Internal Medicine and Surgery of Companion Animals I

Code:

MV512

Acronym:

MCACI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Clinical Sciences

Instance: 2016/2017 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Veterinary Clinics
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Masters Degree in Veterinary Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMV	62	Plan 2007 to 2017	5	-	10	160	270

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The objective of the discipline is to integrate and improve the students capacity to apply clinical skills learned in pre-clinical disciplines , as well as to develop clinical thinking and its application in real situations. The work with real cases presented to the UPVet - Veterinary Hospital of the University of Porto, under the supervision of senior staff (teachers and practitioners), allows for the development of communication skills, as well as ethical principles of clinical practice, as important as technical abilities. The activities on hopitalized animals, allways under senior staff supervision, allows for the development of an individual responsability awareness and team work, which constitute the basis of the veterinary clinical activity.

Learning outcomes and competences

The main results of the discipline are the practical acquisition of clinical skills in companion animals of the most common species (dogs, cats, small mammals, reptiles and ornamental birds) in its whole, that is, from the clinical history to the implementation of a therapy, including the execution of general physical examinations, special examinations, elaboration of a differential diagnosis list, planning, execution and interpretation of ancilary exams, elaboration of a therapeutic plan and its execution, when aplicable.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Considering that this is an integrative a practical discipline, it is essential that the students have the basic knowledge and skills in clinical semiology (clinical examination procedures); small animal anesthesia; surgical semiology; diagnostic imaging; small animal surgery and small animal clinical pathology. Furthermore it is essential that students have a clear idea of the ethical and deontological principles of clinical practice.

Program

Theoretical teaching: Opthalmology: Clinical approach to orbital and ocular pain; red eye and discharge; blindness Cardiology: Clinical approach to heart diseases. Diagnosis and treatment of cardiac rythm disturbances Approach to the patient with emaciation/obesity; anorexia; fever; lymphadenopathy; ascites/edemas; Polyuria/polydipsia; Urinalysis abnormalities; Haematuria; Urinary incontinence. The remaining theoretical classes will be dedicated to the group study of clinical cases. Cases are prepared by teachers, based in real situations, and built with the intent of developing the students' systematic approach, based in previous knowlledge and adapted to the specific case. The approach follows the general parameters of the final practical examination, therefore also being a tool for the evaluation preparation.

Practical teaching: Students will be involved in the daily routine work of a small animal veterinary hospital with emergency services.

Mandatory literature

Gelatt Kirk N. ed.; Veterinary ophthalmology. ISBN: 978-0-7817-6657-9
Featherstone Heidi; Small animal ophthalmology. ISBN: 978-1-4051-5161-0
Osborne Carl A.; Canine and feline nephrology and urology. ISBN: 0-683-06666-8
Kittleson Mark D.; Small animal cardiovascular medicine. ISBN: 0-8151-5140-3
Larry P. Tilley; Manual of Canine and Feline Cardiology, Elsevier, 2016. ISBN: 978-0323188029
Lorenz Michael D.; Small animal medical diagnosis. ISBN: 978-0-8138-1338-7
Nelson Richard W.; Small animal internal medicine. ISBN: 978-0-323-04881-1
Ettinger Stephen J.; Textbook of veterinary internal medicine. ISBN: 978-1-4160-6593-7
Villiers Elizabeth 340; BSAVA manual of canine and feline clinical pathology. ISBN: 0-905214-79-X
Thompson Mark S.; Small animal differential diagnosis. ISBN: 978-1-4160-3268-7
Gough Alex; Differential diagnosis in small animal medicine. ISBN: 978-1-4051-3252-7
Tilley Larry P.; Blackwell.s five-minute veterinary consult. ISBN: 978-08138-0763-8 (laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures : canine & feline)
Vaden Shelly 070; Blackwell.s five-minute veterinary consult. ISBN: 978-08138-1748-4 (five-minute veterinary consult : canine and feline)

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical: Explanation of the protocols of investigation, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of the mentioned specialities. Supervised case-studies representatives of the mentioned specialities.
Practical: Supervised practice in real cases asttended in the UPVet veterinary hospital.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	85,00
Trabalho de campo	15,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

In order to be admitted to the final exam, the student must, cumulatively:
1- Have no more than 10% absences in the previewed emergency services.
2- Have no more than 35% absences in practical classes.
3-Students will have to meet a minimum set of clinical procedures defined by the unit's responsible at the beginning of the semester
4-Present at least 3 (three) grades obtained in distributed assessments ("Trabalho de campo"), which will occur during practical classes and/or emergency services throughout the semester.
Students that are unable to be present in practical classes due to services in this or other disciplines are allowed to assist to other practical class of the same week, provided that the modification is justified by a document that demonstrates the need for the change.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final score is the sum of the written assessment, with the weight of 17 (seventeen) points, and the distributed evaluation (or "field work"= “Trabalho de campo”)  with the weight of 3 (three) points.

The classification of the written assessment will be distributed as follows: theoretical component (3 parts) = 8 points; component clinical cases (3 clinical cases X 3 points each) = 9 points. To approve, the student must obtain, cumulatively, a minimum of 4 (four) points in the theoretical evaluation and 4.5 (four point five) points in the evaluation of clinical cases. In addition, the student must also get a minimum of 1.25 (one point twenty-five) points in two out of the three clinical case examinations.

To obtain the 3 (three) points of the continuous assessment (or "field work") each student will have obligatorily to present the three best marks obtained in distributed assessments, which will take place during practical classes and/or emergency services throughout the semester.

The written evaluation will be held in "blocks" of subjects, each "block" consists of a theoretical part and a clinical case development. In Normal Exam season there will be two evaluation periods, a period consisting of a block of 2.15 hours taking place in the week "Reviews Interim", in the meadle of the semester, and other period in "Normal Exam” season composed of two blocks of 2:15 hours each for the remaining taught subjects. During the “Appeal Exam” season there will be three evaluation blocks of 2:15 hours each. As the written evaluation is performed by blocks of subjects, a student can apply for evaluation by isolated blocks, i. e., can be approved by one or two blocks in the Normal Exam season and have the remaining to approve in the Appeal Exam season. Only students approving the three blocks have their final score as the sum of three grades of each block with a minimum of 50% for each component of each block. Students who do not have grades for the 3 blocks, will have their final classification as “RFE” (Fail for “no show” on the examination).

The partial evaluation, or by blocks of subjects, applies solely to evaluations carried out either in Normal Exam season and the Appeal Exam season, not applying to any other assessment seasons. Students applying to examination in Special Exam seasons must be examined for the three blocks simultaneously, whether they have previously obtained partial approvals, or not. Partial evaluations obtained in other semesters beyond the ones obtained in the semester that the student is attending are not accepted.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

According to the aplicable legislation.

Classification improvement

Students who wish to improve the final classification will be submitted to a final exam in Appeal Exam period or in other Special Exam period in accordance with the legislation in force and the evaluation will be mandatorily composed of 3 blocks (each consisting of one part of theory and a clinical case). Distributed evaluation classification will be attained by the best three (3) grades obtained in distributed assessments, which occurred during practical classes and/or emergency service throughout the semester attended.