SGU's DVM curriculum has been designed to incorporate professional skills, clinical skills, and the necessary scientific and clinical knowledge integrated into a systems-based curriculum. This is to incorporate the cognitive, psychomotor, and behavioral skills necessary to become a veterinarian. There are two (2) spirals with two (2) vertical pillars. The first spiral covers healthy animals and disease processes, and the second spiral covers clinical presentation and case management. The vertical pillars cover professional and clinical skills and content builds on each previous term.
VM 510 is an integrated course divided into three (3) units: Professional Skills 1 (PS1), Clinical Skills 1 (CS1), and Systems 1. For successful course completion, each of the units must be passed with at least a 69.50% to progress on to the next term.
PS Unit 1 (PS1)
PS 1 focuses on developing the professional attributes of a competent day-one veterinarian and builds the foundational knowledge, skills, and attributes aligned to the six PS domains: Career and Personal Development, Leadership, and Collaboration for Diversity, Equity, Tnclusion and Accessibility (DETA); Wellbeing; Ethics and Clinical Governance; Communication; Financial Literacy and Practice Management; and Scholarship, Evidence Based-Medicine, and Life-Long Learning.
Specific coursework and activities emphasizing learning strategies, pedagogical approaches, emotional intelligence, growth mindset, collaboration and team work, DETA, ethical principles and personal responsibilities, wellbeing, personal finance, career planning, scholarship and research opportunities among others are included. This unit provides the foundation for students' academic and professional career by developing a sense of community and support within their class as they advance together as junior professionals. As they progress through the curriculum, they will continue to apply these professional skills and develop new abilities/competencies.
CS Unit 1 (CS1)
CS1 focuses on building introductory core clinical skills that are necessary to produce a day-one competent veterinarian. Students are introduced to fundamental skills which must be performed to a specified standard prior to the student being allowed to progress to the next portion. This ensures student and animal safety as well as skill acquisition and retention. Tnteractive laboratory sessions practicing hands-on skills, along with associated out-of-class student work in the form of supplementary and supportive pre- and post- laboratory work, reinforce skills and allow repeated exposure and practice with learning materials. As the students progress through the curriculum, they will continue to apply these clinical skills and develop new abilities and competencies.
During the first term, students will be able to identify and locate the learning spaces across SGU's campus, including live animal and simulated laboratory spaces, as well as appropriate conduct and biosecurity measures required within each of these spaces. Students will perform: appropriate surgical instrument handling, bandage application to the distal limb of the dog and horse, behavior evaluation and safe handling of small and large animals, including the cat, dog, horse, cow, goat and sheep. They will be able to safely handle a needle and syringe and withdraw injectable medications, perform different injection skill techniques, use medical math to properly calculate medication dosages, and write basic instructions for administering medications for the owner. Students will be introduced to basic clinical pathology diagnostic skills and will have completed Fear Free Certification by the end of the first term.
Systems 1 (SYS1)
SYS1 will promote learning in three modules: veterinary foundations (VF), infection and immunity (T&T), and cardiovascular and respiratory (CVR). The students will be introduced to basic scientific principles and will begin building the knowledge base necessary to progress through the curriculum and achieve day-one competencies.
SYS1 is divided into three (3) modules:
- The VF module will begin with an introduction to the veterinary professional's role in public health. The module will progress to integrating the structure and function of the body at the level of the cells, tissues, organs and systems. Case- based teaching will introduce clinical reasoning and a logical approach to case management.
- The T&T module will present the body's defense mechanisms against infectious and noninfectious insults. The module introduces basic concepts and classification of microbial pathogens (bacteria, viruses, parasites), the structure and function of the innate and acquired immune components, and the pathogenesis of responses to infectious agents and tumors, including the drug categories that target microbes and immune mechanisms; the pathophysiologic responses to injury, cellular adaptation, healing mechanisms, and the main disease processes of immunopathologies, including their basic diagnostic assessments; the major diagnostic tests which assess innate and acquired immunity and diagnostic tests based on
immunology; and the major vaccine types used in veterinary medicine and the pros and cons of the immune responses generated are discussed.
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The CVR module will present the CVR system in the context of both the healthy animal and disease processes. The integrated structure and function of the CVR system are presented using a clinical problem-solving perspective, highlighting the pathological processes responsible for the most common clinical presentations in primary veterinary care. Emphasis is placed on describing the erythron, hemostasis, and the CVR system.
Each module will use clinical cases in the form of case-based learning (CBL) to emphasize clinical reasoning, to tie basic science concepts to clinical medicine, and to teach a logical approach to clinical case management
Each unit PS1, CS1 and Systems 1 will use similar teaching-learning strategies. The students revise the out-of-class work in the form of supplementary and supportive pre-work for the in-class direct instruction, where the core content will be delivered using an active learning environment to promote deep and long-lasting learning. The in-class direct instruction time (in-class) involves active learning activities (mini-lectures, scenario-based learning, group discussions, laboratory sessions, and formative questions) where critical thinking and clinical reasoning, professional communication, and hands- on skills practice are promoted. During the post-class time (out-of-class student work) students will revise/study knowledge areas, engage in reflective practice and self-evaluation, and practice hands-on skills acquisition. SYS1 modules will use a weekly in-class formative assessment session to give timely feedback and ensure student engagement. Case-based learning will be utilized to emphasize clinical reasoning and tie current learning objectives to clinical case management.