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Unit of study_
VETS6102: Professional Skills 1A
2026 unit information
In this unit of study students will be introduced to, and begin to develop confidence and competency in, fundamental professional skills relevant to veterinary practice. The skills will include basic animal handling, basic clinical skills, personal and professional attributes, basic laboratory skills and clinical experience in veterinary teaching hospitals. Successful completion of this unit of study requires students to: (1) Attend and actively participate in all compulsory classes, (2) Achieve at least a pass grade in all compulsory assessment tasks, and (3) Submit all compulsory documents (veterinary teaching hospital site contracts and skills logs, feedback forms etc.). Risk assessments are regularly conducted for units that require the completion of compulsory learning activities that may expose students to zoonotic diseases. These assessments aim to identify appropriate risk mitigation controls, such as vaccination against vaccine- preventable zoonoses. Vaccination against Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is an inherent requirement for students enrolling in this unit of study. Students must be vaccinated against Q fever before commencing the unit or no later than week two of the enrolled teaching session. Q fever vaccination is only available in Australia with the vaccination process taking three weeks to complete. Students must also submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration upon enrolment. Students who fail to receive vaccination by the specified deadline and/or submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration are precluded from practical learning activities and will not be able to satisfactorily complete relevant units of study and/or progress in their course more generally. Please refer to the University’s website https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/q-fever-vaccinations.html for more information on student vaccinations.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | School of Veterinary Science Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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VETS6104 |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Basic knowledge of clinical veterinary practice; empathy for and confidence in interactions with animals, One semester of study in each of general chemistry (physical and inorganic), organic chemistry, biology and biochemistry |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Confidently and competently perform basic animal handling skills to species commonly presented to veterinary practice
- LO2. Confidently and competently perform basic clinical, laboratory and necropsy skills
- LO3. Contribute as a member of the inter-disciplinary team workplace of a veterinary hospital
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.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camden, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 1 2026
|
Normal day | Camden, Sydney |
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.