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Unit of study_
VETS6231: Clinical Foundations A
2026 unit information
Clinical Foundations A provides students with the foundational knowledge to prepare them for clinical practice. Students will explore surgical principles including aseptic technique, tissue handling, and haemostasis and their effects on wound healing as part of their preparation for surgical practical classes in third year of the DVM. Students will learn the principles of pharmacology including pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and apply this to developing drug doses. They will explore major drug classes including anti-infective drugs (eg antimicrobials, antivirals, anti-parasitics and anti-protozoal drugs), and anti-inflammatories and apply this knowledge to development of therapeutic plans. Students will also learn the principles of radiation safety in preparation for clinical placements. Across the unit of study students will apply their knowledge to case-based activities. The foundational knowledge gained in this unit will be applied across second year DVM units of study Principles of Animal Disease VETS6204 and further built on in third year. 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. 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:
?
|
(VETS6101 and VETS6102 and VETS6103 and VETS6104 and VETS6105 and VETS6106 and VETS6107 and VETS6108) or (VETS6111 and VETS6113 and VETS6104 and VETS6116 and VETS6115 and VETS6108) |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
?
|
VETS6203 and VETS6204 and VETS6235 |
| Prohibitions:
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|
None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
The learning outcomes for this unit will be available two weeks before the first day of teaching.
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.
There are no availabilities for this year.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 1 2026
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
There are no availabilities for previous years.
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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