| Unit name | Clinical Veterinary Science |
|---|---|
| Unit code | VETS30020 |
| Credit points | 0 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Warman |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Students must have passed all professional examination in years 1 to 4 of the BVSc Programme. |
| Co-requisites |
Students will also be required to undertake the other final year BVSc unit (Professional Studies 5). In addition each student must undertake approximately 16 of the total 26 weeks of extra-mural studies (clinical EMS; work-based placements as required by the RCVS) during the extended final year. |
| School/department | Bristol Veterinary School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Clinical Veterinary Science encompasses the majority of teaching and assessment in Final Year BVSc. It sits alongside the Final Year Professional Studies unit (comprising 1 week of small group teaching). Clinical Veterinary Science consists of 22 weeks of core teaching (comprising 21 weeks of clinical rotations and a week of small group teaching relating to Global Health), 4 weeks of track (student-selected) rotations, and a 3-week elective period. The 21 weeks of core rotations will be delivered over a 30 week period starting in mid May and finishing in late December, with students rotating between on-site clinical rotations and off-site extra-mural placements (clinical EMS; as required by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) and vacation time. Students will attend 21 weeks of core clinical rotations in blocks of 3-6 weeks. Each student will spend time in the following disciplines: farm animal and veterinary public health; equine medicine and surgery; small animal medicine; small animal surgery; diagnostic imaging; anaesthesia; pathology; clinical pathology; ophthalmology; dermatology; first opinion small animal practice. Track rotations and small group teaching will take place between January and March. Each student will then undertake a 3 week elective period, choosing from a wide range of subjects. Although not forming part of this unit, during this extended year each student must also undertake approximately 16 weeks of clinical EMS, to achieve the total of 26 weeks required by the RCVS.
The overall aims are to:
The aim of core rotations is to enable students to meet rotation-specific competences, further details of which are provided in the Unit Handbook.
The aim of track rotations is to enable students to gain further experience and consolidate their day-one competences by focussing on an area(s) in more depth (usually a species-specific area), and further develop skills of problem-solving and clinical reasoning. Further details with specific aims for each rotation are provided in the Unit Handbook.
The aim of the elective period is to help students integrate and further their knowledge and understanding of underpinning scientific principles and their application in the clinical context. This will enhance their ability to solve problems in the clinical (or research) setting, and allow them to demonstrate their ability to evaluate published research in an informed manner.
If practical limitations mean that not all students can be allocated their preferred choice of track and/ or elective rotations, then students will be given priority based on academic performance to date.
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will have met the day-one competences, as defined by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, relating to general professional skills and attributes, knowledge and understanding, and practical competences, in the common domestic species. They will also have developed problem-solving and clinical reasoning skills based on application of the underpinning science related to pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and management of disease.
Clinical rotations and seminars/directed self education within them.
Students must pass all core rotations, based on overall assessment of professional skills and attributes and practical competences in each rotation. Students must also sit a compulsory formative computer-based examination during each core rotation in order to pass the rotation. Each student must also pass a defined number of practical tasks (directly-observed procedural skills; DOPS) by the end of core rotations.
Students must pass all 4 weeks of track rotations, and the 3-week elective period, based on overall assessment of professional skills and attributes.
Written/oral coursework during Global Health week and track rotations (for example case reports, case presentations) will assess underpinning skills gained in core rotations as well as clinical reasoning and problem solving skills, and will contribute 25% to the overall unit mark. Individual pieces of track coursework which are awarded a mark of less than 50% can be re-submitted once; a maximum of 50% will be awarded to any re-submitted work. Written/oral coursework during the elective rotations (for example literature reviews, poster presentations) will assess clinical reasoning, problem solving skills and evaluation of scientific research and will contribute 15% to the overall unit mark.
At the end of the academic year, students will sit up to a maximum of 3 computer-based examinations totalling up to a maximum of 5 hours of assessment testing knowledge, understanding, and clinical reasoning, which will contribute 60% to the overall unit mark.
Thus, prior to sitting the final examinations, students are required to have :
Students failing more than 3 rotations (including first and re-sit attempts) will be required to repeat the year. Each individual core, track and elective rotation counts as a single rotation, irrespective of length or discipline.
In line with Standing Orders, students must gain a minimum of 45% in the end-of-year computer-based examinations, and a minimum of 50% for the unit overall. There will be an opportunity to re-sit the final computer-based examination in September. Marks for coursework will be carried forward to this resit examination.
Lecture notes and recommended texts as outlined in earlier BVSc units, in particular Companion Animal Science, Farm Animal Science, Veterinary Public Health, and Basic Clinical Science.
Lecture notes and recommended texts as outlined in earlier BVSc units, in particular Companion Animal Science, Farm Animal Science, Veterinary Public Health, and Basic Clinical Science.
