Unit of Study VMED3010 Introduction to General Practice (2027)

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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

Enrolment information

1. To pass the unit, students must submit all assessment tasks, meet requirements of competency assessment (OSCE) and obtain at least 50% of the overall assessment marks for this unit. 2. This unit includes components of programmatic assessment and will be linked to other key content and assessments throughout the course. 3. 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 develops the student's consultation and clinical integration skills to include diagnostic reasoning and decision-making processes and key elements of surgery, anaesthesia and radiation safety prior to clinical Work Integrated Learning. It focuses on lameness consultations (building from VMED1001 and VMED2001), to prepare for safe participation in diagnostic and peri-operative environments (including radiographic safety and anaesthesia). Students develop structured clinical reasoning skills using diagnostic pathways appropriate to a pre-medicine stage, enabling safe problem prioritisation and supervised decision-making. Emphasis is placed on integrating consultation frameworks, biosecurity principles, anaesthetic awareness, and clear record keeping. By the end of the unit, students will demonstrate readiness to participate safely and effectively in large and small animal clinical environments, applying structured reasoning and preventative planning within the scope of supervised veterinary practice.

Unit content

Introduction to Diagnostic trees and their use in problem solving through evidence based veterinary medicine
Lameness 1: Static and Dynamic work up, examination, flexion/stress tests and diagnostics – companion animals
Lameness 2: Static and Dynamic work up, examination, flexion/stress tests and diagnostics -equine
Lameness 3: Static and Dynamic work up, restraint, examination, flexion/stress tests and diagnostics - ruminants
Surgery 3: aseptic theatre techniques, revisit gloving and gowning, instrument cleaning, sterilisation and maintenance, aseptic theatre design
Introduction to anaesthesia, anaesthetic machine set up and maintenance, monitoring, pulse oximetry and blood gases and radiation safety

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2027

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:

perform and differentiate basic lameness examinations in companion animals, equines, and ruminants by applying species-appropriate observation, handling, and examination techniques to identify common patterns of disease

apply and interpret introductory diagnostic decision trees to common clinical presentations, including lameness, to support systematic problem-solving and prioritisation under supervision

perform and maintain aseptic theatre practices under supervision, including gowning and gloving, instrument cleaning, sterilisation, maintenance, theatre layout, and intraoperative radiation safety within established protocols

assemble an anaesthetic machine and perform a pre-anaesthetic check of patient, machine and patient monitoring equipment (including pulse oximetry and blood gases), under supervision.

Fee information

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