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College of Veterinary Medicine

2028 Clinical Year Course Catalog

Full catalog of all courses offered in students' clinical (4th) year for the 2027-2028 clinical year and beyond. CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

**Please note: course syllabi are only accessible to current NCSU and contract students with active NC State email addresses.**

Core Courses

VET 994: Anesthesia

Course Description: This is a 4-week core course and is required for ALL 4th-years. In this course, students will engage in the daily clinical service responsibilities of the NCSU-VH Clinical Anesthesia and Analgesia Service in the role of anesthetists assigned to the care of client-owned animals.  The objective of this clinical course is to enable students to achieve their maximum potential as neophyte anesthetists in a positive and supportive environment.  Student activities are supervised and coordinated by NCSU CVM faculty anesthesiologists and VH staff anesthesia technicians and include anesthetic and analgesic care of mainly domestic small animals (canine, feline) with occasional exposure to domestic large animals (equine, bovine, caprine, porcine) and non-domestic species.  Supporting activities related to delivering clinical service include case discussions and clinical topic rounds.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: required for all students.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: 
    • Meeting Time: 7:30am at the latest until dismissal by the attending anesthesiologist
    • Meeting Location: Anesthesia Prep Room in the Terry Center
    • Weekend, Holiday, and Emergency Coverage: Emergency (overnight, weekend, holiday) duty is led by anesthesia house officers and technicians with support from fourth year students assigned to the rotation.  On-call shifts consist of weekday overnights (end of the clinical day until the next morning) and 12-hour shifts on the weekends (8am-8pm, 8pm-8am); this includes a primary on-call student (any number of students per rotation) with a back-up on-call student (6+ students per rotation).  Students may not sign up for back-to-back shifts and must have at least one 24-hour period free of on-call duty during the rotation.  Shifts are expected to be divided evenly amongst students and an on-call schedule is made by students on Day 1 of the rotation.  When on-call, students are expected to be available to come to the hospital (within reasonable driving distance) to assist in the anesthesia of both small and large animal patients, regardless of clinical interest.  If called in on emergency duty, students are expected to take an 8 hour rest period following the conclusion of their duties. Safety – both for students and patients – is our number one priority, so we want to ensure students are well-rested and capable of making sound clinical decisions. 

VET 989: Equine Emergency

Course Description: This clinical rotation focuses on assessment and management of horses with medical and surgical emergencies. Students will be immersed in initial patient assessment and stabilization, as well as development and execution of diagnostic and treatment plans. Students will also perform medical procedures and assist with surgeries. Emergency topic rounds led by a service clinician, will occur 3 times each week. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: This rotation entails being on-call for equine emergencies. You are not expected to be in the hospital if there are no emergencies pending. On-call hours are from 4:30pm – 8am the following morning on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and from 4:30pm Friday to 8am Monday. There is no on-call Monday or Tuesday nights.
    • Rounds will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on Zoom from 4:30-5:30pm.

VET 985: Equine Medicine

Course Description: Students will participate in all aspects of care for horses hospitalized on the equine internal medicine service, including initial work-up and triage, development of a treatment plan, providing treatments to hospitalized patients, and providing detailed discharge instructions to clients. The service is largely emergency-based, so case load varies from day to day- but students will likely see a combination of cases including (but not limited to) colic, neurologic disease, respiratory disease, cardiac disease, neonatal disease, endocrine disease. Students will function as part of the service team, and will be involved in care of both inpatients and outpatients, with some evening and weekend duties required. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 987: Equine Orthopedic Surgery

Course Description: Equine orthopedics includes lameness and sports medicine in horses as well as orthopedic types of surgery. The course demonstrates exposure to aspects of equine lameness including the lameness examination (clinical examination, palpation, use of inertial sensors/Lameness Locator, flexion testing, diagnostic anesthesia) and various imaging modalities including digital radiology, nuclear scintigraphy (bone scan), ultrasonography, and MRI. Surgical procedures involve bones, tendons, ligaments, and joints. Commonly performed procedures include arthroscopy, tenoscopy, laceration repair, and bone debridement along with post-operative patient care (antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory medications, surgical site management, bandaging.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: Meeting time will vary by day; expectation is to have all patient physical examinations and treatments completed by 8am. Location: Equine Orthopedic Office. The student assigned to a case retains responsibility for the case throughout its hospitalization unless otherwise directed by the supervising clinician. Students are responsible to have physical examinations complete by 7am and treatments complete by 8am on their assigned cases, each day, including weekends and holidays. 
    • Each student will be expected to take one emergency ‘on call’ shift per week of a rotation. When on emergency duty, students must be available within 20 minutes of notification and are required to remain in the clinic until the supervising clinician or house officer has determined that their presence is no longer needed. Any patients taken in while on emergency duty remain the responsibility of the student until it is transferred from the emergency service at 8am the next day.

VET 988: Equine Primary Care

Course Description: This 4-week course will provide students with an initial one-week of intensive clinical experience in equine primary care and three weeks with an NCSU CVM-approved equine primary care practice. Students will be seeing a variety of primary care cases from CVM staff- and faculty-owned horses, state-owned horses, and horses from non-profit organizations during the first week at Southern Pines, including vaccinations, dentistry, lameness, imaging, nasogastric intubation, and field surgery. This course is not an externship, and students will have outcome assessments from the instructor as well as from the veterinarian at the equine primary care practice. Students will be expected to examine cases, discuss differentials, provide a treatment plan, perform treatments, and provide client communication.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Priority given to students in the Equine Species Priority area.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: 
    • Week 1: Equine Health Center, Southern Pines, NC. Mornings will be short lectures followed by station learning to reinforce primary care skills and critical thinking skills. Afternoons will be spent seeing primary care appointments, performing castrations, and delivering primary care services to several farms.
    • Weeks 2-4, except fourth Friday: assigned private practice. Each student will spend the following three weeks with an assigned primary care partner practice. This will include day-time and emergency duties as outlined by the individual practice.

VET 986: Equine Soft Tissue Surgery

Course Description: Equine General Surgery is a clinical course in which students actively participate in equine surgical cases. Students will care for patients, communicate with clients, perform morning treatments, and participate in diagnostics and surgical treatments. The Equine General Surgery service sees gastrointestinal, urogenital, upper respiratory, dentistry, oncologic, and trauma cases. Students will be expected to participate in an emergency after hours schedule, and some evening treatment shifts.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: Morning treatments should be completed by 8am each day; arrive in A aisle for barn rounds once treatments and assigned communications with clients are complete. Rounds begin at 8am every day M-Th. Students on this rotation will be expected to assist in a few evening emergency and treatment shifts over the course of the rotation.

VET 990: Exotic Animal Primary Care

Course Description: TBD.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBD.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 992: Farm Animal Medicine & Surgery

Course Description: TBD.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBD.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 996: Mobile Unit

Course Description: TBD.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBD.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 997: Necropsy

Course Description: This is a 2-week core course and is required for ALL 4th-years. The necropsy clinical rotation exposes students to pathology techniques – namely the postmortem examination – and helps hone both observation and medical reasoning skills by obtaining and interpreting postmortem findings and laboratory data. Students will use these skills to develop diagnoses, understand disease processes and address clinical and/or production problems. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: required for all students.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: 
    • On-site. Necropsy service (F-271, CVM Main Building). 
    • Mon-Thurs: 9am- ~2pm
    • Fri: 9am- ~5pm
  • Weekend, Holiday & Emergency Coverage: 
    • Weekend coverage is herd-health emergencies only from 9am-11am. Please keep in mind that if you are called in around 11am, you may be working into the afternoon, so please be available. 
    • Students are expected to sign up for 1 of the 2 weekends. On occasion there may be a 3rd weekend (3-week blocks) where students are expected to split coverage fairly amongst themselves.
    • Holiday coverage: 
      • 3-day weekends: the senior and resident will plan to come in either Sat or Mon morning. Please check with the senior/resident on duty for holiday coverage. 
      • Holidays that fall on Tues-Thurs are run like weekends (herd-health emergencies only)
  • Additional Notes:
    • This rotation has both on-site, synchronous and virtual, asynchronous portions. Mornings start with on-site rounds on cases, followed by students completing postmortem examinations, and end with rounds on pathologic findings. Students are expected to: 1) note down all pathologic findings for their cases, 2) complete a table for each of their cases in which students outline major findings and create diagnostic plans, and 3)  choose one case to present during the 2nd week Gross Rounds held on Friday mornings. Monday through Thursday, we accept cases until 11am, however, depending on caseload, postmortem examinations may extend into the early afternoon. On Fridays, we accept case submissions until 3pm so may be working close to 5pm.  The asynchronous portion consists of 8 self-paced topic-oriented Moodle modules. Each module has an assignment (e.g., document submissions or Moodle quizzes) that are for completion credit only (i.e., not graded for accuracy). 

VET 993: Radiology/Ultrasound

Course Description: TBD.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBD.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 991: Ruminant Primary Care

Course Description: TBD.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBD.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 984: Small Animal Emergency

Course Description: TBD.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBD.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: TBD.

VET 980: Small Animal Medicine

Course Description: Through our interaction with companion animal patients with medical problems, including those that are critically ill, we will provide training and experience in problem solving, appropriate case management, maintaining appropriate medical records, technical and diagnostic skills and medical communications.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: 7am-5pm in the Medicine Rounds Room. Weekend and holiday coverage are expected. 
    • Our primary medicine rounds room is room 2115 in the Terry Center. Case rounds are started promptly at 8:15 am in this room Monday-Thursday. Fridays at 8 am are reserved for your clinical conferences. In general, the hours you will work are very dependent on case load, but you should expect to be in the hospital no later than 7am on the weekdays and on weekends when you have patients in the hospital. The end of the work day will vary according to your case load. Make sure to check in with your clinicians prior to leaving for the evening. More specific details on daily scheduling can be found on our website. We are working hard to ensure that every student gets at least 2 days completely off every 2 weeks.

VET 982: Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery

Course Description: The Orthopaedic Surgery Rotation manages patients with problems associated with their bones, joints, muscles, ligaments or tendons. The overall objective of the rotation is to develop your orthopedic examination skills, expose you to as many orthopedic conditions as we can, and strengthen your abilities to problem solve in these types of cases. This will be achieved by integrating the student into the patient care team, and giving them responsibility for making an assessment, developing a plan, interpreting diagnostic information, assisting in surgery, and making management decisions that optimize patient comfort and outcome.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Orientation begins at 8am on the first day of the block in ICU. During the rotation, meeting times and locations vary based on patients (between 5am-8am start, location between ICU, IMC or general hospital). Weekend, holiday and emergency coverage is based on a predetermined schedule that will be given on the first day of orientation.

VET 983: Small Animal Primary Care

Course Description: This rotation is designed to immerse fourth year veterinary students in a primary care small animal veterinary practice experience. There will be several areas of focus: teaching clinical skills relevant to a small animal veterinary practitioner, developing strong communication skills necessary to interact effectively with clients, colleagues and staff, incorporating and strengthening behavioral evaluations of pets during wellness examinations and developing strong problem solving abilities. Enrollment in this course is limited to students in the DVM professional program.

The Small Animal Primary Care Service is striving to continue the same level of education as before the pandemic; however, all information contained in the course description and learning outcomes is subject to change if there is a necessity to teach remotely.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: Mon-Fri 7:45am-5:30pm, meet in C-249 (Small Animal Primary Care Rounds Room located in the Health & Wellness Center). Typically, weekends and holidays are not student responsibilities. However, on rare occasions a student may be required to cover an ‘off’ day. Fairness to all students will prevail. There is no emergency duty on this rotation.

VET 981: Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery

Course Description: The care of surgical patients is best accomplished by a team of caregivers working to provide the best possible care. YOU are an integral and responsible part of that team. The Soft Tissue and Oncologic Surgery Rotation manages patients with disease of all systems. During this rotation, you will develop your history gathering and physical examination skills, strengthen your abilities to problem solve in these types of cases, be involved in the surgical process and post-operative care of the patients managed by the service, and participate in the communications with the clients. This will be achieved by integrating YOU into the patient care team together with the clinicians, technicians and staff, and giving YOU responsibility for making an assessment, developing a plan, interpreting diagnostic information, assisting in surgery, and making management decisions that optimize patient comfort and outcome.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: 
    • Meeting Time: Meeting time will vary based on patient care requirements; you will typically need to arrive in the hospital no later than 7am (and often earlier) in order to assess your patients and help classmates with their patients prior to morning rounds.
    • Meeting Location: Soft Tissue Surgery Rounds Room
    • Weekend, Holiday, and Emergency Coverage: The surgery on call duties are shared between orthopedics, neurology and soft tissue. There is a primary and a back-up on call student assigned for every weekday (5pm to 8am time period), while the weekend and holidays are divided. Please check the schedule carefully for conflicts. The on call student will keep the out-of-hours case until the next weekday morning when it will be reassigned to the appropriate surgical service. Similarly this means that you may take over someone else’s on call emergency surgery case at the next week day morning transfer. Patients may be transferred between students as with other inpatients to allow for a given student’s free day.

Non-Core Courses

VMC 938: Adv. Small Animal Primary Care

Course Description: This rotation is designed to increase exposure of clinical year veterinary students to a small animal primary care veterinary practice. There will be several areas of focus to increase efficiency and/or enhancement of pre-existing abilities: clinical skills relevant to a primary care veterinary practitioner; strong problem solving abilities; strong communication skills necessary to interact effectively with clients, colleagues and staff; incorporating and conducting behavioral evaluations of pets during wellness examinations. Enrollment in this course is limited to students in the DVM professional program that have passed VMC 939 (Small Animal Primary Care).

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Pre-req: VET 983-Small Animal Primary Care
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: only offered in blocks 25 & 26. Primarily C-249 Monday-Friday starting at 7:45am daily.

VMP 975: Adv. Topics in Anatomic Pathology

General Description: The advanced topics in anatomic pathology rotation exposes students interested in anatomic pathology to techniques in both the necropsy and biopsy services. The rotation enhances and builds on both basic observation and medical reasoning skills by obtaining and interpreting postmortem findings, biopsy findings, and laboratory data. Students will use these skills to develop diagnoses, understand disease processes, and address clinical and/or production problems.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Instructor Approval
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: on-site. Necropsy service (F-271, CVM Main Building) and Biopsy read-out room (TC1564). M-F 9am- ~5pm. 

VMP 988: Adv. Topics in Clinical Pathology

General Description: The goal of the Advanced Topics in Clinical Pathology course is to gain further experience in clinical pathology beyond the required prerequisite laboratory medicine rotation VMP 978. This senior clinical rotation is designed around the interests and career goals of the student. The focused activities in this rotation are intended to enhance the student’s abilities and knowledge within the field of Clinical Pathology. Examples of activities include but are not limited to: 1) self-directed practice in the examination and interpretation of cytology and hematology slides using teaching slides sets; 2) practice describing and interpreting hematology and cytology slides from current clinician cases; 3) interpretation and discussion of complex clinical chemistry cases; 4) development of short research projects; 5) training in flow cytometry and interpretation; and 6) development of educational materials on a topic in clinical pathology.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: VMP 978-Clinical Pathology AND Instructor Approval
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: The course runs from 9am to 5pm most days. Activity rooms depend on the plan developed for a particular student. General rooms used include C275, C276, and C259 (Cytopathology Reading room). This rotation must occur on campus and externships do not apply. The majority of the course is synchronous and includes a combination of banked teaching materials (slides, case data) and case materials from in-clinic patients. There is also time for independent work on a final project of the student’s choosing and approval by the course coordinator or faculty.

VMC 987: Aquatic Medicine

Course Description: The course is designed as an elective clinical block rotation in exhibit aquarium medicine, sea turtle rehabilitation, clinical aquatic research, and field services. This course is based at the NC State Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City, with clinical work being primarily at the three NC Aquariums, at Pine Knoll Shores, on Roanoke Island, and at Fort Fisher, plus the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center and local marine laboratories and aquaculture research facilities. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Advanced Fish Medicine Selective and/or Instructor Approval.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, 303 College Circle, Morehead City, NC, for cadaver labs and field services visit to the three NC Aquariums. Lodging at the CMAST Coastal Quarters is close by CMAST. Starting time is 9 am the first day, and 8 am subsequently. Driving time from Raleigh is approximately 3 hr, distance approximately 150 miles. Students are welcome to drive down the night before the start of the rotation. 
    • Students are not required to stay on site for the weekend, but are encouraged to do so in order to take advantage of unscheduled events such as marine animal strandings or emergent clinical cases. 

VMC 998: Basic Wildlife Rehab

Course Description: Wildlife rehabilitation medicine, the delivery of health care and management to free-ranging native wildlife with the goal of re-release is an important component of clinical veterinary medicine.  Students in this basic course will work with instructors to apply practical medical and surgical techniques and methods for diagnosing disease, delivering health care, and implementing appropriate triage for injured and ill wildlife at Lees McRae College, May Wildlife Rehabilitation  Center. This is a 2 week rotation located in Banner Elk, North Carolina.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Instructor Approval. Preferences will be given to Zoological Focus students where there is conflict for class space.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: This course is an in-person course and will be conducted off-NCSU site at Lees-McRae College, May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 367 Mill Pond Road, Banner Elk, NC 28604.
    • Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. No holidays are expected; weekend and emergency will include on-call as needed.
  • Website: https://www.lmc.edu/academics/may-wildlife-center/index.htm 
  • Additional Notes:
    • There are onsite rental quarters available for students who prefer this option. Reach out to Dr. Young regarding housing (for contact information, see the syllabus or contact Dr. Harrison). It is the responsibility of the student to arrange for local housing or the commute. The commute from the CVM is 3 hour and 30 minutes. Late evening and emergency work is highly unusual for students on this block.
    • Zoo Shirts and Coveralls are supplied for the block. The student should bring a pair of shoes that remains at the zoo for the duration of the block. Coveralls and boots are appropriate, although cooler apparel may be desirable in the hot months. Dress should be professional, but appropriate to the day’s activities. Students would be wise to have their own stethoscope, penlight and watch with them. A small pair of binoculars can also be very useful. This is an active block. If you wish to take photos, get prior approval from the clinicians at the zoo.
    • Lunch time is somewhat challenging at the zoo and it is recommended that students pack a lunch. There is a refrigerator for storing these at the Hanes Medical Center.
    • If procedures are planned for the weekend, students may be required to participate at the Zoo clinician’s discretion.

VMC 972: Cardiology

Course Description: This course offers the 4th year DVM students the opportunity to practice and get authentic experiential learning in the field of small animal cardiology. Students are integrated in the clinical team, together with the faculty, house officers and staff, to help care for pets with heart disease and their owners. The student will be involved in the care of out-patients, in-patients and consultations of pets with suspected heart disease from other services.  The student will obtain clinical histories, perform physical exams, develop diagnostic and therapeutic plans and write client-friendly discharge summaries for your assigned patients. The student will also be the primary communicator with the client regarding in-hospital updates, follow ups plans and communication of pending diagnostics. In addition to the experiential learning, we will have daily topic rounds to review the most important diseases and diagnostic tests in cardiology, often springboarding from cases seen during the clinical rotation.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Meeting time: TBD based on patient care; otherwise the expectation is to be present by 8am. End of day is typically 4-6pm. Meeting location: Cardiology Pavilion in the Terry Center. If in-patient, you may meet in the ICU. Students will rotate emergency duties in-patient care during the week, weekend and holidays.

VMB 980: Clinical Behavior

This 4th year clinical rotation will provide interested students with the opportunity to gain experience in clinical behavioral medicine. While at the Behavioral Medicine Service, students will participate in the diagnosis and treatment of behavior problems in companion animals, including evaluating medical aspects of individual cases. Students will assist in the evaluation and management of patients presented to the Behavioral Medicine Service and will work under the supervision of faculty and house officers.  This rotation will involve case and topic rounds and clinical case presentation. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Monday-Friday approximately 8:30am-6:30pm in the Behavioral Medicine Service (C-220 in the Health and Wellness Center). Weekend/Holiday/Emergency coverage: N/A.

VMP 978: Clinical Pathology & Lab Med

Course Description: This is a 2 credit course in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology. It is a predominantly practical-based approach to more in-depth learning of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine in a clinical setting. This course is taught by multiple instructors.

General expectations for the course are that you have thoroughly reviewed (prior to class) and understand materials from previous related courses. You will be building upon this knowledge in a case-based format.

**Shift in course: NCSU students will see VMP 978: Clinical Pathology & Lab Med shift to their Year 3-Spring Selective. The 4th-year rotation will remain available for Ross and SGU students to meet their clinical requirements.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: This course is only available to Ross and St. George’s students.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: C-275 and C-276, Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm.

VET 973: Clinical Year Special Topics (at NCSU)

Course Description: This experience is intended for DVM students in the fourth year of the curriculum to engage in supervised experiential learning that relates to veterinary medical practice. This can include time working with clinical or diagnostic services to gain additional experience beyond that offered by clinical rotations, assisting with preclinical instruction of clinical skills in laboratory or experiential settings, or completing on-campus clinical training programs that are not otherwise offered for course credit. This experience is limited to the NC State Campus, inclusive of university farmsunder the direct supervision of CVM faculty.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Instructor Approval Required.
  • Course Syllabus: TBA.
  • Location and Times: TBA.

VET 974: Clinical Year Special Topics (Offsite)

Course Description: This experience is intended for DVM students in the fourth year of the curriculum to engage in supervised experiential learning that relates to veterinary medical practice. This can include time working with clinical or diagnostic services to gain additional experience beyond that offered by clinical rotations, assisting with preclinical instruction of clinical skills in laboratory or experiential settings, or completing on-campus clinical training programs that are not otherwise offered for course credit. This experience is limited to off-campus experiences under the direct supervision of CVM faculty.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Instructor Approval Required.
  • Course Syllabus: TBA.
  • Location and Times: TBA.

VMB 962: Clinician Scientist Research Experience

Course Description: VMB 962 “Clinician Scientist Research Experience” is designed to give students an opportunity to take part in research in the laboratory of their chosen mentor[s], resulting in a greater understanding of the research process. Students will be specifically required to complete at least three 2-week blocks, and to have at least two of these blocks scheduled consecutively, i.e., a 1-month time period in the laboratory.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: provided by the designated research mentor.

VMP 969: CVM Farm Animal Management (TAU)

Course Description: This course is a 2-week, on-farm rotation designed to immerse students in ambulatory/field medicine for farm animal species – cattle, swine, small ruminants and equine. The overarching goal of this course is for students to gain entry-level skills and practice decision-making in a non-hospital setting; develop communication skills with farm staff and animal husbandry professionals; identify basic welfare concerns related to farm animal medicine; and learn how to design and implement preventative health plans for farm animal species.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Meeting time: 8:00am (unless otherwise specified in advance). Meeting location: Teaching Animal Unit – West Barn Office.
    • Weekend, Holiday, and Emergency On-Call Coverage: Emergency duty is NOT required for this rotation, but it is encouraged to maximize clinical experience and knowledge gained.

VMC 983: Dermatology

Course Description: The purpose of this 2-week clinical rotation is to provide the student with training in the application of the diagnostic procedures and problem-solving skills that have been presented in the preceding three years of veterinary coursework. The objective is to have each student leave the rotation proficient in 1) routine dermatological examination techniques, 2) routine dermatological procedures,3) the application of a problem-oriented approach to clinical dermatology, and 4) management of common dermatological diseases. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Mon-Thurs 8am-5pm; Friday meeting times and locations vary. Meet in the Dermatology rounds room (2176 in the Terry Center). Weekend, holiday, and emergency coverage not required.

VMP 979: Epidemiology

Course Description: During this rotation we explore epidemiology, public health, and public policy problems that potentially impact animal and human health and conduct research using principles of epidemiology and applied statistics. During the rotation, we use a combination of instructor and student-led lectures/discussions. You are required to complete the required readings and assignments before class, upload a summary of the readings, and be prepared to participate in class. I will work side by side with you to develop a feasible research project that you can either conduct during the rotation or start in this rotation and complete during the rest of the year as independent epidemiology or during externship blocks. 

What is the research project about? The research project has to be started during the rotation, conducted in full, or completed during the rest of the year.  The research project could be a thorough literature review, a case-review study, a small case-control study, perform a shelter evaluation, or plan a cohort or field study. Some students use the epidemiology project for their clinical conference! Others publish the results in peer-reviewed journals or present results at veterinary meetings. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: 9:00am start time, location TBD depending on availability of conference rooms. 

VMC 974: Equine Dentistry & Podiatry

Course Description: This course will provide practical instruction in commonly used skills and techniques necessary for equine dentistry and equine podiatry. It is an intensive, team taught series of didactic lectures, individual laboratories, and clinical case experiences with practitioners that provide students with a high level of experience in equine dentistry and equine podiatry. This course is designed for students in the fourth year of the DVM curriculum, with good horse handling skills and a desire to practice equine veterinary medicine upon graduation. This course is strongly recommended for students with an equine focus or mixed animal focus with an equine concentration. Students must have basic equine handling experience and/or have taken the Equine Behavior Selective. Equine, mixed animal, food animal, and exotics focus students will be given preference.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Priority given to students in the Equine and Mixed Animal Species Priority Areas.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Meeting time: 9:00am, may vary depending on onsite or offsite activities. Location is dependent on the day and the activity. No holiday or emergency coverage. Weekend checks on patients may be required if a dental procedure stays overnight.

VMC 978: Equine Lameness & Imaging

Course Description: This course is designed as an intensive learning experience and clinical skill development in equine imaging and lameness. During the first week, students will participate in daily ultrasound topic discussions followed by hands-on ultrasound and imaging laboratories. During the second week, students will participate in daily lameness topic discussions and lameness laboratories. At the end of the second week, students will have the opportunity to use their lameness and imaging skills on clinical lameness cases that are presented specifically for this rotation. Two presentations, one ultrasound and one lameness, on topics approved by the course instructor, are required during the rotation. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Equine Focus Area; all others by Instructor Approval.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Offered twice a year. Start at 8-9am, will vary depending on activities for the day. Meet in Equine Conference Room D217. No holiday or emergency coverage; students are responsible for feeding and checking on the teaching horses in the AM/PM throughout the rotation.
  • Additional Notes: The majority of this course is synchronous, delivered through real-time, face-to-face discussion and hands-on laboratory sessions. The first week is focused mainly on imaging with multiple discussion and laboratory sessions involving ultrasound and radiographs of the equine limb. The second week is focused on equine lameness with discussion and laboratory sessions involving lameness examinations. There are two days during the second week where clinical cases come for lameness examinations and diagnostic imaging,  performed primarily by the students. During this rotation, students are also expected to create two presentations (one ultrasound, one lameness) that they will present to their classmates. Course materials and activities are delivered through Moodle, a secure and easy-to-use online learning platform.

VMC 979: Equine Medicine

Course Description: Two-week elective rotation. Students will participate in all aspects of care for horses hospitalized on the equine internal medicine service, including initial work-up and triage, development of a treatment plan, providing treatments to hospitalized patients, and providing detailed discharge instructions to clients. The service is largely emergency-based, so case load varies from day to day- but students will likely see a combination of cases including (but not limited to) colic, neurologic disease, respiratory disease, cardiac disease, neonatal disease, endocrine disease. Students will function as part of the service team, and will be involved in care of both inpatients and outpatients, with some evening and weekend duties required. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: arrive between 6-8am for morning treatments. Location: Equine and Food Animal Veterinary Center. Students are permitted 1 full day off in 7 (over a weekend), but some weekend, emergency and holiday coverage is expected. Students will complete 1 evening treatment shift per week of the rotation and 1-2 emergency shifts per rotation (1 ER shift for 2-week blocks, 2 ER shifts for 3-week blocks).
  • Scheduling Notes: this two-week elective rotation is only offered on ODD blocks. Open seats are based on availability in VET 985.

VMC 977: Equine Ophthalmology

Course Description: The purpose of this rotation is to provide the student training in the application of the diagnostic procedures and problem-solving skills that have been presented in the preceding 3 years of veterinary school, with a focus on equine ophthalmology. The objective is to have each student leave the rotation proficient in 1) routine ophthalmic examination techniques, and 2) application of a problem-oriented approach to clinical ophthalmology. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Monday – Friday start at 8am, depending on inpatients and the surgery schedule, and at the discretion of the faculty clinician on duty. Location: Equine Ophthalmology Area D-aisle of equine barn. Weekend, holiday and emergency coverage to be shared among clinical students on the rotation.

VMC 988: Exotic Animal Medicine

Course Description: This course is an elective fourth year clinical rotation in the NCSU Veterinary Health Complex Exotic Animal Medicine Service (EAMS). Students enrolled in this 2-week course will gain practical experience in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease in privately owned small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians. The actual species worked with will depend on caseload and, thus, not all taxa may be represented. In addition to assisting with the management of clinical cases, students will participate in topic rounds, daily case rounds, and field visits to various exotic animal collections in NC. As this is a service that also functions as an emergency service, after-hours emergency shifts are required.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Rotation times are subject to change but in general are Mon-Fri from 8am-5pm with on-call hours. Meet in the EAMS conference room B-205. After-hours coverage (5pm-8am and weekends) will be divided amongst the students. This sign-up will be provided at the start of the rotation. Decisions regarding shift sign-up are at the student discretion, with faculty available to assist.
  • Scheduling Notes: this 2-week rotation does not fulfill the Primary Care requirement and is considered an elective rotation.

VMP 996: Farm Animal Medicine/Surgery (2-wk)

Course Description: This is a two-week elective block focused on medicine and surgery of the ruminant species, designed for students interested in farm animal medicine & surgery who are not taking it as their Species Priority Primary Care rotation. During the two-week period, students will be primarily based at the veterinary school hospital, working with the clinicians and house officers on outpatient and inpatient appointments. This two-week block will involve in-clinic experience, focusing on individual animal health management and addressing medical/surgical disorders. There may or may not be the occasional opportunity to see field service appointments. Available to 4th year veterinary students. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: start at 7am unless otherwise instructed by the medical care team. Meet in D-aisle in the large animal hospital. Weekend, holiday and emergency coverage is divided evenly amongst the student group. The schedule is made by individual groups on the first day of the rotation.
  • Scheduling Notes: This 2-week rotation does not fulfill the Medicine or Surgery Core Requirements for species priority areas and is considered an elective rotation. It is only offered on ODD blocks; open seats are based on availability in VET 985.

TBD: Adv. Farm Animal Medicine/Surgery (2-wk)

Course Description: This is a two-week elective block focused on medicine and surgery of the ruminant species, designed for students interested in farm animal medicine & surgery who have already taken either the two or four week rotation and want advanced experience.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: TBD.
  • Location and Times: start at 7am unless otherwise instructed by the medical care team. Meet in D-aisle in the large animal hospital. Weekend, holiday and emergency coverage is divided evenly amongst the student group. The schedule is made by individual groups on the first day of the rotation.
  • Scheduling Notes: This 2-week rotation does not fulfill the Medicine or Surgery Core Requirements for species priority areas and is considered an elective rotation. It is only offered on EVEN blocks; open seats are based on availability in VET 985.

VMP 971: Food Animal Diagnostics

Course Description: The purpose of this course is to expose students to a variety of issues relevant to modern food animal disease diagnostic theory, technical methods, and herd and flock level disease surveillance. Today’s food supply veterinarian must be cognizant of cutting-edge technologies as well as older tools that are more accessible and more cost-effective. Likewise, the modern food supply veterinarian must be aware of common diseases and yet be prepared for unexpected, potentially catastrophic new and emerging diseases. Lastly, all veterinarians owe it to our profession and our stakeholders to gain an understanding of the issues, drives, demands, vulnerabilities, and limits that exist in the varied landscape we call modern animal agriculture – different species and different management informs our expectation and what we may or may not be able to do.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Priority given to Farm Animal and Mixed Animal Species Priority students.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: the class will start at 9am most days (they will post each day’s times in moodle). Course is currently hybrid, meeting either in D-232 or zoom. Will use the classroom at times, student laboratory space at times, and off-campus farms and sites at times. **Only offered on Block 1**

VMP 976: Food Animal Pharmacology

Course Description: This course will outline the basic principles of pharmacology and therapy of the major diseases of ruminants, swine and poultry. Students will be expected to develop a thorough understanding of how to properly use drugs in food animal species. The course will provide presentations on the principles of clinical pharmacology of medications used in food producing animals as well as clinical case discussions/consultations of farm animal patients in the large animal teaching hospital.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Priority given to Farm Animal and Mixed Animal Species Priority students.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Weekdays, starts at 9am. No weekend, holiday or emergency coverage.

VMC 969: Intro to Equine Primary Care

Course Description: The Intro to Equine Primary Care rotation is designed to give fourth year students authentic clinical experience in equine primary care. This rotation uses community-based training, placing students with Equine Practice Partners for a 2 week clinical rotation in a field environment, where they will engage in hands-on clinical training in individual and population-based veterinary medicine. Under the supervision of Equine Practice Partners, students will work with actual equine patients and clients to practice the technical, clinical reasoning and communication skills.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: TBA.

VMC 981: Lab Animal Medicine

Course Description: A clinical rotation (Monday-Friday, 10 days, excluding any University-observed holidays, no on-call or weekend responsibility) with Veterinary Services and Laboratory Animal Resources at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. This rotation allows fourth-year DVM students to gain hands-on clinical experience with laboratory and teaching animals at NCSU. Species held are subject to change but may include rodent, swine, canine, feline, lagomorph, poultry, small ruminant, equine, amphibians, and reptiles. This rotation provides preventive medicine, anesthesia and surgery, clinical care, and post-operative evaluations of animals, as well as regulatory experiences under the supervision of laboratory animal veterinarian(s). A short 15-minute research presentation on the approved laboratory animal medicine topic of the student’s choice is required prior to completion of this course. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Instructor Approval required.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Weekdays 8am-4:30pm in D-112D. No weekend, holiday or emergency coverage.

VMC 980: Medical Oncology

Course Description: This is a two-credit elective rotation during the 4th year of CVM professional studies providing experience in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in animals. Emphasis is on the development of comprehensive cancer management strategies, including ethical considerations, diagnostic techniques, treatment options, and client communication skills. Students will be assigned cases being seen by the oncology service as new referral appointments, recheck appointments, and hospitalized inpatients.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: This rotation is held entirely in person. Appointments are seen Monday through Friday. Service operates from 7:30am-6:00pm, with some exceptions when the day starts earlier (e.g., taking care of in-patients) or ends later (e.g., discharging patients after hours). We accept transfers from other services daily, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

VMC 986: Medicine/Advanced Small Animal

Course Description: Through our interaction with companion animal patients with medical problems, including those that are critically ill, we will provide training and experience in problem solving, appropriate case management, maintaining appropriate medical records, technical and diagnostic skills and medical communications.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Prerequisite – VET 980: Small Animal Medicine or VMC 954: Medicine/Small for Non-Species Priority.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: 7am-5pm in the Medicine Rounds Room. Weekend and holiday coverage are expected. 
    • Our primary medicine rounds room is room 2115 in the Terry Center. Case rounds are started promptly at 8:15 am in this room Monday-Thursday. Fridays at 8 am are reserved for your clinical conferences. In general, the hours you will work are very dependent on case load, but you should expect to be in the hospital no later than 7am on the weekdays and on weekends when you have patients in the hospital. The end of the work day will vary according to your case load. Make sure to check in with your clinicians prior to leaving for the evening. More specific details on daily scheduling can be found on our website. We are working hard to ensure that every student gets at least 2 days completely off every 2 weeks.
  • Scheduling Notes: available on EVEN blocks.

VMC 954: Medicine/Small Animal for Non-Species Priority

Course Description: Through our interaction with companion animal patients with medical problems, including those that are critically ill, we will provide training and experience in problem solving, appropriate case management, maintaining appropriate medical records, technical and diagnostic skills and medical communications.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times:  7am-5pm in the Medicine Rounds Room. Weekend and holiday coverage are expected. 
    • Our primary medicine rounds room is room 2115 in the Terry Center. Case rounds are started promptly at 8:15 am in this room Monday-Thursday. Fridays at 8 am are reserved for your clinical conferences. In general, the hours you will work are very dependent on case load, but you should expect to be in the hospital no later than 7am on the weekdays and on weekends when you have patients in the hospital. The end of the work day will vary according to your case load. Make sure to check in with your clinicians prior to leaving for the evening. More specific details on daily scheduling can be found on our website. We are working hard to ensure that every student gets at least 2 days completely off every 2 weeks.
  • Scheduling Notes: available on ODD blocks.

VMC 984: Neurology

Course Description: This two-credit elective clinical rotation is designed to provide the student with exposure to the medical and surgical management of neurological disease in small animal veterinary patients. Students will assist in the care of patients presenting to the Neurology Service of the Terry Center and will work under the direct supervision of faculty and house officers on the service. The primary objective of the rotation is to provide students with the skills necessary to effectively manage common neurological disorders of dogs and cats in practice. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: 8am arrival in Neurology Rounds Room. Students are responsible for morning treatments on any of their cases that are hospitalized over the weekend or on a holiday. Students will be assigned to assist with the management of emergency cases that are transferred to the Neurology service on weekend and holiday mornings. This schedule will be distributed on the first day of the rotation. Students will be scheduled for a day each week, typically a Saturday or Sunday, in which they will not have any clinical responsibility. Any cases the student has in the hospital will be cared for by other students or house officers on the service. This will be distributed on the first day of the rotation.

VMC 000: Personal Block

Course Description: Approved personal blocks for NCSU CVM students. Students in the Class of 2028-onward can take up to TWO Personal Blocks These blocks can be taken at any time in their schedule as long as there is availability in the master schedule and it doesn’t interfere with their ability to complete their focus area requirements.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: n/a.
  • Location and Times: n/a.

VMC 000B: Personal Block (Ross/SGU)

Course Description: Approved personal blocks for Offshore students from St. George’s University and Ross University. Listed separately from VMC 000 so that everyone has the opportunity to take personal blocks. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: must be a Ross or SGU student. 
  • Course Syllabus: n/a.
  • Location and Times: n/a.

VMP 982: Poultry Health Management I

Course Description: Poultry Health Management I is a clinical rotation elective for 4th year veterinary students with an interest in poultry health management or farm animal production. This two-week course is offered 3 times each year. Health management of commercial and non-commercial poultry will be discussed. Basic concepts in poultry welfare, biosecurity, disease monitoring/diagnosis, prevention and treatment will be emphasized. The course will consist of lectures, laboratory and field experiences.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: First day starts 7-8am; generally rotation starts at 9am unless otherwise communicated. Location: CVM main building C-330 unless otherwise communicated. No weekend, holiday or emergency coverage.

VMC 958: Prosimian Medicine

Course Description: This course is a clinical rotation based at the Duke Lemur Center, a facility that is a hybrid between lab animal, zoo, and conservation medicine, with a diverse colony of over 200 prosimian primates made up of 13 different species. The course will focus on learning aspects of prosimian clinical medicine and husbandry. The Lemur Center has state of the art facilities including a new veterinary medical hospital. Students will work with the staff veterinarians to learn how to care for and treat lemur species.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Instructor Approval required
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: M-F 8am-4:30pm at Duke Lemur Center Hospital, approximately 30 minutes away. No holidays are expected; weekends and emergency will include on-call as needed.

VET 975: Public Health & Population Medicine for Veterinary Practitioners

Course Description: In this rotation students will apply principles of infection prevention and control to understand disease transmission risks and apply control strategies both in the NCSU Veterinary Hospital as well as numerous off-campus sites. Students will evaluate current zoonotic and antimicrobial resistant infections in the hospital to propose diagnostic and treatment strategies. Students will have the opportunity to practice population health at locations such as local animal shelters, private practices, and field locations with herds/flocks. Students will perform an infection control audit and communicate with stakeholders on strategies for preventive care and biosecurity. Students will have the opportunity to engage with faculty, local veterinarians, and community members on zoonotic disease prevention.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: TBA.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: TBA.

VMC 948: Radiation Oncology

Course Description: This is a 2-credit elective rotation during the 4th year of CVM professional studies providing an introduction to veterinary radiation oncology. Basic information about radiation therapy equipment, treatment planning and delivery, and outcome of patients treated for various cancers with radiation therapy will be emphasized. The primary objective of this rotation is to familiarize students with the indications for radiation therapy in dogs and cats, basic radiobiology, and care of patients treated with radiation therapy. Students will be assigned cases being seen by the radiation oncology service as inpatients, outpatients, and new referral appointments. Students are encouraged to enroll in VMC 980 (Clinical Oncology) during year IV to further and broaden their knowledge in all aspects of oncology (medical, radiation, and surgical), but this is not a prerequisite for this rotation. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: M-F starting at 7:30am (one Thursday of the rotation will start at 7am); if you are assigned to inpatients, please arrive prior to this time to examine them before rounds (unique to this rotation, patient treatments and TPRs are performed by GH or IMC staff since we don’t always have students). Located in Radiation Oncology/Terry Center suite, room 2510. No weekend, holiday or emergency coverage required.

VMP 970: Ruminant Primary Care

Course Description: This is a two-week block considering health management of the ruminant species. During the two-week period, students accompany faculty on visits to farms to deliver health management programs, to investigate health problems, or to consider approaches to enhance productivity. A portion of the course involves on farm experience in providing individual animal health management and addressing medical/surgical disorders. Available to senior veterinary students.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Students will be informed of meeting locations and times. Because of the small space, they are not planning on congregating in the Field Services Office. Other locations/times will be announced as appropriate.
  • Scheduling Notes: This 2-week rotation does not fulfill the Primary Care Core Requirement for species priority areas and is considered an elective rotation.

VMC 950: Sea Turtle

Course Description: This course provides practical experience in husbandry and disease diagnosis and treatment in rehabilitating sea turtles at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (KBSRRC) in Surf City, NC, and at the NC Aquariums at Fort Fisher and/or at Pine Knoll Shores, along with general aquatic animal medicine at the Aquariums. Skills to be acquired in clinical and didactic settings include sea turtle husbandry and rehabilitation techniques, diagnostic sample collection and interpretation, physical examination and safe handling, medication delivery, wound treatment, and necropsy protocols.

The majority of instruction takes place at the KBSTRRC in Surf City, with additional instruction at the NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) in Morehead City, the NCSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and the NC Aquariums. The course will be timed to include the pre-release physical examinations for the fall release.  Husbandry and care of rehabilitating sea turtles will be practiced daily.  Journal discussions and lectures will supplement hands on activities. Clinical techniques will be practiced in a cadaver lab. Anatomy and necropsy skills will be learned either with frozen sea turtle carcasses at CMAST, or with fresh dead stranded turtles if available. Students will accompany any sea turtle cases transported to Raleigh for more advanced diagnostic and surgical procedures. Students will participate in at least one nest watch (evening, after sundown, to monitor for nest hatchings). On Thursdays, at the discretion of the instructors, students may be assigned to attend CBS 817 Advanced Topics in Zoological Medicine online. 

The course is taught by college faculty providing medical care at the KBSTRRC, with assistance from the Director and volunteer staff, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and the NC Aquariums.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: *Course is only offered on one block each year, and space is limited.*
  • Assembly Point: NCSU Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) at 303 College Circle, Morehead City, NC, for necropsy and comparative anatomy and field services visit to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores at the beginning of the rotation. Lodging at the CMAST Coastal Quarters is close by CMAST. Starting time is 9am the first day, and 8am on subsequent days. Drive time from Raleigh is approximately 3 hours, distance approximately 150 miles. Students are welcome to drive down the night before the start of the rotation. 
    • The KBSTRRC is located in Surf City, NC, with housing next door.
    • Students are not required to stay on-site for the weekend, but they’re encouraged to do so in order to take advantage of unscheduled events such as nest hatchings, nest excavation, and admissions of new turtles.

VMC 960: Small Animal Emergency

Course Description: This course is the clinical rotation for the Small Animal Emergency Service in the NC State Veterinary Hospital. The course is divided into two clinical services; the Small Animal Emergency Service (SAES), which is in operation outside of normal working hours, weekends and holidays and the Small Animal Triage Service (SATS), which is a daytime emergency service that functions Monday-Friday (with weekend inpatients).

This clinical rotation is designed to allow the students to work with a variety of clinicians and technicians as part of a clinical team to evaluate and manage emergent cases presented to NC State Veterinary Hospital. In addition to employing problem-oriented medicine, the students will be expected to act professionally, utilize excellent communication skills and provide effective and compassionate patient care at all times.

You will experience a variety of clinical scenarios throughout the rotation. Clinical cases will be supplemented with scheduled afternoon clinical topic rounds. During the two-week block, we will cover the following topics: how to triage a patient, shock and fluid resuscitation, the approach to respiratory distress, and CPR. Additional clinical topic rounds may include toxins, urethral obstruction, point-of-care ultrasound, gastrointestinal foreign bodies, blood gas analysis, ECG, arterial thromboembolism, heatstroke, and snakebite envenomation. Daily preparation assignments are provided and it is the expectation that students complete these assignments prior to each day’s clinical topic rounds. There are also some recommended articles provided. These assignments and articles reinforce the aforementioned topics that will be discussed on the floor and in rounds and should help students to better understand the concepts. Moodle exercises on emergency topics are also available to supplement topic rounds.

In general, emergency medicine is a fast-paced exciting rotation. It requires enthusiasm and initiative to get the most out of the rotation, so come prepared!!

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: this rotation is divided into daytime (Triage) and after-hours emergency (ER). Students participating in this clinical rotation have an opportunity to work both daytime (Triage) and after-hours emergency (ER). Students will be emailed their rotation week assignments prior to the rotation (i.e., whether they start on Triage or ER).
    • Triage: Mon-Fri, Triage receives cases in the VH from 7am-4pm daily. The main job of this service is to facilitate emergent referrals for the rest of the hospital. Thus, the caseload is slightly different from after-hours ER. Triage also provides inpatient care for hospitalized Mon-Sun.
    • ER: this service is in operation Mon-Sun and receives cases in the VH from 4pm-7am on weekdays and from 4pm Friday evening until 7am Monday morning. During university holidays, the ER runs 24 hours/day. This service receives any small animal emergency; referral is not required.
    • General rotation expectations: Your receiving schedule on Triage is Monday through Friday from 7am to 1pm (varies on some days). Inpatients must be cared for Monday through Sunday by Triage students.  Triage students are required to work 1 weekend day managing inpatients, but you are not responsible for intaking new ER patients on the weekends. ER students receive patients from 4pm to 11 pm (varies on some days) on weekdays and for ~10 hour shifts on weekends and holidays. ER students are allotted one weekday (typically Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday) off clinics while on the Emergency. In both scenarios, your shift often extends beyond your receiving hours and your shift ends once all clinical duties (patient orders, client phone calls, medical records, etc…) are complete for every patient. This takes an average of an additional two hours.
  • Scheduling Notes: This 2-week rotation does not fulfill the Emergency Core Requirement for species priority areas and is considered an elective rotation.

VMC 962: Small Animal Nephrology/Urology

Course Description: This advanced clinical course in veterinary nephrology and urology is designed to build a strong foundational knowledge while advancing clinical reasoning skills through a case-based, problem-oriented approach. Students will develop a deeper understanding of disorders such as acute and chronic kidney disease, lower urinary tract disorders, and urolithiasis, with an emphasis on diagnosis, pathophysiology, and evidence-based management. By the end of the rotation, students will have enhanced confidence in clinical decision-making, improved ability to recognize patterns of disease, and a deeper understanding of renal and urinary pathophysiology. This course is offered to students that have completed their required Small Animal Internal Medicine course (VMC 954 OR VMC 971).

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Prerequisite: VET 980 OR VMC 954.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: TBA.

VMC 982: Small Animal Ophthalmology

Course Description: The purpose of this 2-3 week rotation is to provide the student training in the application of the diagnostic procedures and problem-solving skills that have been presented in the preceding 3 years of veterinary school, with a focus on small animal ophthalmology. The objective is to have each student leave the rotation proficient in 1) routine ophthalmic examination techniques, and 2) application of a problem-oriented approach to clinical ophthalmology. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Monday – Friday start at 8am, depending on inpatients and the surgery schedule, and at the discretion of the faculty clinician on duty. Location: Ophthalmology Rounds Room in the Terry Center. Weekend, holiday and emergency coverage are to be shared among clinical students on the rotation. 

VMP 984: Swine Medicine I

Course Description: This course will provide senior veterinary students with techniques and expertise to approach a clinical swine problem. Students will evaluate clinical signs, analyze production records, assess facilities and management, institute a diagnostic plan and establish an economically feasible solution to the clinical problem.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Meeting time and location will vary depending on farm visits. Course coordinator will communicate expectations on a day-to-day basis. Typically, weekends and holidays are not student responsibilities. There is no emergency duty on this rotation.

VMC 940: Theriogenology

Course Description: This course is designed to instruct students in clinical theriogenology. This course has a focus on breeding management, control of reproductive physiology, diagnosis and treatment of reproductive issues in both horses and dogs. Cases and problems from other species will be evaluated and additional learning materials included when applicable. The students will improve upon the skills learned in didactic course VMC 933, the canine selective VMC 991 and the equine elective VMC 904. Students are expected to use these skills in dealing with clinical cases and laboratory type situations. Transabdominal, vaginal, and rectal examination of the reproductive tract and semen collection/evaluation will be discussed during this course. Discussion of physiology, typical breeding management approaches, pharmacology, case examples and diagnostic imaging will be used to augment learning topics.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none. Please note that blocks at the start of the year and at the end of the year (aka, those in summer or spring) are encouraged for students with a large animal focus.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: the first Monday of the block (or Tuesday in the case of national holidays), the block will meet at 8am for introductions, orientation, and topic discussion.

VMC 967: Veterinary Dentistry

Course Description: This presential course is designed to provide fourth-year veterinary students with comprehensive knowledge and practical skills in diagnosing, treating, and preventing dental and oral conditions in dogs and cats. The course integrates rounds of topic discussion, hands-on laboratory sessions, clinical case studies, and field experience for two weeks to prepare students for a career as general practitioners. Besides the clinical experience acquired during the rotation, students will have the opportunity to participate in several wet labs on topics such as oral regional nerve blocks, close and open dental extraction techniques, and intraoral dental radiography.

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: none.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Start at 7:30am (procedure day) or 8am (appointment day). Meeting location in the Health & Wellness Center, room C-250 (rounds room) or C-252 (dental suite). Weekend, holiday and emergency coverage: from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

VMC 964: Zoological Medicine (Zoos & Aquariums) – GREENSBORO WILDLIFE CENTER

Course Description: This is a two-week rotation at a zoological or aquarium facility. This is an immersive experience at a zoological or aquarium institution. Students will experience zoological medicine for terrestrial and aquatic animals and will be involved in veterinary medical care, husbandry and nutrition medical procedures and discussion. Opportunities will change based on the clinical schedule and medical cases. The time period will be a 2 week time period but can be expanded to 4 weeks. This course is different from the other zoo medicine rotation at the North Carolina Zoo. 

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Pre-req: Zool. Med Focus Area; all other Focus Areas: Instructor Approval.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Location dependent on zoo or aquarium institution. No holidays are expected, weekends and emergency will include on-call as needed.

VMC 989: Zoological Medicine (NC Zoo) – NORTH CAROLINA ZOO

Course Description: A four-week rotation at the North Carolina Zoo. This will be an immersive experience at the North Carolina Zoo, shadowing the veterinary team and participating in case management and medical procedures. Students must be current on vaccinations for Rabies, Tetanus and should have had a negative Tb test within the past year.   Students with positive TB tests may be prohibited from contact with the primate and elephant collection.  They should contact Dr. JB Minter for evaluation of their circumstance at [email protected].

  • Instructor Permission/Prerequisites: Pre-req: Zool. Med Focus Area; all other Focus Areas: VMC 998-Basic Wildlife Rehab AND Instructor Approval.
  • Course Syllabus: here.
  • Location and Times: Course is four weeks long.
    • Meeting time: 8am-5pm Mondays-Fridays at the North Carolina Zoo Hospital in Asheboro, NC. No holidays are expected; weekends and emergency participation will be as needed.
    • The Hanes Medical Center is located at 2723 Old Cox Road, Asheboro, NC, about 1.5 hours away. Rental housing is available.