Unit of Study VMED2002 Systems Pathology, Medicine and Therapy 1 (2026)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

UG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Placement

No

Pre-requisites

VMED2001 - Clinical Integration 2 AND 180 credit points in the 3508006 - Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Honours)

Enrolment information

Students must have completed all units in Year 2 AND AHWIL-2 (8 weeks) before enrolling in this unit. 1. To pass the unit, students must submit all assessment tasks. 2. Attendance: It is important to recognise the relationship between attendance, participation, student success and retention. Please take advantage of all classes and engagement activities as it will increase your opportunity for learning, progression in the course, and success as a veterinarian. For units with practicals and other learning activities that directly relate to developing AVBC day one competencies that are required for veterinary accreditation, attendance is required. These will be identified within each unit and attendance requirements clearly communicated to students.

Unit description

This unit aims to equip veterinary students with competencies required to diagnose, manage, and treat diseases affecting the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems through a thorough understanding the underlying pathophysiological bases for disease. This unit will focus on the clinico-pathological correlation between health and disease in these complex physiological systems. By the end of this unit, students will be able to explain the pathophysiology of key musculoskeletal and integumentary diseases, contrasting normal anatomy and physiology (as learnt in VBIO1001) and extending their foundational pathological disease training from VBIO1006 to develop systems pathology core conceptual knowledge for these systems. They will develop skills in assessing the associated organs for pathological changes, as well as selecting, applying and interpreting relevant diagnostic techniques. Students will develop skills in the systems-specific approaches to clinical examination, as well as imaging, laboratory testing, and functional assessments to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings. The unit will provide students with a foundational basis for selecting treatment, prevention and control approaches for musculoskeletal and intagumentary system diseases.

Unit content

Bone pathology
Muscle pathology and clinical approaches
Joint pathology and clinical approaches
Lameness - functional musculoskeletal pathology and clinical approaches
Cutaneous pathology
Other integumentary structures

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2026

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

explain the pathophysiology of common skin, muscle, joint and bone diseases including lameness, across multiple species, correlating clinical signs with underlying pathological processes

select and apply appropriate diagnostic approaches, including clinical examination, imaging, and laboratory testing, to identify and differentiate between normal and abnormal integumentary and musculoskeletal system findings in various species

evaluate clinico-pathological data to evaluate disease severity and progression, assess therapeutic responses, and compare species-specific variations in disease presentation, pathophysiology, and treatment outcomes

infer and create treatment and prevention/control options for the common musculoskeletal and integumentary diseases based on underlying pathological principles.

Fee information

Domestic

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