Texas Tech University

Course Descriptions

Year 3 | Semester 6

DVM 7101 Equine Medicine and Surgery 3 (1 credit, 1 hour lecture, 0 hours lab). Building on the previous semester, this course prepares the student for equine practice by providing the foundational knowledge needed for diagnosing and treating the most common diseases and surgical conditions encountered in horses and related species.

DVM 7151 Regulatory Veterinary Medicine (1 credit, 1 hour lecture, 0 hours lab). The principles of regulatory veterinary medicine will be discussed, and students will be prepared to achieve USDA Accreditation.

DVM 7200 Outbreak Investigation and Disaster Response (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Students will build upon the framework for investigating outbreaks of disease developed in epidemiology. They will do this by investigating a series of simulated outbreaks, applying steps to determine whether an outbreak exists, establishing a case definition, describing the epidemiology of the disease, generating and testing hypotheses, and communicating their findings to appropriate parties. Further, the students explore the patterns of behavior that people display relative to their animals during disasters. The students explore the role of veterinarians in disaster management and develop plans for disaster response should a disaster fall on a veterinary practice.

DVM 7231 Therapeutics (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Introduction to the principals and practice of veterinary therapeutics in production, companion, and exotic animals, and the practical application of clinical pharmacology. Key areas covered include drug selection, clinical pharmacokinetics and drug dosing, antimicrobial decision-making and stewardship, adverse effects, and fluid therapy.

DVM 7241 Production Advanced Health Management and Prevention Medicine (2 credits, 2 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This course provides an overview of the principles of population health and of production management for beef cattle, dairy cattle, small ruminants, swine, and poultry. Includes the application of scientific principles to practical herd management with components of reproduction, nutrition, housing, genetics, economics, records, food safety, and disease control (vaccination). Students will learn analytic techniques and computer software skills to evaluate population disease and production problems to improve the health and production of livestock and other species.

DVM 7311 Clinical and Professional Skills 6 (3 credits, 1 hour lecture, 7 hours lab). Building on Clinical and Professional Skills I and II, students gain experience in clinical evaluations, routine anesthesia and surgery. Students will perform a number of live-animal surgeries and serve as anesthesiologist on a number of cases. Diagnostic and therapeutic skills, therapeutic interventions, record keeping, case management, and disease prevention knowledge and skills are further developed. Students will work with more complexities related to client communication, conflict management, financial literacy, veterinary team dynamics and engagement, euthanasia conversations, working with professional organizations, veterinary practice acts, legal responsibilities, malpractice protection, and medical ethics. Students will demonstrate continued development in communication, leadership, and professional skills related to the increasing complexities of the profession.

DVM 7321 Integrated Clinical Reasoning 6 (3 credits, 0 hours lecture, 0 hours lab, 3 hours active learning). A problem-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. Skills will include problem identification, information gathering and assessment, 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 CP III is on clinical-decision making, including interventions and prognostication. Students synthesize comprehensive treatment or health management plans that take into account therapeutic approaches, outcomes, feasibility, economics, client expectations, compliance, public health, regulations and the environment.

DVM 7381 Small Animal Medicine and Surgery 3 (3 credits, 3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Building on the previous semester, this course prepares the student for small animal practice by providing the foundational knowledge needed for diagnosing and treating the most common diseases and surgical conditions encountered in cats, dogs, and common exotic animals. Principles of emergency medicine will be discussed.

DVM 7103 Elective: Advanced Equine Medicine, Surgery, and Theriogenology (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Building on the previous semesters, this course prepares the student for equine practice by providing the supplementary knowledge and skills to be a successful equine practitioner. The knowledge and skills gained in this course will be used by the student to proactively address medical, surgical, and reproductive issues of the horse. Through a lecture format students will develop the knowledge and skills to promote the health and well-being of horses.

DVM 7141 Elective: Advanced Diagnostic Cytology (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This elective will provide students with an opportunity to further refine their skills in diagnostic cytopathology. The elective will be delivered as a hybrid model involving traditional light microscopy and digital pathology. Assessments will primarily center around student preparation and participation in laboratories.

DVM 7143 Elective: Veterinary Forensic Medicine (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore the functions of a veterinarian in identifying and reporting animal cruelty and neglect, animal crime scene processing, handling, and interpreting forensic evidence, and performing a forensic necropsy. The course will also explore the legal principles involved in animal welfare and prepare the student to act as an expert witness for legal procedures.

DVM 7145 Elective: Advanced Integrative Diagnostic Pathology (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This elective will give students the opportunity to hone their diagnostic skills and correlate pathophysiologic mechanisms of disease with clinical signs and test results. This elective will feature primarily group discussion and individual assignments. Assessment of this course will be based on in-class participation and completion of case assignments.

DVM 7183 Elective: Mixed Animal Practice Ready (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Emphasis will be placed on practical everyday solutions to commonly seen ailments and concerns seen regularly in a mixed animal practice. The first 6 months of practice is filled with “growing pains.” This course is to bridge the gap between university learning and real-world application. Through the use of scenarios, hands-on application, and didactic learning the goal is to ready students for their entrance into the field of rural mixed animal practice.

DVM 7185 Elective: Pediatrics: Small Animal Orthopedic and Soft Tissue Surgery (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). This course is designed to reinforce and build on surgical skills learned in previous foundation courses. Information related to specific surgical procedures will be delivered to students in pre-recorded lecture format. There will be seven hours of lecture materials. Some of the lecture material will reinforce concepts and techniques from earlier surgery courses, and some will be new. Information gained from lectures will then be applied in laboratory as students practice key surgical procedures utilizing cadavers. Students will learn independently and also work within groups. There will be four 4-hour laboratories.

DVM 7193 Elective: Advanced Livestock Medicine (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Building on the previous semesters, this course prepares the student for bovine practice and specifically in the beef cattle sector by providing the supplementary knowledge and skills to be a successful food animal practitioner. A series of lectures and hands on laboratories will be combined to provide the most successful learning experience.

DVM 7195 Elective: Dairy Production Medicine (1 credits, 1 hours lecture, 0 hours lab). Building on the previous semesters, this course prepares the student for bovine practice and specifically in the dairy cattle sector by providing the supplementary knowledge and skills to be a successful food animal practitioner. A series of lectures and hands on laboratories will be combined to provide the most successful learning experience.