Offsite Electives

Student will have direct mentorship from DVM while practicing bovine medicine and field surgery.  Emphasis will be on palpation and use of ultrasound for reproductive diagnostics.

This veterinary externship provides an independent study experience for the veterinary student to be exposed to clinical avian medicine. The actual subject matter covered and experience gained will vary from day to day based on the MAM classes being taught at the time and the clinical/laboratory submission case load; there may be some days where there are minimal clinical activities and/or class work occurring.  Prospective externship students must complete the one page study plan, outlining the goals they have for the externship and selecting a poultry topic (ie. disease, management, welfare etc.) to complete a short literature review and/or 15 minute presentation on.  The selected topic must be approved by a PDRC clinician prior to the start of the externship. 

The student will ride on farm calls that range from dairy production medicine to bovine surgery and equine medicine and surgery ranging from preventative care to lameness to dentistry to reproduction.  

Each day will involve shadowing one of our eight DVMs and working with our nursing staff.

Western Veterinary Group is a 4 doctor small animal general medicine veterinary hospital. Student will be shadowing either our Medical Director or an experienced associate veterinarian in examination rooms with clients and patients. Also, we have the availability for the student to scrub into various surgeries such as spays, neuters, mass removals and /or other various routine surgical procedures we may have scheduled throughout their time here.

Even though it is a progressively fast paced flow, the student will have the comfortability and availability to ask questions and follow the recommended treatments and/or diagnostics given by the doctor on the case.

BVH  is a private practice that sees nearly all mammals. Orthopedic specialist works in-house with us. We offer rehabilitative medicine with acupuncture, specialized canine reproduction service including freezing/shipping canine semen and surgical AIs. Students will be exposed to all aspects of the practice, given cases to work-up, shelter and resue animals to spay/neuter and opportunity to ride along on farm animal calls. Two of the DVMs have advanced dental training which they will share during their "dental days."

Externships in all of the specialties are available to veterinary students currently in their clinical year(s) of study, with the intent of providing an educational opportunity to students and forming new relationships within the veterinary community. Extern responsibilities vary from observation with teaching discussion, to patient handling and client interviews (similar to a university experience) dependent upon the service visited and individual ability.  Students can apply for variable duration externships (2-4 weeks is typical).

PDI 637

Poultry Medicine Clerkship Syllabus

Instructor: R. M. Fulton, D.V.M., Ph.D., dipl. A.C.P.V.

Course Objectives:         

1. Understand modern poultry production and management
2. Develop a working knowledge of how to diagnose, recommend treatment, and prevention of common poultry diseases.
3. Improve understanding of pathogenesis of viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal diseases and how that deeper understanding enables a veterinarian to better prevent and treat diseases.
4. Develop a working knowledge of on-farm biosecurity, the use of disinfectants and how to develop pest (fly and rodent) control programs and their importance as it relates to food safety.
5. Develop an understanding of the veterinarian’s important role in “farm-to-fork” food safety programs.
6. Develop an awareness of diseases of other (non-poultry) avian species.

Course Content:

      This course will consist of didactic lectures (typically given in the morning), laboratory work (poultry necropsies and other diagnostic laboratory visits), and field trips (typically done in the afternoon).

Lectures:

Introduction to the poultry production and management

Biosecurity, commercial farms and small flocks

Viral diseases of poultry

Bacterial diseases of poultry

Parasitic diseases of poultry

Fungal and mycotoxin diseases of poultry

Metabolic diseases of poultry

Disinfectants

Diseases of gamebirds (pheasants, quail, partridges...)

Diseases of pet birds

Laboratories:

Avian necropsy technique

Necropsy of egg laying chicken mortality

Serology laboratory

Field Trips:

Egg laying chicken farm with in-line egg processing plant

Turkey hatchery

Turkey farm

Feed mill

Broiler chicken processing plant

Duck breeder, hatchery, grow out farm and processing plant

Small flock chicken hatchery

Full service diagnostic laboratory

General practice mixed animal clinic. Hands-on experience with medicine cases, surgeries, client communications and interactions, and business ownership.