response to program review report - LSU School Of Veterinary ...

Early Live Animal ExposureExecutive Summary/Professional Curriculum/#4/p2Exposure to live animals in the first two years of the curriculum appears to be limited to electivespecial topics courses. The SVM should develop a core Clinical Skills course or courses in thefirst two Years of the curriculum to ensure live animal contact and the development of clinicalskills prior to entry into Phase II of the curriculum.F. Curriculum/2. Curricular Review/Professional Curriculum/p24Exposure to live animals in the first two years of the curriculum appears to be limited to thosestudents who succeed in subscribing to the elective Special Topics courses. The SVM shoulddevelop a core Clinical Skills course or courses in the first two years of the curriculum to ensurelive animal contact and the development of clinical skills prior to entry into Phase II of thecurriculum. The School should undertake this effort with some urgency.Exposure to live animals is limited in the first year of the curriculum but is moreextensive in the second and third years of the curriculum where the majority ofthe clinical courses are taught. However, Year 1 and 2 students have animalhandling experiences through the various clubs and in laboratories associatedwith the problem-based learning courses. Further, a physical exam laboratory isincluded in the Year 2 anesthesia course and in the surgery course, equinecourse and problem-based learning course in Year 3. Attainment of basicphysical exam skills has been fostered through the addition of physicalexamination laboratories that were introduced into the anesthesia course in thespring semester of 2009 and the problem-based learning course in the fallsemester of 2009. The goal of these experiences is to give the students adegree of confidence in these basic clinical skills before they get into the phase 2portion of the curriculum where they will be practicing these skills daily for the 15month Phase 2 capstone experience.While the development of a core clinical skills course in Year 1 would be wellreceived by the students, the timing of such a course is of questionable valuegiven where the clinical materials are taught. It would be a very time-inefficient toteach such skills before the students have developed an understanding ofanatomy or other aspects of the normal animal but would likely have a positiveimpact on the way students view the first year experience.Special Topics AlignmentB. Program Structure/Professional Curriculum/p11The Special Topics courses, for example, appear to represent more the interests of the teachingfaculty than the needs or interests of the students.It is important to recognize that the special topics are in fact elective courses thataugment the curriculum but are not considered core material. They serve a veryimportant role in introducing the students to areas of the profession that mightaugment an area of the students’ interest or might open them to an area they hadnever considered. As such, we feel that these are best offered based on theexpertise and excitement of the teaching faculty for an area that they arepassionate about. The Program Review Committee did not seem to understandthe truly elective nature of these offerings. Relative to student need, this should17