This course is a building block of the traditional Vet Science Course. It covers the same standards; however, one semester the students complete the online Dual Enrollment Intro to Animal Science 110 course with UTM and the other semester they conduct clinicals with area veterinarians and animal shelters.
Course Standards
Economic, Occupational, and Technological Implications
1) Explore and compare local and regional career opportunities in the veterinary science
industry using information from local job postings and Tennessee labor data. Describe in a
written or visual representation the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for a selected
occupation in veterinary science.
2) Examine specific technologies that have evolved within the veterinary science industry
including but not limited to advances in equipment, procedures, and healthcare, and
evaluate the economic and societal implications of each. Explain in an informative essay how
these advances have impacted the veterinary science industry.
Personal and Occupational Health and Safety
3) Compare and contrast the safety hazards associated with clinical and field settings. Review
safety hazard case studies and recommend research-based practices to prevent the safety
hazard in the future.
4) Review common laboratory safety procedures for tool and equipment operation in the
veterinary science laboratories, including but not limited to accident prevention and control
procedures. Demonstrate the ability to follow safety and operational procedures in a lab
setting and complete a safety test with 100 percent accuracy.
5) Demonstrate in a live setting or in a presentation the ability to follow procedures precisely
for the following areas:
a. Animal restraint and handling in clinical or field settings
b. Sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization procedures to prevent transfer of zoonotic
diseases
c. Material safety data sheets (MSDS) interpretation
Veterinary Law and Ethics
6) Gather and compare information from a variety of authoritative sources (such as
professional associations or non-profit organizations) on the philosophical, social, moral,
and ethical issues encountered in the veterinary profession. Debate their implications for
practitioners of veterinary science by developing claim(s) and counterclaim(s) supported by
reasoning and evidence from research.
7) Citing specific textual evidence from legislation and news media, summarize local, state, and
federal laws that regulate policies and procedures in veterinary medicine pertaining to:
a. Animal rights and welfare
b. Professional licensing
c. Liability of veterinary staff
d. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for veterinary drugs and
biologicals
e. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations for workplace
safety
Clinical Anatomy and Physiology
8) Identify common clinical terminology, abbreviations, and symbols relating to the diagnosis,
pathology, and treatment of animals.
9) Recognize various states of cellular homeostasis to identify infections, diseases, and
mutations.
10) Review fundamental concepts pertaining to tissue and organ systems by comparing and
contrasting the structure and function of different tissue types, including epithelial,
connective, muscle, and nervous tissues. Summarize in written or presentation format how
cellular differentiation allows for specialized tissue development.
11) Identify and research the major body systems, including skeletal, muscular, respiratory,
digestive, nervous, integumentary, urinary, and reproductive system. Develop models to
compare and contrast between different species of small and large domesticated animals.
Clinical Nutrition
12) Perform nutritional assessment techniques, including body condition scoring and life stage
to determine the nutritional status of animals. Apply this information to recommend
balanced rations, providing written and oral justification to support recommendations.
13) Research the relationships of diseases and disorders to digestion, absorption, and metabolic
processes using case studies, instructional materials, and scholarly journals. Assess the
impact of various diseases and disorders on the maintenance of optimum nutrition levels in
the body.
14) Correctly identify and describe the function of common equipment used in the clinical area
of a veterinary practice, including but not limited to examination tools, radiology equipment,
ultrasound equipment, surgical equipment and testing equipment. Develop a checklist
including safe use and maintenance for specific equipment.
15) Demonstrate, in a live setting or in a presentation, physical examination procedures in the
following areas:
a. Identification of exam purpose, importance, and routine tasks
b. Completion of new client health history report
c. Identification and evaluation of factors affecting the physiological state of animals
d. Identification of characteristics and signs of healthy animals
e. Demonstration of procedures to accurately obtain and record vital signs
f. Identification and evaluation of effects of age, stress, and environmental factors on
vital signs
16) Identify and recommend the optimum timeline for administering different types of vaccines
suitable for different species. Demonstrate, in a live setting or in a presentation, the ability
to:
a. Identify injection methods
b. Identify appropriate anatomical injection sites
c. Administer the injection, including the selection of appropriate equipment
17) Explain the importance of contamination prevention as related to the veterinary industry.
Demonstrate, in a live setting or in a presentation, the ability to explain and follow
contamination control procedures relating to the following areas:
a. Principles of sanitation, disinfection, antiseptics, and sterilization
b. Exam room care and sanitation procedures
c. Classification of sterilants, antiseptics, disinfectants, and their appropriate
applications
d. Hazardous waste management
e. Proper techniques to fill a syringe for a prescribed dosage
Animal Nursing
18) Design a plan of care by interpreting patient records and treatment plans, and perform basic
nursing and patient monitoring tasks.
19) Outline basic first aid, wound care, and bandaging procedures and compare the different
procedures in relation to small and large animals. Demonstrate, in a live setting or in a
presentation, the ability to follow these procedures precisely, while distinguishing between
small and large animals for the following areas:
a. Canine cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedures
b. Assessment and care of common physical injuries such as cuts, abrasions, and contusions
c. Wound therapies at different phases of healing
d. Types and purposes of bandages, splints, slings, and casts, and indications for use
e. Techniques for application and removal of bandages
f. Caring of animals during the birthing process
20) Research and explain laws and regulations related to the administration of prescription and
over-the-counter medication within the veterinary industry to develop a customer fact sheet
for common medicines, citing specific text from legislation. Demonstrate, in a live setting or
in a presentation, the ability to follow medication administration procedures precisely,
including:
a. Identification of common medications and their required storage, handling, and
disposal
b. Demonstration of administration techniques for topical and oral medications
c. Interpretation of medication label and packaging information
d. Calculate proper dosages of medications based upon label directions
Laboratory Procedures
21) Compare and contrast appropriate laboratory quality control procedures such as the proper
collection, preparation, handling, and storage of biological samples, and describe their
effects on obtaining accurate data from laboratory procedures.
22) Develop a procedural check sheet to aid in conducting veterinary clinical hematology
procedures such as complete blood count (CBC). Using the check sheet, demonstrate, in a
live setting or in a presentation, the ability to follow clinical hematology procedures precisely
n relation to the following areas:
a. Sample collection, preparation, and storage
b. Microscopic examination to identify blood cells
c. Interpretation of normal and abnormal results
23) Explain and justify the need for conducting urinalysis and fecal analysis as related to animal
health. Outline procedures for conducting clinical urinalysis to include the following:
a. Sample collection, preparation, and storage
b. Physical, chemical, and microscopic examination procedures
c. Interpretation of normal and abnormal results
Principles of Disease
24) Compare and contrast the role of the USDA, state veterinarians, state animal disease laws,
and diagnostic labs in disease prevention and control. Explain the classification of diseases
and disease processes, and identify causative factors and agents of disease in a graphical
illustration or written analysis.
25) Explain how diseases affect the body and differentiate between clinical signs and symptoms
of disease. Identify and describe the differences between clinical signs and symptoms of
proper health and poor health.
26) Identify symptoms of common animal diseases and their causative agents, and summarize
methods of prevention, treatment, and control by drawing evidence from informational
texts or recent medical literature.
27) Describe the clinical signs of an animal with a parasite infection. Compare and contrast the
symptoms of common internal and external parasite infections and summarize methods of
prevention, treatment, and control between small and large animals.
Clinic Management
28) Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills needed in clinical settings,
including but not limited to client greeting, telephone answering, appointment scheduling
and management, and admission and discharge procedures. Outline the procedures for
euthanasia and post mortem customer care and role-play appropriate grief counseling
services for clients.
29) Identify the types of medical records required in veterinary practices. Explain, justify, and
demonstrate correct procedures for the completion and filing of veterinary records and
related documentation in a professional and legal manner.