The primary focus of the professional curriculum of the Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is the four-year (8 Semesters), full-time academic and clinical degree program leading to the degree Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).
The veterinary curriculum has been designed with the end in mind - to prepare the ideal graduates of tomorrow. As such, the curriculum is designed to be both horizontally and vertically integrated, i.e., as often as possible material taught in a given semester is aligned sequentially and across courses. At the same time, One Health, the interaction between the health of animals, humans and our shared environment, at both the individual and population levels, is woven into the curriculum.
The curriculum is built on the philosophy of "clinical immersion," a practical approach that recognizes that veterinary knowledge must be developed side-by-side with clinical and professional skills. These skills include three vital areas: 1) problem-solving skills, including clinical judgment, 2) professional skills, including leadership or communication, and 3) technical skills. The overall aim of the clinical immersion curriculum is to maximize clinical competency from Day One of the professional career.
The DVM curriculum is divided into two phases:
Pre-clinical Sciences (Semesters 1 through 6)
Clinical Experiences (Semesters 7 through 8)
The pre-clinical sciences curriculum is taught in semester modules. Fall semester of first year covers the foundational courses of anatomy and physiology, while the spring semester of first year focuses on concepts related to the immune system and infectious disease. The fall semester of second year focuses on the diagnosis of disease, and the spring of the second year focuses on foundational surgery and anesthesia courses. The third year is organized by system with each semester including specific systems.
The clinical year curriculum has required foundational rotations to build core clinical competencies but also allows selective and elective rotations for flexibility to develop a career-focused experience.
