approach is adopted. Students are expected to appraise data critically, to integrate concepts acquired in different disciplines, and to apply their understanding to authentic cases. They will be provided with opportunities to practise evidence-based decision-making, to solve clinical problems and to acquire clinical competencies in an ordered and sequential way.

The veterinary program at the University of Melbourne is accredited by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (London, United Kingdom), and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Accreditation is reviewed on a 7 year cycle for all accredited veterinary schools. The accrediting authorities have been informed of the changes to the degree structure through the customary annual reporting process. A formal review of the program will occur in line with the normal accreditation process.

The primary aim of the Melbourne DVM curriculum is to graduate highly capable veterinary scientists whose abilities to solve problems, to draw on the substantial body of veterinary knowledge, to interpret evidence, and to make decisions and act upon them within a clear ethical and professional framework embody all of the graduate attributes to which the Faculty aspires.

The DVM curriculum has been developed around five learning domains that describe the student’s progressive acquisition of the graduate attributes of a veterinary scientist. These domains or strands, that traverse all subjects of the DVM program, are:

• the scientific basis of clinical practice
• ethics and animal welfare
• biosecurity and population health
• clinical skills, and
• personal and professional development.

The DVM program encourages students to achieve the attributes of all graduates of the University of Melbourne in terms of academic excellence, knowledge acquisition, community leadership and responsibility, cultural sensitivity, and international awareness.

Knowledge

Graduates of the Melbourne DVM will have:

• An extensive body of contemporary knowledge encompassing all disciplines and aspects of veterinary science.
• A knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to veterinary science and its professional practice.

Skills

Graduates of the Melbourne DVM will have:

• An advanced understanding of concepts, mechanisms and practical skills that underline veterinary science and its professional practice.
• The ability to investigate and seek solutions to complex problems and synthesise information encountered as a veterinary scientist, employing practical skills and the application of knowledge.
• The ability to apply their knowledge and technical skills to evaluate ideas and concepts presented to a veterinary scientist.
• The ability to interpret scientific findings and justify professional decisions through effective communication to clients, colleagues and support staff with empathy and concern for both animals and people.
• The ability to apply their knowledge, practical and communication skills to formulate and implement management strategies for addressing problems encountered as a contemporary veterinary scientist.

Application of knowledge and skills

Graduates of the Melbourne DVM will demonstrate the application of knowledge & skills:

• With the ability to adapt to changes in their field of employment and to advancements in veterinary science.
• With the ability to develop intellectual and physical skills in order to initiate and integrate new ideas into veterinary practice.
• With confidence in their veterinary capabilities on day one post-graduation, whilst at the same time recognising the extent of these capabilities and assuming individual professional responsibilities for them.
• By being a graduate of choice for employers.
• By being motivated to be a veterinarian, by being aware of the veterinarian’s place in global society and by being prepared to contribute to and be a leader in the community.
• To complete a professionally focussed research project and participate in a capstone experience.

As a Masters level course, the DVM assumes and builds on the prior knowledge and experience in scientific thinking of students entering the course. From the first year of study an integrated and interdisciplinary approach is adopted. Students are expected to appraise data critically, to integrate concepts acquired in different disciplines, and to apply their understanding to authentic cases. They will be provided with opportunities to practise evidence-based decision-making, to solve clinical problems and to acquire clinical competencies in an ordered and sequential way.

The veterinary program at the University of Melbourne is accredited by the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (London, United Kingdom), and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Accreditation is reviewed on a 7 year cycle for all accredited veterinary schools.

Progression in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

STANDING RULES - YEARS 1, 2 and 3.

Progression in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program is by year rather than by semester. The subjects undertaken each year are prerequisites for those of the following year. A student may not proceed to the next year of the program without having satisfied completely the requirements of the preceding year.

1. Supplementary Examinations

Supplementary examinations will be offered for subjects in which a student achieves a mark of between 40% and 49% (inclusive) and where all prescribed hurdle requirements have been satisfactorily completed.

A supplementary examination will be granted for a subject in which the student has a grade of NH (i.e. failure to satisfactorily complete all prescribed hurdle requirements in the subject) provided that they have:

• Achieved a mark of 40% or greater in the subject, and
• Failed no more than three hurdle requirements across all subjects in the year

A supplementary examination will not be granted for a subject that a student fails after repeating.

A supplementary examination is a complete examination in a subject and alone determines the final mark for that subject. No earlier assessment components of the subject will contribute to the final mark in the supplementary examination. The format of the supplementary examination may differ from that of the primary examination(s) in that subject. The maximum mark recorded for a supplementary examination is 50%.

2. Repeat

Students in DVM-1 will not be permitted to repeat subjects except in exceptional circumstances which have prevented them from undertaking examinations including supplementary examinations.

Students in DVM-2 and DVM-3 will be permitted to repeat a year if they do not fall into the Termination of Enrolment category.

Repeating students are required to undertake only those subjects that they have failed, unless co-requisite subjects are indicated. When repeating a subject they must complete all components of the subject(s) that they are repeating.

Students repeating subjects must pass all of those subjects outright and are not eligible for supplementary examinations.

3. Termination of Enrolment

A student will be placed in the Termination of Enrolment category if he or she

• Fails one or more subjects in DVM1
• Fails two or more subjects in DVM2
• Fails all subjects in DVM3
• Fails any subject in a year at the first attempt with a mark of less than 40%
• Fails any repeated subject.

4. Convening of the Course Unsatisfactory Progress Committee (CUPC)

The Faculty's Course Unsatisfactory Progress Committee will convene after results have been certified for each subject to review the progress of any student in the Repeat or Termination of Enrolment category. Students in these categories will be invited to make an oral and/or written submission to the Committee. The CUPC is authorised to make decisions on behalf of the Faculty with regard to the progress of individual students and to vary the Standing Rules if it deems that progression of a student can be facilitated without adversely affecting academic standards.

Standing Rules for the Final Year of the course

Progression into and out from the Fourth year of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine is by year.

The subjects undertaken each year are prerequisites for those of the following year. A student may not proceed to the next year of the program without having satisfied completely the requirements of the preceding year.

1. Satisfying hurdle requirements
• Assessment hurdles

Students will be allowed one or two additional assessments if they fail up to two of the examination components of assessment. The format of the additional examination may differ from that of the primary assessment/examination(s).

Failure of more than two examination components of assessment or failure of the research assignment or failure of any additional assessment will result in a supplementary examination.

• Rotation hurdles

Students will be permitted to repeat up to 2 failed rotations, i.e. clinical rotations, electives or extramural placements (or an approved alternative elective or extramural rotation). These hurdle requirements can be repeated during the year or after the examination period.

Failure of three rotations or of a repeated rotation will result in a supplementary examination.

2. Supplementary Examinations

Students will be allowed a supplementary examination if they do not fall into the Repeat category.

Supplementary examinations may be granted for students who fail any assessment provided that they have passed all five themes of VETS70009 Veterinary Professional Practice and have an overall mark of more than 40%.

A supplementary examination will not be granted if a student is repeating the year.

The format of the supplementary examination may differ from that of the primary examination(s). A supplementary examination is a complete examination and alone determines the final mark for the overall subject. The maximum mark that may be recorded for the subject is 50%.

3. Repeating the year

Students will be permitted to repeat the year if they do not fall into the Termination of Enrolment category. Repeating the year will be recommended if a student:
• fails four or more rotations, i.e. clinical rotations, electives or extramural placements
• fails a supplementary examination
• fails any one of the five themes of VETS70009 Veterinary Professional Practice with a mark between 40 and 49%
• fails the subject with a mark between 40 and 49 %

Repeating students are required to undertake and complete all components of VETS70009 Veterinary Professional Practice.

4. Termination of Enrolment

A student will be placed in the Termination of Enrolment category if he or she:
• fails VETS70009 Veterinary Professional Practice at the first attempt with a mark of less than 40%
• fails any of the five themes of VETS70009 Veterinary Professional Practice with a mark of less than 40%
• fails two or more of the five themes of VETS70009 Veterinary Professional Practice each with a mark of less than 50%
• fails any examination or a theme in a repeated year

5. Convening of the Course Unsatisfactory Progress Committee (CUPC)

The Faculty's Course Unsatisfactory Progress Committee will convene after the examination period to review the progress of any student in the Repeat or Termination of Enrolment category. Students in these categories will be invited to make an oral and/or written submission to the CUPC. The CUPC is authorised to make decisions on behalf of the Faculty with regard to the progress of individual students and to vary the Standing Rules if it deems that progression of a student can be facilitated without adversely affecting academic standards.