SVM Catalogue 2012-2013 - St. George's University

and business finance, and personal/business management
skills. Students are given an understanding of the breadth
of veterinary medicine, career opportunities, and other
important information about the veterinary profession. In
small-group presentation format, students strengthen
communication skills by presenting and debating ethical
issues in veterinary medicine.
PTHB 531
Laboratory Diagnostics
(1 cr.) (Clinical Rotation) This offers students experience in
practical necropsy and clinical laboratory skills in clinical
pathology, microbiology, and parasitology laboratory
rotations.
Necropsy Section: Students perform a complete necropsy,
recognize and interpret gross lesions in a disease process,
and prepare a written necropsy report. Emphasis is
placed on collection and submission of specimens to a
laboratory for histopathology and for microbiology and
toxicology if relevant. Students correlate gross necropsy
and microscopic findings to make an appropriate diagnosis.
Safety precautions with respect to equipment, protective
wear, and biosecurity are introduced.
Clinical Pathology Section: Students practice laboratory
safety procedures, perform a complete manual blood
count, urinalysis, and biochemistry analysis using an
Idexx VetTest®. Students are expected to demonstrate
basic competence in the preparation and examination of
cytological specimens. Students shall be able to select/
provide the correct test(s) for a wide variety of diseases
of domestic animals, be able to submit the appropriate
sample for these tests, and have the ability to accurately
interpret a series of laboratory results in the content of
patient history and clinical signs.
Parasitology Section: Students identify common parasites
in feces, blood, urine, skin, and body fluids. Emphasis is
placed on clinical cases where students are expected
to make a diagnosis based on history, clinical signs, and
identification of the parasite(s), as well as recommend
treatment and control strategies based on the diagnosis.
SAMS 524
Small Animal Medicine II
(3 cr.) (Didactic) Students are introduced to concepts
concerning the diagnosis, treatment, and management
of medical diseases in dogs and cats. Emphasis is placed
on cardiology, respiratory, neurological, oncological,
endocrine, and gastrointestinal diseases, and emergency
and critical care medicine.
SAMS 528
Small Animal Clinical Services
(1 cr.) (Clinical Rotation) The objective of the course is to
prepare Term 6 students for Year 4 Clinical Studies at
affiliated universities using clinical case material presented
at the SGU Small Animal Clinic. Through supervised handson
training, students are directly involved in history taking,
patient physical examination, and formulation of diagnostic
and therapeutic plans for outpatient and critical care cases.
Under faculty supervision, students are responsible for
presurgical physical examination and diagnostic workup,
postoperative care, and completion of all surgery-related
documents (surgical report, anesthesia record, discharge
instructions). Surgical students participate in surgical cases
in the roles of primary surgeon, assistant surgeon, and
anesthetist. Students practice interpretation of clinical
radiography. Intensive case management and medical
recordkeeping for in-house small animal patients is
required, along with client communication and daily case/
rounds presentations.
Year 3: Term 6 Selective Courses
Year 3, Term 6 students are offered a variety of specialty
courses to augment the core curriculum. Sixth-term
students select two of the following one-credit courses for
their final semester of preclinical course work.
ANPH 521
Client Grief in Veterinary Medicine
(1 cr.) (Didactic and Other) Topics related to veterinary client
grief will be covered using lecture, case presentations and
small-group role play. Course topics include relationships
between animals and people, grief, client communication
skills, animal euthanasia, after care, and veterinary staff
support.
PTHB 533
Advanced Clinical Exotic Pet Medicine and Surgery
(1 cr.) (Didactic) This course provides students with an
interest in alternative species medicine an in-depth
exploration of exotic animal medicine and surgery
practiced today. Students gain comfort with the clinical
approach and equipment necessary for diagnosis,
School of Medicine
Course Descriptions
School of Veterinary Medicine Catalog 2013–2014 | 55