VET SC 7230BRW - Companion Animal Practice Part 2

Course Details

Course Code	VET SC 7230BRW
Course	Companion Animal Practice Part 2
Coordinating Unit	School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Roseworthy Campus
Units	6
Contact	4 hours of Lectures per week. Up to 18 x 3 hour practicals throughout the course plus 8 full day Desexing Clinic rotations during the year
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Prerequisites	Completion of Year 1 of DVM or equivalent
Incompatible	VET SC 7210RW and VET SC 7220RW
Restrictions	Available to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students only
Assessment	On-course assignments; Mid-Semester examination and end-Semester 1 & 2 exam. Formative assessment ? practical competence in anaesthetising and desexing dogs and cats.

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Olaf Schaaf

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

1. Apply to clinical veterinary medicine knowledge learnt in previous courses, especially anatomy (surgery and imaging), physiology (medicine), pharmacology (medicine and surgery) and pathology.

2. Describe medical and surgical disorders of companion animals, including their pathogenesis, pathophysiology, investigation, diagnosis, management and prognosis.

3. Use patient histories and clinical examination findings to evaluate the medical condition of companion animals.

4. Construct differential diagnosis lists for medical and surgical conditions of companion animals and use the lists to propose a diagnostic approach to patients’ clinical problems.

5. Interpret results of clinical pathology, diagnostic imaging, and other clinical investigations in order to reach a diagnosis for medical and surgical conditions.

6. Recognise common diseases and disorders in companion animals and plan therapeutic approaches to them, knowing when to refer complicated or uncommon cases to specialist veterinarians.

7. Plan and employ, under supervision, safe anaesthetic practices for common simple procedures in companion animals.

8. Plan and perform, under supervision, basic surgical procedures safely.

9. Work well in a team when conducting basic surgical and anaesthetic procedures.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.	1-8
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	1,3-8
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	2-9
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	1-9
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	6-9
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	6-9

Required Resources

Personal stethoscope
One pair of dark green scrub suits must be sourced, purchased and ready to wear prior to your Orientation Day in the Desexing clinic.
Students are responsible for laundering of these garments.
They must be clean when attending the Desexing clinic otherwise students will not be able to participate in the class.
Library – various online references

Recommended Resources

General texts
100 Top Consultations in Small Animal General Practice, 2011, Hill, Warman and Shawcross
Clinical Veterinary Advisor Dogs and Cats - 2nd Ed, 2010, Cote
Blackwell's Five-minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline, 2006, Tilley
Blackwell's Five-minute Veterinary Consult: Lab Tests and Diagnostic Procedures Canine and Feline, 2009, Vaden, Knoll, Smith & Tilley

Discipline specific texts

InternalMedicine
Small Animal Internal Medicine, Nelson & Couto, 4th edition 2009
Feline Medicine and Therapeutics - Chandler, Gaskell and Gaskell - 3rd Ed, 2007
The Cat, Little Canine and Feline Endocrinology and Reproduction, Third Edition - Feldman and Nelson - 2003
Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XIV & XV - Bonagura, 2008/2013 (useful potted summaries of latest recommendations for selected conditions)
Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine - 2009, Ettinger + Feldman. Gold standard 2 volume text, but advanced content.
Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat, Greene, 2013

Surgery
Small Animal Surgery – 4th Ed, 2013 Fossum
Veterinary Surgery Small Animal – 1st Ed 2012, 2 Volume set, Tobias and Johnson
Fundamentals of Small Animal Surgery - 1st Ed 2011, F. Mann
Manual of Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery 1st Ed, 2010, Tobias
Handbook of Small Animal Orthopedics and fracture repair 4th Edition 2006 – Piermattei, Flo and DeCamp
Miller's Anatomy of the Dog – 4th Ed, 2013 Evans and De Lahunta

Anaesthesia and Analgesia
These three are good basic practical books, especially for small animals.
Veterinary Anaesthesia, Principles to Practice – 2010, Dugdale A
Small Animal Anaesthesia and Analgesia – 2008, Carroll, GA.
BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Anaesthesia and Analgesia - Seymour and Duke

The most comprehensive veterinary anaesthesia text, and most useful as a reference book.
Lumb and Jones' Veterinary Anaesthesia - 4th Ed, 2007, Tranquilli et al

These are good general books covering pain and its control.
Pain Management for the Small Animal Practitioner - Tranqilli, Lamont and Grimm 2004
Pain Management in Animals - 2005, Flecknell & Waterman-Pearson
Handbook of Veterinary Pain Management – 2nd Ed, 2009, Gaynor and Muir

Oncology
BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Oncology 3rd edition. Useful basic handbook.
Withrow and MacEwen's Small Animal Clinical Oncology, 2013, Withrow and Vail, 5th Ed. Gold standard text.

Drug Formularies
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook - 7th Ed, 2011 - Donald Plumb.
BSAVA Small Animal Formulary - Ramsey

Online Learning

This course will use a combination of lectures and practical classes and interactive sessions. This course utilises Canvas and resources including announcements, lectures, and further reading material will be available on the course pages.

Learning & Teaching Modes

This 6 unit course will be delivered, as 3 units in each semester split over 1-2 teaching days per week as:
• 4 hours lecture per week
• 7-8 x 2-3 hour practicals per semester
• 4 Neutering Clinic practicals per student per semester.
Students will receive lecture notes and other materials online and will be required to log on weekly to MyUni.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

An enrolled student should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week per semester on the studies required for a 3 unit course.
This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g. practical and tutorial preparation time, lecture pre-reading and exam revision).

Learning Activities Summary

The course requires on-campus attendance

This course will apply a body systems based approach to the theoretical and practical aspect of medical and surgical disorders of companion animals, principally dogs and cats.

In tutorial and practical classes, students will develop clinical problem solving ability using case analyses, use cadavers or purpose-made synthetic materials to practice clinical techniques associated with the diagnosis and treatment of common clinical conditions, and develop anaesthesia and surgical skills.

In the desexing clinic students work in teams to apply & further develop anaesthesia and surgery skills in a real-life setting.
Lectures will encompass different teaching methods such as, but not limited to, traditional lectures, clicker sessions, team based learning to integrate clinical learning with preclinical learning areas such as anatomy, physiology, clinical pathology and pharmacology.

Specific Course Requirements

Practical classes held within laboratories will require closed-in shoes and the wearing of a laboratory gown. You will also
need to have your student ID with you. Students must wear any required safety or protective clothing as directed.

All practicals and tutorials are compulsory. Failure to attend any practical or tutorial, without approval of the course or program coordinator via submission of an “Allowed Absence From Compulsory Teaching Activities” is likely to result in the student being ineligible to sit one or more future examinations or assessments and be given a zero mark for those assessments.

To pass this course students must attend a minimum number of practical and tutorial sessions as these activities are essential to the development and attainment of the Day 1 competencies. Students must attend a minimum of 80% of all practicals and a minimum of
80% of all tutorials in VET SC 7230ARW and VET SC 7230BRW combined, with timely submission and approval of an “Allowed Absence From Compulsory Teaching Activities” forms for non-attendance of any compulsory activities to pass the course.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Type of assessment	Weighting	Hurdle	Learning Outcome	Due
On-Course Assessments	Formative & Summative	0% 10%	No	1-6	Semester 1 - by week 12, Semester 2 - by week 12
Practical Assessment	Formative	0%	No	1-8	Each Practical Class
Desexing Clinic	Formative	0%	Yes	3,7,8,9	Weekly, approx 33% of class per week
Mid-Semester Test Semester 1	Summative	10%	No	1-8	Week 6-8
Mid-Semester Test Semester 2	Summative	10%	Yes	1-8	Week 6-8
End of Semester 1 Exam	Summative	35%	Yes	1-8	Exam Week
End of Semester 2 Exam	Summative	35%	Yes	1-8	Exam Week

An exemption to the hurdle requirements of the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy has been approved by the Faculty of Sciences for 2022.

Assessment Related Requirements

Assessment item with hurdle	% needed or requirement to meet hurdle	Is additional assessment available if student does not meet hurdle requirement? Yes or No	Details of additional assessment, if available
Desexing Clinic	Pass/Fail – based on minimum level of competence expected at the DVM2 level.	Yes	Students deemed not yet competent in anaesthesia or surgery or both, will be re-assessed for competency in the area/s concerned during the standard replacement / additional assessment period.
End of Semester 1, Mid-Semester 2, End of Semester 2 Exams	Cumulative 50%	Yes	At the end of Semester 2, an additional examination covering all material taught previously in CAP in a similar or different format.

Assessment Detail

The Companion Animal Practice course is a 6 unit course delivered over 2 semesters, comprised of Part 1 and Part 2. A final grade is only given in Part 2, which comprises all assessments undertaken in Part 1 and Part 2.

On-course assessment: Students will undertake two assesments that will consolidate material taught during didactic sessions as well as enhancing their problem solving ability. The assesment formats that might be used include quizzes delivered in class or during practicals or online; written assignments e.g. problem solving through case evaluation and management plans, to be completed out of class; or other assignments at the discretion of the individual instructors. Students receive formative feedback on the assignments, e.g. individual comments on written assignments and publication of “ideal” answers to the cases; correct answers revealed at the end of online assessments.

Practical Assessment: Students will also receive formative assessment of their practical skills within relevant practical activities. The practical classes might be delivered as small or large group clinical problem solving sessions, practical classes in technical / procedural skills, clinical information interpretation.

Mid-semester tests (80 minutes) and End semester examinations (2 x 2 hours each) will test a combination of theoretical knowledge, application and practical skills. Question formats that might be used include MCQs, short answers, essay, OSCE, oral, practical tests and performance-based exams. The semester 1 mid-semester test will serve to guide the students on the level of knowledge required to successfully pass the remaining examinations, and give them experience with the various question types. Any tests or examinations can cover any material taught previously in the course, but will focus on material covered in the most recent 6 to 8 weeks.

Desexing Clinic: Students receive verbal formative feedback during each class as they work in small groups to anaesthetise and prepare an animal for surgery, perform the surgery, monitor the animal’s recovery from anaesthesia, provide post-operative care, keep anaesthesia records, write surgery reports, and finally write discharge instructions for post-operative care when the animals are discharged from hospital. Students will receive a Pass/Fail for each of anaesthesia and surgery disciplines. Students must pass each of the criteria for competency to achieve a pass in each discipline. A pass is required in both disciplines to be able to pass the C.A.P. course and indicates that the student has reached a level of competence that is satisfacotry for their stage in the DVM program.

Submission

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. Generally a mark of zero will be allocated to late submissions.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator