VETS5365: SA Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine

info This unit of study is no longer offered. Refer to your handbook for alternative units available in your course.

2021 unit information

This unit of study comprises a 4-week practicum in Small Animal Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine. The Small Animal Anaesthesia component provides student interns with an opportunity to apply the principles and practices of veterinary anaesthesia introduced to them in VETS4133 (Veterinary Anaesthesia and Surgery 1) and VETS4234 (Veterinary Anaesthesia and Surgery 2) in the clinical setting of a large small animal veterinary hospital. This practicum is designed to give student interns exposure and experience in clinical anaesthesia to help develop a deeper understanding of this discipline and prepare them for veterinary practice. Student interns are involved in the management of a wide variety of cases from the time the patient is admitted up until when the patient has fully recovered from anaesthesia . This unit of study aims to foster a culture of shared leadership, team-work, professional conduct, compassion towards animal patients and open communication in the work environment. Student interns participate in all activities undertaken by the UVTHS Anaesthesia Unit staff, including (but not restricted to) pre-anaesthetic examination, formulation of anaesthesia and analgesia plans, induction and maintenance of anaesthesia, record keeping and post-operative care (including pain management). Student interns will learn and practice the many technical skills required to perform general anaesthesia including physical examination, intravenous catheterisation, endotracheal intubation, collection of blood for diagnostic testing. After completing the anaesthesia component of this unit of study, student interns will be able to choose the appropriate anaesthetic protocol for anaesthesia in healthy (ASA 1 and 2) small animal patients and induce and maintain anaesthesia in dogs and cats with a degree of proficiency acceptable for a new graduate (refer to the Faculty of Veterinary Science Graduate Attributes). The Emergency Medicine component of this unit of study gives students experience and training in the management of emergency cases and the care of hospitalised patients after-hours. Students will have the opportunity to practice clinically-relevant techniques such as history taking, physical examination, diagnostic sample collection, interpretation of radiolographs and ultrasound, medical record keeping, critical analysis of case-related information, development and implementation of treatment plans and evaluation of outcomes. There is a focus on triage, treatment and management of cases presenting in an emergency situation. The aim of this sub-rotation is to learn how to approach a patient presented as an emergency, to generate a problem list and to prioritise treatment of the most life threatening problems. In addition, interns should gain an appreciation of the holistic nature of veterinary practice, the importance of client-veterinarian, veterinarian-patient and collegial interactions, from the moment the client makes an appointment through resolution of the presenting problem and beyond. As part of this unit of study, students will participate in other University Veterinary Teaching Hospital activities including intensive care duty and weekend duty.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Science

Details

Study level	Postgraduate
Academic unit	School of Veterinary Science Academic Operations
Credit points	5

Enrolment rules

Prerequisites: ?	successful completion of BVSc Year 1-4
Corequisites: ?	None
Prohibitions: ?	VETS5347
Assumed knowledge: ?	None

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. evaluate an animal patient in terms of ‘anaesthetic risk’, based on the animal’s history, pre-anaesthetic examination findings, and interpretation of laboratory data and other diagnostic tests
LO2. formulate appropriate anaesthetic plans for both healthy patients and those presenting with common disease conditions
LO3. induce and maintain anaesthesia in dogs, cats and common ‘pocket pets’ for routine procedures, using a variety of injectable and inhalation agents
LO4. recognise problems and emergencies that may arise during the peri-operative period, (including hypoventilation, hypotension, bradycardia, hypothermia, haemorrhage and cardiac arrest), assess the significance to the patient and develop strategies to manage or resolve them
LO5. monitor and assess the ‘anaesthetic depth’ and physiological status of the anaesthetised patient, and generate an appropriate response to any significant changes that occur
LO6. using written and oral forms of communication, accurately report on the management of an animal under anaesthesia, including the animal’s response during the peri-operative period
LO7. recognise peri-operative pain in cats and dogs, and construct effective pain management plans that utilise a number of pain control strategies
LO8. triage a patient presenting to the after-hours emergency service (SAVES)
LO9. take an accurate history and perform a thorough physical examination (including cardiac auscultation, surface and abdominal palpation, orthopaedic and neurological examination)
LO10. formulate effective management plans for initial stabilizing of patients that present with common veterinary emergencies (hypovolemic shock, respiratory distress, acute abdomen, trauma, toxicity)
LO11. formulate appropriate diagnostic plans for patients that present with common veterinary emergencies
LO12. effectively communicate with clients, explaining complex problems in ‘lay’ terms and outlining the treatment options available.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Current year
Previous years

There are no availabilities for this year.

Session	MoA ?	Location	Outline ?
Semester 1 2020	Normal day	Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney	Outline unavailable
Semester 2 2020	Normal day	Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney	Outline unavailable
Semester 1 2021	Normal day	Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney	Outline unavailable
Semester 1 2021	Normal day	Remote	Outline unavailable
Semester 2 2021	Normal day	Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney	Outline unavailable
Semester 2 2021	Normal day	Remote	Outline unavailable

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.

Disclaimer

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