SAMS 514: Introduction to Surgical Skills

The course is an introductory surgical course designed to introduce basic surgical principles and skills that will serve to prepare the student for veterinary surgery. Didactic and laboratory discussions include basic surgical principles: asepsis, sterilization, and disinfection; surgical instrumentation and surgical techniques; surgeon and patient preparation; suture materials and surgical needles; and hemostasis, wound healing and wound management. Surgical skills mastered during the laboratory sessions include knot tying, suture patterns (skin, hollow organ, and tendon), ligatures, surgical drape application, and bandaging. Students are provided opportunities to practice surgical skills using both live tissue, simulation models (i.e., skin and intestine), and suture boards.