This Avian Medicine externship is intended to encourage veterinarians to pursue a career in the poultry industry and enroll in a graduate program in poultry medicine. It is focused for prospective veterinarians who have a specific interest in pursuing a career in the poultry industry and provides an opportunity to gain firsthand experience of the veterinarian’s role in the poultry industry. Applicants with other career plans will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Externs will get an opportunity to shadow the Masters in Avian Medicine (MAM) students thus gaining exposure to formal classes, farm visits, necropsy sessions and diagnostic procedures.
Aim
- Introduce students to the workings of the poultry industry, highlighting the importance of the veterinarian and potential opportunities for graduates wishing to pursue a career in this discipline; and
- Hands on experience during farm visits, necropsy sessions, diagnostic work-ups and research projects.
Goal
Develop an appreciation for the role of the veterinarian in the poultry industry by working in the well established clinical program at the PDRC. This includes formal classes, labs, field visits to investigate flock health challenges, and diagnostic necropsy.
Program
This veterinary externship provides an independent study experience for the veterinary student to be exposed to clinical avian medicine. The actual subject matter covered and experience gained will vary from day to day based on the MAM classes being taught at the time and the clinical/laboratory submission case load.
The mission of the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center (PDRC) is threefold: teaching, research, and service in poultry medicine.
The teaching function includes teaching of poultry medicine in the professional curriculum in veterinary medicine; teaching poultry medicine in the poultry science curriculum; preparing veterinarians to work in the poultry industry via the Master of Avian Medicine program, the Master of Avian Health and Medicine online program; and training researchers in poultry medicine through the MS and PhD programs in Infectious Diseases, Veterinary Pathology, and Poultry Science.
The research programs emphasize problems in the diagnosis and control of economically important diseases of poultry. Applied and basic research is focused on solving problems of importance to the industry.
The service function exists to provide diagnostic and consultative services to the commercial poultry industry. This is accomplished by providing diagnostic, necropsy, consultation, and field services to local companies as well as companies located throughout the United States, and the world.
The three functions of teaching, research, and service are in many ways interchangeable. For example, service to the poultry industry also provides material for teaching and keeps faculty members abreast of industry problems so they can better focus their research. Teaching prepares students for careers in research and service. Research develops new knowledge for teaching and improved services. In the end, all three functions center on teaching and learning.
Overview
PDRC is part of the Department of Population Health, one of seven departments in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia. The faculty and staff are housed in the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center (PDRC), located approximately two miles from the main veterinary medicine complex. The PDRC was constructed in 1958 by the Agricultural Experiment Station of the College of Agriculture. In 1968, the administration of the PDRC was transferred to the College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to graduate programs, the PDRC offers course work for DVM-degree seeking students, courses for undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture, and diagnostic assistance and consultation to the world’s poultry producers.
Facilities
Animal care facilities include 22 rooms of various sizes for colony research, over 130 isolation units including 13 glove box units for BSL-2 plus research, four conventional-type poultry houses, three hatcheries, and various support buildings including feed, maintenance, offices and necropsy. The PDRC also has a seminar conference room, a necropsy facility for research, and a photographic studio and darkroom, along with office space for faculty, staff, and graduate students. Student externs are supervised by three ACPV Board Certified Clinicians.
Objectives and/or Expected Learning Outcomes
This experience will give students the opportunity to become familiar with poultry disease research, necropsy, and clinical medicine. In addition, students will be able to develop networks that advance future employment opportunities.
Topical Outline
- Students will participate in MAM classes and labs scheduled from 8:00 a.m. - Noon during the academic week;
- With guidance from a mentor and the MAM students, students will participate in necropsy of birds submitted to the PDRC Diagnostic Lab;
- With guidance from a mentor and the MAM students, students will participate in field visits in the afternoons to experience clinical medicine first hand;
- Students will attend clinical rounds that are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Mondays and be required to present a case study; and
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Students will attend PDRC seminar on Mondays at 2:30 p.m.
Specific Learning Objectives:
With guidance and assistance from the mentor, students will, based on case load, participate in clinical avian medicine in order to learn how to:
- Perform poultry necropsies;
- Perform farm visits to investigate disease challenges;
- Develop an appreciation for the influence that the house environment has on the epidemiology of disease in intensive production systems;
- Collect specimens for diagnostic testing; and
- Utilize a diagnostic approach for solving poultry disease and management problems
Students will be required to spend >40 hours per week performing duties as outlined.
Free accommodation is available to student visitors on a “first-come-first-served” basis in the PDRC guest house. The house is located next to the PDRC laboratory facilities. It has 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, fully equipped kitchen, and a living room with a color TV. Cooking utensils, linen, blankets, and towels are provided. There are times when it is necessary for guests to share the house with other guests. However, each bedroom has a lock and key entry for your added privacy and security. The kitchen, hall bathroom and living rooms are to be shared with other house guests. The house is located about 1 mile from a food store and several restaurants. Food and personal items are the only things you would need to provide.
If you would like to stay in the PDRC guest house, it will be necessary to first check for availability and then make reservations through Joan King at joanking@uga.edu or 706-542-5639. Please note that a room reservation will not be confirmed until she has received a completed and signed housing agreement from you. This can be faxed to Joan King at 706-542-0250.