Undergraduate Course: Animal Life & Food Safety GEP (BVMS08060)

Course Outline
School	Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies	College	College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate)	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	60	ECTS Credits	30
Summary	The course comprises of: Animal Husbandry This will provide an understanding of how to care for and manage farm and companion animals so that the animal's requirements for good health and welfare are met. Species covered include cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, dogs, cats, horses, small mammals, fish, reptiles, and caged birds. Practical classes will be provided on the handling and restraint of domesticated animals. Animal Nutrition Animal Welfare Animal Breeding and Genetics Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine This will cover causality, statistical thinking, disease quantification, the principles and application of diagnostic tests in surveillance and clinical practice, animal disease surveys and the critical evaluation of veterinary medical evidence. Veterinary Public Health This will outline the role of the veterinary surgeon in public health including topics of waste management, HACCP, stable to table, zoonoses, food borne pathogens and biosecurity.
Course description	Course Objectives and Aims 1. To encourage veterinary students to acquire sufficient knowledge and understanding of animal health and husbandry to fulfil the current and future requirements of the veterinary profession. 2. To describe the principles of animal husbandry and the relationships between management, breeding, nutrition, environment, behaviour, health, welfare, productivity, food quality and food safety. 3. To train students to handle animals competently and safely. 4. To provide veterinary students with sufficient understanding of animal husbandry - to maintain and improve the health and welfare of farm and companion animals; - to contribute to the productivity, economic performance and ecological perspectives of the livestock and food industry - to ensure that food producing and companion animals contribute to the social requirements and health of man. 5. To understand the widening role of the veterinary surgeon in public health, food safety and food security. 6. To give students a clear understanding of the principles behind the scientific approach. 7. Give students the basic tools to interpret scientific evidence critically to inform their clinical decisions. 8. To provide the basic principles and techniques for quantitative investigations in animal populations, including causal studies, field surveys, clinical trials and diagnostic techniques. 9. To provide the necessary skills to allow the rational application and interpretation clinical diagnostic tests. 10. To provide a foundation for clinical teaching within the veterinary curriculum. 11. To encourage professional development and communication skills.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		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

Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Full Year
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 600 ( Lecture Hours 83, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 37, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 6, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 4, Revision Session Hours 6, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12, Placement Study Abroad Hours 400, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 51 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 10 %, Practical Exam 10 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Written Exam 80% Coursework 20% Practical Exam Pass/Fail Bio-security Assessment: There will be a Practical Bio-security Assessment which must be passed to allow participation in farm practical classes. This will comprise as assessment of Hand-washing and protective gear washing and disinfection. The examination will consist of Section A: two in-course Multiple Choice Question Assessments and an End of Course written Examination and Section B: 5 x designated animal group Practical Examinations (pass/fail). Section A 1. In Course Assessment (10% of final mark) At the start of Semester 2 there will be a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Assessment of the course to date (Summer Semester and Semester 1 lectures and practical classes). 2. In Course Assessment (10% of final mark) During Semester 2 there will be a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Assessment of the course to date (primarily based on practical classes but will include lecture material). 3.The End-of-Course Written Examination (80% of final mark) This examination is a combination of written (short answer questions (SAQ)) and multiple choice questions covering all material from the course. All lecture and practical material is examinable. A total of 120 marks are available - with the SAQ worth up to 10 marks each and the MCQs each worth 1 mark. Section B The Practical Examination (pass/fail) Each student will be formally assessed in Part A - Demonstrates safe and appropriate handling (Must pass to be allowed on AHEMS) Part B: Demonstrates basic practical skills and competencies Part A and B must both be passed in the same attempt to achieve an overall pass for each designated animal group practical examination The designated animal groups are as follows:- (a) Cattle (b) Sheep (c) Horses (d) Cats and dogs (e) Exotic pet animals A pass must be achieved in all animal groups shown above. Anyone failing in an animal group will be required to be re-examined in that section. A pass in any section will be retained. A second attempt will be made in Semester 1 (for (a),(b),(c) and (d)) or Semester 2 (for (e)) . Students who fail the practical examination will be re-examined by an Internal Examiner in the presence of a second Internal Examiner or the External Examiner at the May diet of re-sit practical exams. These practical exams are Pass / Fail only PASS/FAIL The combination of the written examination and the in-course components must be passed at 50% or above. In addition, all practical examinations must be passed. Failure at first sitting of the End-of-Course written Examination will be followed by an August resit. You are expected to attend 100% of the practical classes for this course (attendance will be recorded). A student cannot progress to the next year of the course without a pass in Animal Life & Food Safety GEP exam.
Feedback	In Course Assessment feedback session. An opportunity to review the Practical Handling Exam Assessment sheet.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Minutes
Outwith Standard Exam Diets April	Animal Life & Food Safety (GEP) Written Paper		150
Resit Exam Diet (August)	Animal Life & Food Safety (GEP) Written Paper		150

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Critically appraise and advise on animal husbandry practices relating to domestic species Independently handle common domestic species in a safe and appropriate manner Describe the management of animal breeding, welfare, behaviour and nutrition within the contexts of the livestock industry and pet ownership Use foundational knowledge in veterinary public health, evidence-based veterinary medicine, and statistics to demonstrate decision making underpinned by the principles of epidemiology