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Unit of study_
VETS6201: The Veterinary Professional 2
2026 unit information
This Unit introduces the student to intermediate veterinary professional skills for approaching a clinical investigation and engaging with complex professional encounter. It also builds on and extends their knowledge of professional competencies introduced in VETS6101 and required as an effective veterinary professional. Key themes include clinical reasoning and an introduction to clinical problem solving; communication during difficult clinical encounters; cross-cultural communication; professionalism and community engagement; animal welfare and social justice; veterinary legislation; mental health training; veterinary career pathways and career resilience. Developing and extending their knowledge and skills in these areas will help students attain veterinary graduate attributes essential for long term effectiveness and success in their veterinary career. An integral part of this unit of study is an opportunity for students to extend their professional capabilities in an area of personal interest through the Independent Learning Project, allowing them to differentiate their capabilities from others in future employment applications. 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 | 3 |
|
Prerequisites:
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VETS6101 and VETS6102 and VETS6103 and VETS6104 and VETS6105 and VETS6106 and VETS6107 and VETS6108 |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. critically evaluate professional and clinical reasoning frameworks in diverse veterinary workplace environments and apply these frameworks to make decisions
- LO2. demonstrate career management and resilience strategies that promote working sustainably and effectively as a veterinarian in a global context
- LO3. apply principles derived from current legislation, ethical standards of the profession and animal welfare to manage problems in diverse veterinary practice scenarios.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 1 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, 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.