Course Descriptions

Year 1 | Semester 1

DVM 5120 Integrated Clinical Reasoning 1 (1 credit, 0 hour lecture, 0 hours lab, 2 hours active learning). A problem/clinical presentation-based course where students will develop their problem-solving, diagnostic reasoning, and clinical decision-making skills by exploring a series of clinical presentations. Presentations will cover clinical problems, health protection problems, public health/public practice and research problems, in individuals, groups, and populations of animals. Skills will include problem identification, information gathering and assessment, analytic and non-analytic clinical and diagnostic reasoning skills clinical reasoning, and problem solving. Students are expected to integrate foundational knowledge from biomedical sciences with clinical sciences, population health science, and technical skills to explore and resolve problems. The focus in Clinical Presentations Ia is on the ability to differentiate normal from abnormal and to start learning to integrate this into diagnostic reasoning.

DVM 5190 Introduction to Research and Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine (1 hour, 1 hour lecture, 0 hours lab). This course will introduce concepts critical to successful fundamental and applied research, e.g., biomedical, population health, and clinical research, and provide examples of how research helps veterinary practitioners in evidence-based decision-making. Students will be introduced to evidence-based veterinary medicine, including how the merits of research and the philosophy and methods of science are used in clinical decision-making. Furthermore, students will be exposed to information resources and concepts of literature searches. Also, ethical considerations of animal use in research, academia, and industry will be presented. The course will be taught through lectures and active learning which will promote students' capacity to evaluate and synthesize literature to achieve a meaningful conclusion relevant to veterinary medicine and the pursuit of new knowledge.

DVM 5200 Introduction to Animal Care & Industries (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This course introduces students to animal industries associated with major domestic species and to the stakeholders that are served by the profession through these industries. It also provides an introduction to medical terminology and the common vocabulary related to animal industries. The role of the profession in animal health and welfare, in supporting animal industries, and in protecting human and environmental health will be explored. Students will explore how people associate with animals, the challenges that arise from these associations, and the roles that veterinarians play in these contexts.

DVM 5210 Clinical and Professional Skills 1 (2 credits, 1 hour lecture, 7 hours lab¹). Through a series of clinically oriented learning experiences students will become competent in individual and herd physical examinations and history taking. In addition, they will gain experience in diagnostic procedures, introductory instrument and suture handling, and develop introductory skill sets in clinical intervention and patient management. Students will be introduced to basic communication and its importance in veterinary medicine, especially in the area of history taking, team building, diversity, financial literacy, and humanistic skills. Students will demonstrate development in communication, leadership, and professional skills related to the profession. Note: This course will include laboratories normally found in other courses such as parasitology diagnostic procedures.

DVM 5240 The Profession and Professionalism (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This course introduces students to the concept of a profession, what it means to be a professional, and the career pathways available in veterinary medicine. The principles of professionalism, including relevant jurisprudence, self-regulation, ethics, and life-long learning will be introduced. The principles of clients, stakeholders, and community, and the importance of their relationships, will be discussed. The concepts of the healthy veterinarian and self-management are explored, including professional renewal and self-care, financial management, pursuing and meeting professional goals, focusing on career, and growing and developing in a changing environment.

DVM 5251 Immunology (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This course presents an introduction to veterinary immunology including mechanisms of resistance of infectious pathogens and tissue injury caused by the immune system. Also, this course will cover topics on mucosal immunity, hypersensitivity reactions and autoimmune diseases.

DVM 5271 Virology (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Students will learn the principles of viruses and prions of veterinary medical importance to animal and public health, including molecular, cellular, and organismal effects on the host that lead to diseases. Viral diseases relevant to North America and important foreign animal diseases will be explored. Students will be introduced to diagnostic and management strategies relevant to common viral diseases.

DVM 5281 Animal Behavior and Welfare (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Fundamental concepts pertaining to the behavior of the major domestic species and relevant wildlife will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on recognition of normal behavior and the effects of disruption of normal behavior on management. The effect of management practices on the welfare and behavior of domestic animals will be examined, as will domestic animal-human-wildlife interactions. Additionally, this course will cover the basic principles, history, and application of animal welfare science for multiple species. Students will learn to assess the welfare of animals in a variety of settings using science-based methods and reasoning. The objective of this course is to provide veterinary students with the background and application of animal welfare science, which will facilitate their ability to successfully engage in welfare deliberations as practitioners.

DVM 5330 Veterinary Physiology Ia (3 hour, 3 hour lecture). The fundamental and comparative physiological concepts for each body system from the cellular to whole animal organismal level across a wide variety of veterinary species will be presented in a didactic format. A deeper understanding of how these body systems work alone and together to achieve homeostasis is crucial for clinical management of various diseases that are frequently encountered in clinical practice. The course is organized by organ systems and in the first semester you will learn the physiology of the nervous system, body fluids, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, thermoregulation, and special senses. These systems and pertinent clinical material will be taught primarily in three lectures per week. Though there is no laboratory component, the physiological concepts will be reinforced through clinical examination of companion and farm animals in the clinical skills courses, and by appreciating the pathophysiology of various diseases in the clinical presentation courses. As such, this course will be horizontally and vertically integrated with other courses.

DVM 5430 Veterinary Anatomy 1 (4 credits, 4 hours lecture). A systemic and topographic study of macroscopic body structure is presented via lecture and laboratory, utilizing the dog as the primary model for the study of general mammalian form. The anatomical concepts learned herein apply to essentially all domestic mammals (as well as many exotic species) and will serve as the foundation from which the comparative anatomy of these species will be learned in subsequent courses. Since veterinarians are often expected to be able treat a wide variety of species, it is important that practitioners establish a solid anatomical foundation and be able to strategically adapt and apply this knowledge broadly. Didactic lectures often utilize a whiteboard application to help foster student engagement. A team approach is used for laboratory dissection. Clinical applications are incorporated throughout the course in accordance with the goal of contributing to the education of a general veterinary practitioner.

¹ Clinical practicum and laboratory courses are assigned credit hours based on learning objectives rather than the standard contact hour requirements for lectures.