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Unit of study_
VETS6301: Veterinary Public Practice
2025 unit information
Veterinarians make vital contributions - at local, regional and global levels - to some of the most pressing challenges facing modern society, including emerging infectious diseases, food safety and food security, and antimicrobial resistance. This unit introduces you to the knowledge and technical skills that underpin the roles of veterinary professionals in serving the public good. Specifically, this Unit of Study will prepare you to: contribute to Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) response; oversee animal welfare and food safety in abattoirs; and advise clients, community members and policy developers on risks associated with zoonotic diseases and how to minimise them. During the intensive, you will participate in lectures, interactive tutorials and practicals designed to integrate prior learning on epidemiology, animal welfare, pathology, microbiology, and parasitology within the context of EAD response and food safety. You will also be introduced to the global frameworks that support animal health and food safety at an international level and learn about the application of HACCP in food processing including a site visit. During the semester, you will consider risk management and risk communication in practice settings in relation to a number of common zoonotic disease scenarios in Australia. Legislation relevant to the above areas will be introduced throughout the unit. 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 and VETS6201 and VETS6202 and VETS6203 and VETS6204 and VETS6205 and VETS6206 and VETS6207 and VETS6208 |
|---|---|
|
Corequisites:
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|
VETS6221 and VETS6222 |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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All content of DVM units of study in Years 1 and 2 |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. identify and articulate the contributions of veterinarians to the achievement of public health, one health, food security, animal welfare and biosecurity.
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 2025
|
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.
