Handbook 1996 : Faculty of Veterinary Science
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Scots veterinarian William Tyson Kendall established Australia's first Veterinary College, a private school for training veterinarians in Melbourne, in 1888. The building still stands in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. When the College closed in 1908 its task was taken on by the University of Melbourne and, in 1909, the Faculty of Veterinary Science was established.
The Faculty conducts undergraduate and higher degree courses and research. It produces about 50 new Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) graduates a year.
The Faculty also provides veterinary services through its veterinary clinic and hospital and consultative arrangements with livestock industries.
The first and second years of the BVSc course are taught at the Faculty's Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Parkville, on a site called the Veterinary Precinct.
The third and fourth years are taught in the Veterinary Clinical Centre at Werribee, set up in 1964 on Department of Agriculture State Research Farm land. Students benefit from being near the Melbourne Water Farm and the Agricultural Research Institute (formerly the State Research Farm), with ready access to sheep and cattle farms in the western part of the State, a large population of horses and a growing urban community.
About 60 Victorian-based veterinarians in research, diagnostic work and veterinary clinical practice are Academic Associates of the Faculty and provide supplementary instruction to students as part of the practical work experience the course requires. Additionally, a Rural Veterinary Centre at Maffra in Gippsland, hosted by the Maffra Veterinary Centre, gives access particularly to dairy cattle for teaching, clinical investigation and research.
Teaching and research at the Veterinary Preclinical Centre, Parkville, includes anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, pathology, parasitology, microbiology, and animal biotechnology.
Animal Management and Production is given as a service course by the Animal Production group within the University's Department of Agriculture and Resource Management.
At the Veterinary Clinical Centre, Werribee, teaching and research include surgery, medicine, animal reproduction and epidemiology. Undergraduate students at Werribee receive clinical instruction and training, and postgraduates are encouraged to conduct supervised research into diseases and disabilities affecting animals.
The University's Veterinary Clinic and Hospital at Werribee also offers fee-based veterinary medical, surgical and pathological consultative services to the public. Many animals are referred by other veterinary practices and institutions for specialist advice and assistance. About 50 professional, technical and administrative staff are employed. Contacts with animal owners total more than 80,000 each year.
The general objectives of the Faculty of Veterinary Science are to:
(*open only to students doing the BVSc degree course)
The aim of the BVSc course, in acknowledgement of the aims, guiding values and objectives of the University of Melbourne, is to educate students of veterinary science to the best international standards and to prepare them for careers in professional work, research and public service.
The BVSc is a set four-year degree course. Students are admitted to the BVSc program after completing at least one year of an approved science course at a university. The BVSc degree is required for registration to practise as a veterinary surgeon. Part-time study is not available.
The course curriculum is arranged within several frameworks, key among which is the Animal Framework. The central focus in this framework is the management of animal health and disease. Work covers subjects which lead to the understanding of the normal and abnormal animal, how disease is produced, and how animals and their welfare are managed in the agricultural and companion animal industries.
Other frameworks are Herd and Flock (management of numbers of animals), Production Systems (for example, piggeries and vaccine laboratories), Community (dealing with the two-way interaction of professionals with the community), and Personal Development (providing opportunities for personal development as scientist, veterinarian, environmentalist and community leader). These frameworks also link to particular subjects of the BVSc course or are a synthesis of skills acquired across the whole course.
Lectures and practical work are required in almost all subjects. Laboratory experiments, demonstrations, clinical work and vacation work on farms and with veterinarians reinforce the theoretical content of lectures. Students work under supervision in the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital at Werribee in conditions similar to those they will encounter after graduating.
First and second-year subjects are discipline-based, third-year subjects are based on body systems (for example, the cardiovascular system) and fourth-year subjects are based on animal species.
Vacation work on farms must total 12 weeks, at least four of them completed before the end of the first year and the balance before the end of the second year. The work is linked with the first and second-year subjects Animal Management and Production 1 and 2 (see also details of subject). Students are expected to gain experience on several commercial farms, each with different animal enterprises.
Extramural work with veterinarians also must total 12 weeks, of which four weeks only may be completed before clinical teaching begins in third year. The work is supervised by veterinary graduates (in private practice or a laboratory) appointed by the Faculty as Academic Associates.
An additional four weeks practical training in the Veterinary Clinic and Hospital is rostered between academic terms during the final two years of the course.
Some practical work involving the use of animals in experiments is an essential part of the course.
First year deals with normal animals, their anatomy (structure), physiology and biochemistry (function), and management (production).
Subjects are: Veterinary Anatomy, Veterinary Biochemistry, Animal Management and Production 1, Veterinary Physiology 1.
Second year takes physiology and animal management further and introduces pathology (disease), microbiology and parasitology (disease-producing agents), and pharmacology (the effect of drugs).
Subjects are: Animal Management and Production 2, Veterinary Physiology 2, Veterinary Pharmacology, Veterinary Microbiology, Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Pathology.
Third year continues with animal management and production systems, introduces surgery, medicine and reproduction, and develops a systematic study of diseases of various organs and body systems.
Subjects are: Animal Management and Production 3, Clinical Sciences 1 (Clinical Examination), Clinical Sciences 2 (Diseases of the alimentary system), Clinical Sciences 3 (Diseases of the respiratory, haemopoietic, cardiovascular, and urinary systems), Clinical Sciences 4 (Diseases of the nervous systems and special senses, endocrine system and the skin), Clinical Sciences 5 (Diseases of the reproductive system and mammary gland), Clinical Sciences 6 (Diseases of the musculoskeletal system), Clinical Sciences 13 Part 1 (Practical work).
Fourth year looks at animal production according to species, continues the study of disease, and provides parallel studies in epidemiology, production management and preventive medicine, public health and professional ethics.
Subjects are: Clinical Sciences 7 (Epidemiology, Exotic Diseases, Veterinary Law and Ethics, and Aspects of Animal Derived Food and Public Health), Clinical Sciences 8 (Diseases of Cattle), Clinical Sciences 9 (Diseases and Preventive Medicine of Dogs, Cats and Miscellaneous Pets), Clinical Sciences 10 (Diseases, Preventive Medicine and Production of Sheep, other Small Ruminants and Camelids), Clinical Sciences 11 (Diseases of Pigs and Birds), Clinical Sciences 12 (Diseases of Non-domestic Animals), Clinical Sciences 13 Part 2 (Clinical Methods and Applied Aspects of all Clinical Courses), Clinical Sciences 14 (Diseases and Preventive Medicine of Horses).
The BVSc(Hons) may be awarded to students who achieve a high standard throughout the four years of the course.
On completing the second or a later year of the BVSc degree course, students may enter the BAnimSc degree course. This involves doing a one-year research project in an area of veterinary science related to earlier completed studies.
The level of achievement expected in the BAnimSc course is equivalent to the honours year of a BSc course. On completing the BAnimSc course, students may resume their studies for the BVSc degree.
From 1995 the Faculty of Arts will offer a Diploma in Modern Languages to students undertaking courses in faculties other than Arts. Further details are available from the Arts Faculty Office.
Direct admission from Year 12 into a five-year BVSc course was discontinued in 1989. To be eligible to do a four-year BVSc course, students must now have:
Prospective students should also check prerequisite subjects for entry to a faculty of science and any prerequisites for first-year Bachelor of Science course subjects.
The following 1995 science units at Melbourne satisfy the prerequisites: Biology 600-141 and 600-142, Chemistry 610-120 or 610-140 series, and Physics 640-120 or 640-140 or 640-160 series. Students seeking entry from other universities should ensure that the prerequisite subjects are each a full year in length and that the biology comprises components of cell biology, genetics, botany and zoology.
The Assistant Registrar (Veterinary Science) can advise on the suitability of proposed first-year courses in satisfying the prerequisites and on those science-based tertiary courses for which credit may be granted.
Selection is based primarily on merit, taking into account an applicant's academic record. An applicant's demonstrated professional and scientific interest is also considered (see also 'Special principles of selection for Veterinary Science' in Volume 6 of the Handbook: Entrance Requirements).
The number of applications received each year makes it impossible to offer places to all qualified applicants. A quota of 52 places is set for the first year of the course. There are no sub-quotas for interstate students.
Students should be aware of their rights and obligations while at the University. Essential information on matters such as enrolment, assessment, special consideration in the event of illness or other difficulties etc., is contained in the front of this Handbook and in the Student Diary, issued to every student on enrolment.
The MVSc degree is obtained by undertaking supervised research training for at least one year full time or two years part time and submitting the results of that research in the form of a thesis for examination. The program is available to external candidates also. The research training is intended to provide problem-solving skills and a successful candidate should be equipped to carry out research work under appropriate supervision.
Students undertaking a MVS degree do advanced coursework for at least one year. Options include veterinary pathology, microbiology, parasitology, anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, small animal medicine and surgery, equine medicine and surgery, radiology and diagnostic imaging, anaesthesiology, animal reproduction, diseases and management of agricultural animals, veterinary care and management of zoo animals and Australian wildlife, and dairy medicine and management.
Candidature for the PhD degree is open to veterinary science graduates and other graduates with an appropriate scientific background.
The DVSc degree is obtained by examination of published and/or unpublished works by the candidate, based on the candidate's research, which must show a substantial published contribution to veterinary science and be of such a standard as to give the candidate authoritative standing in that particular field.
The main career paths for veterinarians are in private practice, government, the CSIRO and universities and other tertiary institutions. Most graduates make several job changes in their veterinary careers.
Private practice provides the largest demand for recent graduates. Specialisation is an increasing trend, with some practices limiting their work to (for instance) horses or small animals, largely depending on whether the practice is country or city-based.
Commonwealth government veterinarians supervise both the handling of stock and the processing of meat for Australia's export meat markets. They also supervise live animal exports and imports (including imported animal products) to prevent the introduction of diseases from overseas.
State government veterinarians pursue animal disease control and eradication, principally in food producing species such as cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.
Veterinarians also work in tertiary education, supervising postgraduate research into normal animal function and studies of animal diseases and teaching undergraduate courses, veterinary nursing, laboratory animal management and the biological sciences.
Several CSIRO Divisions employ veterinarians, including the Divisions of Animal Health, Animal Production, Biomolecular Engineering, Fisheries, Human Nutrition, Tropical Animal Production, and Wildlife and Ecology. The work is largely research, covering areas such as animal diseases, food production, human nutrition and health, and environmental and wildlife studies.
Demand from the sheep, cattle, pig and poultry industries is increasing for veterinarians to provide whole-farm animal health and production management consultancy services. Increasingly, full-time positions are available with firms. Pastoral companies, animal breeders and pet food companies provide job opportunities.
Pharmaceutical industry efforts to develop and test new drugs for both animals and humans call for veterinarians to conduct research and develop products. The work also includes the breeding, care and maintenance of the animals used in the testing of drugs.
Employment opportunities exist in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, caring for and treating rare and valuable animals and ensuring suitable habitats are maintained.
Opportunities arise for veterinarians to contribute to international programs of animal production, disease control and environmental management. Australian veterinary graduates frequently go overseas for postgraduate training to PhD level or to obtain membership in specialist disciplines such as surgery, small animal medicine, radiology and anaesthesia.
A veterinary science graduate from the University of Melbourne qualifies for registration as a veterinary surgeon in Australia, New Zealand and Britain.
For more information on courses, or the University generally, or for advice on career directions or for personal reasons, consult: the General Manager Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, at the Veterinary Preclinical Centre, corner Flemington Road and Park Drive, Parkville, Victoria 3052. Tel: +613 (03) 9344 7357.
Note: Applications for entry to the veterinary science course are not made through VTAC, but directly to the General Manager. A mid-September closing date usually applies.
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Handbook 1996 : Faculty of Veterinary Science
Status: Official 1996 Date created: Sep 27 1995 Last modified: Sep 27 1995 Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au
Maintained by: Faculty of Veterinary Science
Copyright © University of Melbourne 1995,1996.