Students are exposed to all aspects of laboratory animal medicine including but not limited to exposure to clinical cases and facility round in facilities housing various laboratory animal species e.g traditional rodents, non-traditoinal species, zebar fishes, xenopus frogs, agricultural species, avian colonies.There is also exposure to various IACUC activities including protocol review and SOP writing and reviews. Students also participate in residency activities geared towards ACLAM board study e.g. Journal Club, Blue Book Study Group, Slide Rounds and didactic lectures during the Fall and Spring semesters.
The department of CARE has 6 ACLAM-boarded and 1 ECLAM-boarded veterinarians on staff, 3 veterinary residents and 10 veterinary technologists in addition to several facility managers, numerous husbandry personnel and 4 adminstrative support specialists. Since we are affiliated with a veterinary school, we have access to the pathology service, much of the diagnostic imaging equipment and we have collaborative interactions with veterinary specialists. We also have our own laboratory with basic equipment for processing blood and fecal samples. We have in house VetScan, ultrasound system, mutliple anesthesia machines, BP monitors, pulse ox and other anesthesia monitors.
On most days, students are expected to be in the office from Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 5 pm unless otherwise stated. Students are not required to be on-call but may request being called in with the on-call resident to manage interesting cases. Students are given various assignments and preparatory material before attending activities or rounds. We try to offer various scenarios and independent learning exercises, which we discuss together later in the rotation. They are expected to complete these assignments prior to the meeting or site visit. Students accompany staff vets and technologists on rounds and facility site visits and are expected to ask and respond to questions regarding the process. Students give a 15 minute presentation at the end of the rotation, on a topic related to laboratory animal medicine.
Our department does not deal with finding housing. The campus does have some options for housing, but most students seek sublets and short term housing arrangments off campus. The vet school administration has offered students some direction for finding housing in the past.