Undergraduate Course: Clinical Foundation Course (Yr 3) (BVMS09013)
Course Outline
| School | Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | This course will provide instruction in the practical and theoretical aspects of several topics that are considered core subjects with regard to diagnosis and treatment of veterinary species. The subject areas included are; Applied Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Diagnostic Imaging, Surgery, Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Introduction to Clinical Oncology and Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine. This course provides a foundation for the subsequent species based integrated clinical modules. |
| Course description |
Applied Pharmacology:
The teaching of Veterinary Pharmacology begins in the third year of the course and will be further reinforced during the fourth and final year, exemplifying the importance of this subject.
The pharmacology component of the third year course is broadly divided into a number of areas with basic or "core" pharmacology, therapeutics and legislation being covered in Semester I in this course (the CFC), and systems based pharmacology being covered in Semester II as part of the dog and cat course. The course is complemented by lectures from other subject areas such as physiology, microbiology, parasitology, pathology and by the clinical lectures in Semester II.
Objectives/Aims:
To provide the students with information and understanding of the pharmacology of drugs, enabling them to use drugs in animals, in an appropriate and responsible manner. NOTE: The term pharmacology will be taken to include the pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, adverse or side effects, toxicity and clinical relevance of a group of drugs or an individual agent.
To discuss the main legislation affecting the use of drugs in veterinary species and to discuss some of the ethical, public health and societal issues associated with the use of drugs in veterinary practice.
Diagnostic Imaging:
Module Objectives/Aims
This module provides an overview over the principles and modalities of diagnostic imaging and their main applications for clinical canine, feline and equine patients.
Surgery:
This part of the course covers general principles of aseptic surgery.
Module Objectives/Aims
To provide a rationale for, and an understanding of, basic general surgical principles, concepts, terminology and methodology. This will provide a grounding to be applied when evaluating and treating soft tissue and orthopaedic cases, whether the cases initially appear simple or complex.
Anaesthesia:
The principles and practice of veterinary anaesthesia are taught in parallel with a series of seminars in which anaesthetic problems in the individual species are discussed. Anaesthesia teaching continues in third year second semester with a series of lectures which concentrate on the effects of disease processes and specific situations on anaesthesia. In fourth year, this is continued with a series of interactive seminars, where specific clinical situations may be examined in more detail, Thus, the challenges with anaesthesia in a considerable range of clinical situations are covered, and provide the basis for practical teaching in the final year.
Objectives/Aims:
The aims of our anaesthesia teaching throughout years 3 to 5 of the degree programme are listed below.
To provide information on the physiological and pharmacological principles of anaesthesia with practical attention to the particular problems associated with horses, food, companion and laboratory animals.
To discuss the implications of commonly encountered conditions, e.g. extremes of age, pregnancy, surgical procedures and diseases on the management of anaesthesia so that students develop the ability to identify 'high-risk' cases and create defensible anaesthetic protocols.
To allow development of fundamental technical skills, e.g. intravenous catheter placement, endotracheal intubation, anaesthetic machine operation, positive pressure ventilation.
To develop familiarity with anaesthetic equipment including machines, anaesthetic breathing systems and monitoring apparatus. To be able to prepare and identify problems with such equipment and to use it safely in a clinical setting.
To develop skills at clinical and physiological monitoring. To recognise deviations from acceptable ranges and to respond appropriately.
Clinical Oncology:
Small animal oncology is taught in two stages. As part of the clinical foundation course we teach the basic approach to cancer patients and an introduction to therapeutic modalities. In the Dog and Cat course we go into more detail with specifc tumour types as they affect the specific body systems. Cancer is one of the most common diseases affecting both dogs and cats and a sound understanding of this disease and available therapeutic options is essential.
Aims and Objectives:
To understand the basic biology of cancer as it relates to the clinical manisfestations of disease.
To appreciate the general approach to the cancer patient and the principles of diagnosis
To understand staging and grading of tumours and how this influences decision making in oncology therapeutics
To appreciate the different treatment modalities and the underlying principles of each, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy
Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine:
The evidence based veterinary medicine part of the course builds on the evidence based medicine material in AHWAFS 2. The theme is understanding animal disease in populations and applying this knowledge to critically evaluating published evidence.
Objectives and Aims:
Extend from material covered in year two to give students:
A clear understanding of the principles behind the scientific approach applied to epidemiological and clinical questions.
Describe the use of observational studies and clinical trials to understand the impact of risk factors and therapies on disease occurrence.
The basic tools to interpret scientific evidence critically in order to inform their clinical decisions.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students must be enrolled on a BVMS Veterinary Medicine degree programme in order to take this course. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Lecture Hours 66,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 17,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 15.5,
Online Activities 9,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 3.5,
Revision Session Hours 6,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
271 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
75 %,
Coursework
15 %,
Practical Exam
10 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
In Course Assessment
MCQ Assessment (15%)
Examined at the end of semester 1
Written Examination
Multiple choice questions (35%)
Short answer questions (50%)
Practical Examination
Objective Structured Clinical Examination - Pass/Fail [candidates failing the OSCE will have two resit opportunities during the second semester. Two final opportunities to repeat this examination will be held in the presence of the external examiner]
Resit Examination in August
Written Examination
Multiple choice questions (50%)
Short answer questions (50%) |
| Feedback |
Feedback sessions will be held to provide feedback on the in-course assessment then again for the End of Semester 1 Examinations. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | CFC Exam | 2:30 | | | Outwith Standard Exam Diets October | CFC MCQ ICA | 0:30 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | CFC Resit exam | 2:30 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- By the end of this course, the student should be able to outline and apply the principles of pharmacology, diagnostic imaging, surgery, anaesthesia and critical care, clinical oncology and evidence based veterinary medicine.
- By the end of this course the student should be able to outline and apply safety principles and legal implications related to equipment, animal and personal.
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Reading List
Applied Pharmacology and Therapeutics:
For a list of recommended texts and other useful resources please go to:
http://resourcelists.ed.ac.uk/lists/E5F6E01F-5ADD-0DD5-B162-5BBF85EBEF04.html
Diagnostic Imaging:
Thrall D: Textbook of veterinary diagnostic radiology.
Sixth Edition, 2012; Saunders Elsevier: St. Louis, MS. ISBN 978-1-4557-0364-7 printed and ebook version available.
This is the most comprehensive modern diagnostic imaging textbook covering all major imaging modalities, body parts and commonly imaged species. We will base our lectures on selected chapters of this book.
Surgery:
Small Animal Surgery, Fourth Edition 2013. T.W. Fossum (ed) Mosby
Anaesthesia and Critical Care:
BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Anaesthesia and Analgesia (Paperback) by Chris Seymour (Author), Chris Seymour; Tanya Duke (Editor). British Small Animal Veterinary Association; 2nd edition (23rd May 2007) ISBN-10: 0905214986; ISBN-13: 978-0905214986
Veterinary Anaesthesia by Leslie W. Hall, Kathy W. Clarke, and Cynthia M. Trim (2000) 10th Edition London: Balliere Tindall; ISBN-10: 0702020354; ISBN-13: 978-0702020353
Laboratory Animal Anaesthesia: An Introduction for Research Workers and Technicians (Hardcover) by Paul A. Flecknell. London: Academic Press; 2nd edition (4th April 1996) ISBN-10: 0122603613; ISBN-13: 978-0122603617
Manual of Equine Anesthesia and Analgesia (Paperback) by Tom Doherty (Editor), Alexander Valverde (Editor) Blackwell Publishing; 1st edition (June 2006). ISBN 10: 1405129670; ISBN 13: 978-1405129671
Clinical Oncology:
Decision Making in Small Animal Oncology by Argyle, D.J. (Blackwell-Wiley).
Small Animal Clinical Oncology, 5th edition, Withrow, Vail, Page (eds). 2013 (Elsevier, Inc)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Mark Gray
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Belgin Davidson
Tel: (0131 6)50 6175
Email: |
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