| Students of veterinary science at Charles Sturt University (CSU) have completed the first semester of the first year of the new course. One of the subjects they take throughout the year is Veterinary Practice – a subject that seeks to develop good learning habits, a good understanding of the veterinary profession and its roles in society, and strong practical skills in animal handling and communication.
As part of this subject, all students now have completed two days in veterinary practices in the region around Wagga, and will complete another four in second semester. Seventeen practices within a one and a half hour car trip of Wagga are participating in this early practice experience, and first indications are that this is an exceptionally valuable experience for the students and an enjoyable experience for the clinic staff. Practices vary in type from dedicated small animal and dedicated equine to mixed rural practices.
The students visit practices in pairs and are set learning tasks for each visit - tasks which relate to different aspects of the practice including veterinary nursing, record management, client relationships and the conduct of consultations. A key aspect of this activity is the de-briefing which occurs one or two days after the practice visit and allows students to compare and discuss their experiences with other students and a member of staff as facilitator. The discussions that are generated in these sessions form an integral part of the exercise, encouraging reflection on the observations each student has made. There is, of course, a powerful stimulus to continuing learning from witnessing the skills, knowledge and experience of the veterinarians and staff in these excellent practices. Both the CSU staff and the students are very grateful to these practitioners for supporting our program.
CSU will welcome two new members of staff in July – Peter Davie takes up the position of Chair in Veterinary Anatomy and Peter Chenoweth the Chair in Veterinary Reproduction. Peter Davie has been responsible for the teaching of Veterinary Anatomy at Massey University for a number of years, and brings an outstanding reputation as a teacher and research scientist. He will lead the biomedical group at CSU and co-ordinate the teaching of anatomy, physiology and biochemistry in the second year curriculum.
Peter Chenoweth is well known to many Australians but has spent most of the last twenty years in veterinary schools in the USA – Florida, Texas and, most recently, Kansas. He is a theriogenologist of international reputation with a passionate interest in training young veterinarians in food-animal practise. We look forward with great excitement to his contribution to the developing CSU program. |
