Learn about the veterinary education programs and researches at the Melbourne School of Veterinary Science
Learn about the veterinary education programs and researches at the Melbourne School of Veterinary Science
An overview of veterinary education and research at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
© University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
NERISSA HANNINK: During their working life, vets may treat a variety of animals, from dogs and cats, to donkeys, horses, and exotic pets. So with over 19,000 patients each year and state of the art facilities, the University of Melbourne Veterinary Hospital is an ideal place to train future vets.
DR. CAROLINE MANSFIELD: The veterinary hospital is one of the largest in Australia. It has multiple disciplines within these, because animals, just like people, can get sick and have accidents. And those accidents occur at any time, so there's a 24-hour emergency center with an associated critical care unit. We also have other specialists, such as neurologists, surgeons, and images as well. Our diagnostic imaging section is probably one of the best equipped in Australia.
ALISON TSO: One of my favorite aspects of this course are that we actually get hands on experience, and I think surgery would be one of my favorite aspects. We really get to scrub in and see close up what happens. We get to follow cases from the start to the finish, that is starting from the initial consult, going through all the procedures that have to be performed, and then finishing off with a discharge.
And we actually get to do those by ourselves and speak to the clients. I think that a unique aspect of this course is that we get to follow through with the same group of students. And I think it's a great transition from high school because you just start to feel lost in a big group of people.
HANNINK: Staff at the hospital also conduct groundbreaking research, working closely with industry.
MANSFIELD: My main area of research is in gastroenterology. And so we look at diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis. And with the pancreas goes diabetes as well. And so all of the diseases that occur in people also occur in animals.
We're also really lucky to have some fantastic equipment, so we have an analytical laboratory which is fully stocked. We've got genetic technology, And we've also got a new confocal endomicroscopy unit, which allows us to get real time histologically equivalent images of the gastrointestinal tract. And so that allows us to assess real life responses to inflammation within the intestinal tract, and also to identify various microorganisms within the intestinal tract to try and determine the precise cause of intestinal disease.
HANNINK: Melbourne School of Veterinary Science is the oldest in Australia and has developed the only post-graduate professional entry veterinary program. The course is accredited in the UK and US, allowing graduates to easily work overseas. Some graduates choose to continue studying to become specialists, and the hospital has a residency training program.
DR. KATHLEEN CHOW: My training is in radiology, which is imaging, and we do all sorts of different types of imaging here. We have MRI and CT here, which is quite rare for a university hospital in Australia to have access to those types of techniques. And we get to look at lots of really interesting cases using those techniques as well.
And also, there's just a really wide variety of specialists in this hospital, which means that we get exposed to expertise in all different disciplines, and we learn from all of those specialists, and we get to get a feel for how they do things. And that helps us in our day-to-day work as well.
DR. CAROLINE MANSFIELD: The veterinary hospital is one of the largest in Australia. It has multiple disciplines within these, because animals, just like people, can get sick and have accidents. And those accidents occur at any time, so there's a 24-hour emergency center with an associated critical care unit. We also have other specialists, such as neurologists, surgeons, and images as well. Our diagnostic imaging section is probably one of the best equipped in Australia.
ALISON TSO: One of my favorite aspects of this course are that we actually get hands on experience, and I think surgery would be one of my favorite aspects. We really get to scrub in and see close up what happens. We get to follow cases from the start to the finish, that is starting from the initial consult, going through all the procedures that have to be performed, and then finishing off with a discharge.
And we actually get to do those by ourselves and speak to the clients. I think that a unique aspect of this course is that we get to follow through with the same group of students. And I think it's a great transition from high school because you just start to feel lost in a big group of people.
HANNINK: Staff at the hospital also conduct groundbreaking research, working closely with industry.
MANSFIELD: My main area of research is in gastroenterology. And so we look at diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis. And with the pancreas goes diabetes as well. And so all of the diseases that occur in people also occur in animals.
We're also really lucky to have some fantastic equipment, so we have an analytical laboratory which is fully stocked. We've got genetic technology, And we've also got a new confocal endomicroscopy unit, which allows us to get real time histologically equivalent images of the gastrointestinal tract. And so that allows us to assess real life responses to inflammation within the intestinal tract, and also to identify various microorganisms within the intestinal tract to try and determine the precise cause of intestinal disease.
HANNINK: Melbourne School of Veterinary Science is the oldest in Australia and has developed the only post-graduate professional entry veterinary program. The course is accredited in the UK and US, allowing graduates to easily work overseas. Some graduates choose to continue studying to become specialists, and the hospital has a residency training program.
DR. KATHLEEN CHOW: My training is in radiology, which is imaging, and we do all sorts of different types of imaging here. We have MRI and CT here, which is quite rare for a university hospital in Australia to have access to those types of techniques. And we get to look at lots of really interesting cases using those techniques as well.
And also, there's just a really wide variety of specialists in this hospital, which means that we get exposed to expertise in all different disciplines, and we learn from all of those specialists, and we get to get a feel for how they do things. And that helps us in our day-to-day work as well.