2013/2014 Course Catalog - University of Missouri - College of ...

Professional Curriculum Leading to DVMThe DVM degree is achieved aftera four-year course of study. At theUniversity of Missouri, the first twoyears are largely spent in classroomsand laboratories with the second twoyears devoted primarily to clinicalstudy in the MU Veterinary MedicalTeaching Hospital. The professionalcurriculum is integrated with Collegeservices including statewide animaldisease diagnostic services, extensionand continuing education programs foranimal owners and veterinarians, patientcare referral and consultation servicesfor multiple species of animals, researchprograms in animal and human diseases,and advanced specialized training inveterinary and comparative medicine.The curriculum at the MU Collegeof Veterinary Medicine is designed toprovide students with the knowledgeand technical skills necessary to becompetent entry-level veterinarians.We prepare our students for generalveterinary practice, for entry intograduate or specialty training programsand with the background necessaryfor careers in regulatory medicine.The first two years of the veterinarycurriculum are designed to providestudents with a solid foundation inbasic biomedical science. The courses inthe preclinical professional curriculuminclude anatomy, physiology, celland molecular biology, pathology,pharmacology, microbiology, virologyand toxicology. The fundamentalsof the clinical disciplines are alsotaught during this time and includeanesthesiology, clinical pathology,radiology, public health, and medicineand surgery. The organizationalstructure of the professional curriculumdiffers from other schools in thatthe first two academic years aredivided into eight-week instructionalperiods that run from August throughJune. Students have summer breaksbetween the first and second, andsecond and third years of instructionthat are six weeks in duration.During the third and fourth clinicalyears of the professional curriculum,students learn to combine the art andscience of clinical veterinary medicineand surgery. Two didactic blocks inthe VM-3 year provide instruction inclinical subjects not addressed earlier.Practical application of basic principlesof medicine and surgery to diagnose,prevent and treat disease in all animalspresents a challenge to the student’smental and physical resources.Clinical training in the VeterinaryMedical Teaching Hospital andthe Veterinary Medical DiagnosticLaboratory consists of service rotationsthat range from two to eight weeksin length. Students must completethe following core rotations: equinemedicine and surgery, food animalmedicine and surgery, anesthesiology,radiology, neurology/neurosurgery,oncology, ophthalmology, smallanimal orthopaedic surgery, smallanimal soft tissue surgery, diagnosticpathology, small animal communitypractice, small animal internalmedicine, small animal emergencyand critical care, and theriogenology.In addition, students must selectelective rotations for a total of 14 weeks.Four weeks of elective experiencemust be off-campus. Ten weeks ofelective courses are usually completedon campus. Enrollment in clinicalelective rotations may be limited by16TEACHING. HEALING. DISCOVERY. SERVICE.