Aims of the First Two Years

Veterinary Student Code of Conduct (Preclinical)

Veterinary Students Code of Conduct

Student Support and Guidance

Monitoring and mentoring student progress

The Medical and Veterinary Student Progress Panel

Confidential Sources of Advice

Assessment and Exams

Welcome to Cambridge, and congratulations on gaining a place to study veterinary medicine.  This is the beginning of an exciting and challenging time: going to University, perhaps leaving home for the first time and embarking on a demanding course which will lead you to qualification in a highly respected profession.

This handbook provides a general introduction to the Cambridge veterinary course for students starting their course in October 2012, and covers mainly the first two years.

Dr David Good, Director of Education (Biological Sciences)

It is sometimes difficult for veterinary students in the early years to see the relevance of the things they are learning to their future careers as veterinary surgeons. With hindsight many wish they had paid more attention to biochemistry as they struggle to understand the metabolic diseases of cattle and sheep. Perhaps they did need to understand the physiology of the kidney as they sit up all night in the intensive care unit with a dog in renal failure. Maybe knowledge of neurophysiology and anatomy would help explain the uncontrolled twitching in the hind leg of a thoroughbred horse.
It is important for students beginning the veterinary course in year one to know that the clinical course at Cambridge builds on the pre-clinical, relying heavily on knowledge, understanding, problem solving and other skills developed in the first three years.
By the end of the first two years we aim to give you a sound grounding in the sciences needed for veterinary practice and the basic knowledge and the skills to prepare you for the clinical part of the course.

You will also learn technical skills, but there are other skills - notably listening and talking to people, and being able to handle animals in a careful and safe manner - which are essential for a veterinarian. We expect you to practise and develop these skills, and one of the best ways to develop your communications skills is in the supervisions arranged by your College. Do participate in supervisions - they are not just teaching sessions, they are learning sessions, and learning requires self-expression. Also, ask questions in practical classes; the demonstrators are there to help.

Veterinary Student Code of Conduct (Preclinical)

Fitness for Practice, Health and Conduct: Guidance for Veterinary Students

As members of the University, veterinary students are subject to the statutory provisions of University Discipline as set out in the Statutes and Ordinances. In addition, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the University expect all veterinary students to behave in a manner appropriate to their future role as veterinarians.

The University has agreed a Code of Conduct for veterinary students to guide you during your studies. The code of conduct expected of you with guidance notes is below.

Veterinary students are also required to confirm their acceptance of the University's Veterinary Student Code of Conduct and of the rules to be observed by veterinary students by signing the Veterinary Student Register form. This imposes important obligations on you, and requires that your name must be on the University's Veterinary Students' Register. A copy of the Register form is available here, but at the start of the course you will be issued with a copy to sign and hand in. The copy remaining in this booklet serves as a reminder of what you have undertaken.

It is important that you are aware that students whose health or conduct may lead them to be a risk to patients, clients or Extra-Mural Studies placement providers may be removed temporarily, or permanently, from the Veterinary Student Register and may not be permitted to enter the Final Vet MB examinations for the award of the Vet MB and registration with the RCVS.

Student Support and Guidance

As a veterinary student and future professional you must now be prepared to take responsibility for your own actions and your own personal development. This means thinking about what you do and in particular, facing up to and dealing with problems in the context of your work and relationships with others. However, the University has many support systems in place.  For a compendium of essential information for any student in the University see the on-line Student Handbook.

Motivational problems - Are you on the right course?

If you are having serious doubts, talk about them immediately with your Tutor and/or Director of Studies. There are people who suddenly realise, having got to this stage, that it was all a big mistake. If you really do want to get out, then don't hesitate to say so; it is never too late to change your mind, but it can become increasingly awkward. Cambridge offers exit routes from veterinary medicine into other courses, so you will still acquire a degree.

Again, talk to your supervisor and/or your Director of Studies. If you have a serious problem they will help, or in some cases direct you to sources of professional help, but they should be your first port of call.

Are you having Academic problems?

Begin by asking your College Supervisor in the appropriate subject, but University teachers can be approached if a problem remains unsolved and, in practical classes, demonstrators are on hand to deal with immediate queries. Problems with these lectures and practical sessions can be raised with those who are lecturing or running a particular class.

Complaints or concerns about other students or staff

The Student Code of Conduct requires students to 'take action at an early stage when any problem arises'.  All veterinary students should seek advice if they think another veterinary student has behaved in a way that suggests that he or she is not fit to practice; examples of such behaviour include:

•  misusing information about clients;

•  treating animals without properly obtaining consent;

•  behaving dishonestly in financial matters, or in dealing with clients, or research;

•  making sexual advances towards clients;

Complaints and concerns about your fellow students should again be raised in the first instance with your College Tutor or Director of Studies. Complaints about academic staff should be raised with the relevant course organiser or with the Director of Veterinary Teaching. The University has a formal student complaints procedure.

Monitoring and mentoring student progress

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons has certain expectations regarding the attitudes, behaviour and performance expected of veterinary students from the beginning of their course through to graduation and provisional registration and places the responsibility for monitoring this on the University. In the University of Cambridge, much of the day-to-day responsibility for this rests with the College tutorial and pastoral care system.

In the University of Cambridge, much of the day-to-day responsibility for this rests with the college tutorial and pastoral care system.

The Medical and Veterinary Student Progress Panel

The College tutorial and pastoral system is backed up by the Medical and Veterinary Student Progress Panel, which maintains a general overview of veterinary student progression throughout both the preclinical and clinical course at Cambridge. It will also monitor the cases of students who, for one reason or another may be having problems with the course. This may be because of illness, personal difficulties or due to repeated examination failures. The Medical and Veterinary Student Progress Panel consists of senior members of the School of Clinical Medicine and Department of Veterinary Medicine together with College tutorial representatives.

In co-operation with Colleges, through the Senior Tutors and the College pastoral system, the Medical and Veterinary Student Progress Panel will review student cases with a view to offering advice about support for students who are encountering difficulties with the course. The committee is not a disciplinary body and is set up to provide support for students and Colleges. Its basic remit is to try to ensure that students have a timely and, as far as possible, trouble-free progress through the course. A more detailed description of the Panel and its functions can be found on the web.

However, the Medical and Veterinary Progress Panel is aware of the RCVS expectations of veterinary students and it will have the option of referring cases which raise serious concerns to the Fitness for Practice Committee. Details of the Fitness for Practice procedures can be found on the web.

And in the University’s regulations.

What to do if you have problems.

It is an unfortunate fact that, with a large student body, some individuals will encounter problems in their private lives and these can affect their progress on the course. The table below gives a list of confidential sources of advice for many types of problem..

Course and Assessment Information

In the first two years of the course, you will study biological sciences relevant to veterinary medicine both as subjects in their own right, as well as a means to understanding disease in animals. The official title of the course reflects this: it is called "The Medical and Veterinary Sciences Tripos", usually abbreviated to MVST (a Tripos is Cambridge-speak for a series of courses leading to a degree). This is a traditional way of teaching veterinary medicine: learn the biomedical science first, and then study its application to veterinary practice. Many students prefer to study this way, and by choosing the Cambridge course you have declared your preference. During these first two years these courses will give you instruction leading to both your professional medical qualifications (Second Vet MB), and to your Cambridge degree (BA). In order to proceed to the Veterinary School (where you take the Final part of your Vet MB), you have to pass all subjects in the Second Vet MB, fulfil certain requirements of the Veterinary School for Extra-Mural Studies (EMS) and gain your BA.

An advantage of the Cambridge course is that all veterinary students have the opportunity in the third year either to specialise in a medically related subject such as pathology, pharmacology or anatomy, or to widen their educational horizons by taking courses in, for example, social science or philosophy. This freedom of choice gives a wide range of educational opportunities.

You will graduate with a BA after three years but you have also embarked on professional training, which should result in your acquiring the degree of Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine in six years' time.

Cambridge is a collegiate University and responsibility for your education is shared between the University and your College. You were admitted by a College and you will, I hope, soon make friends with other students in your College. Your College Director of Studies will get to know you as an individual, as will those that are appointed by your Director of Studies to act as your Supervisors in the main subjects that make up your course. Supervisors, Director of Studies and Tutors provide a pastoral network designed to support your studies.

The University body with responsibility for organising your teaching for the first three years is the Faculty of Biology. The Faculty delegates responsibility for delivery of this formal teaching to Departments, or to course management committees: the majority of your timetabled teaching (lectures and practicals) is delivered by staff from seven departments (Biochemistry; Genetics; Pathology; Pharmacology; Physiology, Development and Neuroscience; Psychology; and Veterinary Medicine). This teaching will be augmented and enhanced by small-group teaching, (supervisions), organised by your College. The supervision system can help with academic work, but also helps you to develop communication and writing skills Departments will provide course handbooks for each of the courses you take which will include details of the arrangements for lectures and practical classes in that subject, and detailed guidance about the form and conduct of examinations.

Much more information, especially about timetables, is available on the MVST pages of the Faculty of Biology web site and you should become accustomed to consulting this:

University is not like school. There are significant differences between the way you were taught at school and the way you will learn at University, and sometimes you may feel bewildered by the transition. In place of relatively small school classes, information at University is delivered by means of lectures, (essentially a 50-minute monologue) to groups of over 300 students. Lecturers will issue hand-outs, but you will also need to develop your listening, concentration and note-taking skills to get the best out of this. The material will be delivered quickly, and it is then up to you to understand and assimilate it. The information you are provided with in lectures will be developed and set in context in practical classes. Although classes may be large you will work in small groups with demonstrators on hand to help and answer questions. These sessions are vital to your education and attendance is mandatory.

The supervision system is there to complement the formal teaching and the onus is very much on you to make use of it, and to develop study and time management skills to help you cope with and master the material. College supervisions will play a very important part in your education. Make them interactive and take full advantage of them to ask questions about any parts of the course you need help with.

You will need to use the internet to consult library catalogues, past examination papers, databases of scientific literature - and much, much more. The departments that provide your teaching are providing increasing amount of supplementary information on their web sites, and the Faculty of Biology website also provides a lot of basic information.

You need to be aware that the University takes plagiarism very seriously. You can read more about this on the Faculty website.

Courses have been designed to allow students, wherever possible, to learn for themselves rather than being passive recipients of instruction, and you will get far more out of your course and are more likely to do well in your exams if you regard university as an opportunity to study what interests you, rather than just learning a syllabus to pass an exam.

You will encounter two kinds of assessment.

Formative assessment is designed to indicate to you how you are progressing, on a weekly or termly basis. Your College supervisor is the person mainly responsible for providing this kind of feedback. Formative assessment, more or less informal, may also form part of some University-based teaching.

Summative assessment (end of year exams) determines your ability to proceed with the rest of the course. The main science courses in your first and second year will be examined for two qualifications:

• Second Vet MB, which determines whether you are able to proceed to the clinical part of your veterinary course;

• Tripos, on the basis of which you are classed and will receive your BA degree. In addition to the main science courses, there are other courses which are assessed only for the Second Vet MB.

Each of the main summer exams in June is divided into three sections, and Sections I and II count for the Second Vet MB. The general format is a 1-hour theory exam (Section I), which covers the lecture material and consists of MCQs or short notes, and a 1 or 2 hour practical exam (Section II) covering the practical material. Because these Second Vet MB exams constitute a professional qualification, you will be expected to pass these at a qualifying level, and to demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of the whole of the subject material in the courses. The marks obtained in these two sections will then be added to those of Section III, to give a final Tripos mark.

Students often ask, "How much do I need to know to pass the exams?" The bottom line is that to pass your professional qualification (Second Vet MB) you will be expected to show a good working knowledge of the subject material in all your courses. Furthermore, you will be expected not merely to know this material but, more importantly, to understand it and apply that understanding to the solving of problems.

Courses will provide you with the scientific knowledge which veterinary surgeons need to have in order to cope with today's clinical practice, but we are also trying to show you that learning is a continuous process and that practitioners will have to continue to develop their knowledge and skills throughout their working careers. To do well in the Tripos, you will need to show a deeper understanding of the material, and to be able to marshal facts into coherent arguments.

If you do not pass the Second Vet MB in June you will have one further attempt at a separate Second Vet MB examination in September, unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as illness or other good cause. If you require a third attempt, your College has to apply for this on your behalf to the Faculty Board of Veterinary Medicine.

Section III consists of a 2-hour exam, during which you will be asked to write essays from a wide choice of topics; this section does not figure in your professional qualification, and the marks obtained count only towards your Tripos class.

In addition to the main science courses, there are other courses, for example Principles of Animal Management and Preparing for the Veterinary Profession, which are assessed only for the Second Vet MB.

Full details of these exams and how they relate to the course can be found here.

.Complaints

(a) About courses

For each course that you take there is a Course Organiser. If you have problems with the organisation of a particular course, you should communicate with him/her. You can also tell the student representatives who sit on the management committee for the course you are concerned about and ask them to raise the problem on your behalf. It may be a general problem and this is one way of bringing it to the notice of the organisers. A problem arising within a particular department may be raised, if all else fails, with the Head of the Department.

Problems with the teaching provided for you by your College should be raised with your Director of Studies or, if that fails, with your Tutor or with the Senior Tutor.

(b) Queries or complaints about examinations

Any complaints about the conduct or the results of examinations must be raised in the first instance with your College Tutor and not directly with the Examiners concerned. It is your Tutor's responsibility to advise on these matters. Cambridge exam rules and regulations make provision for cases of illness or other misfortune; if you encounter any kind of illness or other impediment to exam preparation, the sooner you inform your College Tutor, the better. All liaison between a student and the central administration, particularly in matters relating to examinations, must be conducted through your College Tutor.

Diligent attendance is a requirement of the Faculty Board of Biology as you will need a certificate of diligent attendance to permit you to take the Second Vet MB examinations.

Attendance at practical classes (but not lectures) is recorded and, if your attendance at the practical classes is unsatisfactory, the Head of the Department concerned will be unable to provide a certificate of diligent attendance and your progression in the course and professional future will be in jeopardy.

If there are good reasons why you are unable to attend a practical class then you should tell your Director of Studies and the appropriate Course Organiser. It may be possible for you to do the practical at some other time. Organisers of practical classes may notify students and their Colleges if a student's attendance record is unsatisfactory.

As a student your timetable is likely to be very full. Most of the teaching in the first three years is carried out on the University's Downing site. If you haven't time to go to College for lunch, undergraduates are welcome at the University Centre, which is at the end of Mill Lane.

Three courses are assessed for Second Vet MB and Tripos. They cover the following topics:

These courses are assessed for Second Vet MB and Tripos. They cover the following topics:

• the overall layout of the structures of the body in Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology (VAP)
• the chemical and molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of the body and the mechanisms that govern inheritance in Molecules in Medical Science (MIMS)
• the mechanisms that underlie communication within the body, and the maintenance of the stability of the internal environment in Homeostasis (HOM) and Histology (HIST)


These courses are assessed only for Second Vet MB, and during these you will cover:

• The Principles of Animal Management (PAM) which comprises two elements:
     o basic animal husbandry and nutrition is introduced;
     o the nature of the veterinary vocation as well as some practical training in animal handling and restraint
• basic concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics as tools for critical assessment of the quality of scientific evidence and appropriate inference are introduced in the Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine (ISBM)

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The Preparing for the Veterinary Profession course forms a clinical strand through first and second years. It is aimed at giving you an introduction to the ethical, social and professional responsibilities of the profession in society and the agricultural industry. As its name suggests, it aims to provide you with the opportunity to learn some of the skills and knowledge that should facilitate the transition from academic preparation to practice within the profession.

In the first year the course is taught within the Principles of Animal Management course alongside basics of animal husbandry and nutrition.

There are three main aims for the first year course. Firstly, to introduce you to the veterinary course, the ethos of the teaching of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and the nature of the veterinary vocation (this will include ethical issues and animal welfare); Secondly, to show you the risks of working with animals and the risks of working on farms; Finally to provide some practical training on the handling and restraint of cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, and other species commonly treated by vets.

The animal handling practicals will be held at the University Farm, the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Milton Campus of the University of West Anglia. Transport will be provided and you will be advised of the arrangements. You will be shown safe and humane animal handling techniques and have an opportunity to practice them. Documentary evidence of satisfactory attendance at these sessions, and of farm visits, must be provided (see your EMS book).

The material in first and second year of PfVP will be formally examined along with the second year material, in a 45-minute MCQ examination at the end of the Lent term of your second year.

Each student will be allocated a Clinical Supervisor who will advise on EMS, both preclinical and later clinical. If you have not been contacted by your Clinical Supervisor before the end of the second week of term please contact Katheryn Ayres (kma28@cam.ac.uk).

This course is designed to provide basic animal health teaching and to ensure that students obtain maximum benefit from their EMS.

The aims of the course are to provide you with an understanding of UK agriculture and the roles of veterinary surgeons within the industry, to teach you basic animal husbandry of the major farm animal species, and to ensure that you have a common understanding of fundamental concepts of nutrition. The course consists of lectures, computer assisted learning (CAL) packages and practicals. The CAL packages are available via the internet from the Vet School website. Although slots have been timetabled for the use of CAL, students are free to use the packages at their own convenience, in College, at home, or using central computing resources.

A Second Vet MB examination for the course will be held at the end of the Lent term of your first year. As a Second Vet MB exam, the marks will not contribute to the Part I Tripos classification, but you must achieve a pass in order to be eligible for progression to the clinical course.

Five courses are assessed for Second Vet MB and Tripos, and they cover:

One course is assessed for Second Vet MB only, and during this course you will:

Summaries of the subject matter in these courses and detailed timetables will be provided in the individual course handbooks and on the MVST website.

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After two years (unless you are an affiliated student) you do a further year’s study and take a final Tripos exam to complete the requirements for the BA degree. In April 2014, you will be asked to state preferences for which course(s) you want to take in your third year. If you are an affiliated student, you will start the clinical part of your course in Cambridge in September 2014.

A huge advantage of the Cambridge system is that it offers an enormous range of courses in your third year. You may choose to take in-depth courses in many of the subjects you studied in the first two years, or you may take courses in something rather different, such as Anthropology, Management Studies or Philosophy, or you may decide to combine different subjects via a course such as NST Part II Biological and Biomedical Sciences. 

Your Director of Studies will be able to help you make a decision about what to take in the third year, and there will be an opportunity for you to attend a Subjects Fair in March 2014 where the various course organisers will set up their stalls and explain what they offer.

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The clinical training is an integrated core teaching programme based on separate but related courses given over the first six terms of the three clinical years. Some courses have a body systems basis (alimentary) and some a discipline (anaesthesia) or species basis (equine). Alongside this there is small group practical teaching on a rotational basis dealing with such things as clinical methods, post mortem work, radiography, clinical pathology and gynaecology. Regular formal assessment takes the form of course exams spread throughout the five terms, the aim being to encourage steady work and personal development.

There is a proportion of elective work in the clinical course with fourth year veterinary public health assignments and sixth year clinical electives, when students can choose areas of interest to study in greater depth than in the core curriculum.

The final three terms are essentially lecture-free and consist of small group rotational work through the clinics of the Department of Veterinary Medicine. There is an increasing emphasis on students taking responsibility for their own learning and development, with case and client management under supervision.

Continuous assessment forms an important part of this rotational work and contributes marks towards the Final Veterinary Exam Part (III) that completes the course at the end of the sixth term. Students, on passing this exam, can then be registered as members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Throughout the clinical years students undertake a minimum of 26 weeks extra mural training in veterinary practices and other establishments, sometimes with overseas experience.

The formal objectives of the clinical course are set out below, and the foundations for many of these are laid in the pre-clinical course.

The clinical veterinary course occupies the final 9 terms of the 18 term veterinary course at Cambridge.

On completion of the first level of the clinical course (Final Vet MB Part I & Part II), at the beginning of the 6th term of the clinical course (12th term of whole course), students should have:

• Transferable skills

• an understanding of scientific method, and an ability to apply basic scientific knowledge, sufficient to enable students to extend their knowledge of, and utilise future developments in, veterinary science;
• basic communication skills.

  Lecture free final year

  The second level of the clinical course occupies the final four terms.  By the time they sit Part III of the Final Vet MB examination, students should have applied their theoretical knowledge and increased their practical skills in the areas above, and should also have acquired:

  Intellectual skills

• knowledge of techniques necessary to carry out under supervision common surgical procedures in domesticated animals, including anaesthesia of most species;
• the ability to draw up a list of differential diagnoses following investigation of disease;
• the ability to devise and carry out a treatment or management plan following clinical assessment of common medical problems.
  

Practical Skills

• an ability to manage common obstetrical problems;
• the ability to perform intravenous catheterization and to take a blood sample;
• the ability to perform basic surgical techniques;
• the ability to perform basic diagnostic laboratory techniques.

  Transferable Skills

• the capacity to communicate effectively with clients and with colleagues both in the veterinary profession and in other disciplines;
• the ability to work well as a member of a team;
• the capacity to undertake successfully an extended study of a topic and to communicate the results verbally and in writing.

Course organisers will actively solicit opinions from you about your perception of their teaching. Many of the good things about the teaching you will receive have come about as a response to suggestions made in previous student questionnaires. You owe it to those coming after you to respond to questionnaires, so that those responsible for organising the teaching know when something is right and when something is wrong. When you complete a questionnaire try to be honest, informative and, if possible, helpful.

Course liaison committees also have student representatives and it is at this level that most of the useful work is done in providing feedback to those who teach from those who are trying to learn.

The Faculty Board also has student representatives and we hope that some of you will wish to contribute in this way to discussions about how the teaching is organised. There is also a Faculty Committee - the MVST Part I Committee, which oversees MVST IA and IB, and includes student representatives. Please feel free to take any thoughts you have about the course to any of your student representatives.

Within Cambridge there are societies organised by and run for veterinary students. Here are welcome messages from two of them:

Cambridge University Veterinary Society:

CUVS is the Cambridge University Veterinary Society and we are the representative body of the vet students at Cambridge. We have a 17 strong committee composed entirely of students whose main role is to act as a platform for student opinion and a source of information, advice and entertainment.

Our many functions include: sitting on several committees round the vet school, arranging weekly talks on topics of veterinary interest, ordering vet school ‘stash’ and, most importantly, organising entertainments for you, the vet students! The committee will be introduced to you early on in your first term and one of you will even have the chance to become ‘1st year rep’ at this point, so make sure you keep an eye out for emails and leaflets in your college pigeonholes to tell you more about it!

Cambridge University Veterinary Zoological Society (CUVZS):

Are you interested in working with exotic animals, zoo animals or wildlife? The Cambridge University Veterinary Zoological Society warmly welcomes all vet students to join our society and learn more about how to become an exotics vet. With fortnightly talks, weekend events and our annual symposium attended by vet students from all seven vet schools, CUVZS offers exciting opportunities to meet and learn from exotics, zoo and wildlife vets.Take a look at our website www.cuvzs.com for information on becoming a member and the latest events.

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Estimated additional course costs 2012-13

In addition to the standard living costs, vet student should expect to have to meet the following estimated costs;

Lab coat	£ 10.00
Dissection kit, gloves, safety glasses, loan of locker and key, loan of dog skeleton	£ 24.00
Veterinary Dissection Manual which includes course guides for Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology (1st Year) and Neurobiology and Comparative Veterinary Biology (2nd Year)*	£ 14.00
Wellington boots	£ 12.00
University approved calculator	£ 14.00
Electron micrographs (optional)	£  2.00
EMS (preclinical) 12 weeks practical vacation experience with animals, particularly farm animals.  Insurance cover provided but no subsistence grants payable

Veterinary Medicine (Clinical)

Overalls	£ 13.50
Boots (with steel toecaps)	£ 12.50
Stethoscope	£ 4.95
EMS - 26 weeks required by RCVS - variable depending on chosen placements (Grants are available to assist with costs)
BVA insurance cover, at a cost of £27.00 per annum, will be met by the Veterinary School

*The manuals essentially replace the need for a text book of human or veterinary anatomy.

Course Organisers

Course Organisers - MVST Part 1A (2012-13)

Name of Course	Organiser	Email Address	Telephone Number
Principles of Animal Management (PAM)	Dr  Pearce (Clinical Veterinary Medicine)	gpp28@cam.ac.uk	37678
Histology	Dr J T Tiffert (Physiology, Development & Neuroscience) (PDN)	jtt1000@cam.ac.uk	33830
Homeostasis (HOM)	1st + 2nd Terms – Dr J T Tiffert 3rd Term - Dr C Schwiening(PDN)	jtt1000@cam.ac.uk cjs36@cam.ac.uk	33827
Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine (ISBM)	Professor K-T Khaw (Clinical Medicine)	kk101@cam.ac.uk	36927
Molecules in Medical Science (MIMS)	Professor E Laue (Biochemistry)	edl1@cam.ac.uk	33677 or 46287
Preparing for the Veterinary Profession (PfVP)	Dr  Pearce (Clinical Veterinary Medicine)	gpp28@cam.ac.uk	37678
Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology (VAP)	Dr D Bainbridge (Veterinary Anatomy)	db125@cam.ac.uk	33799

Course Organisers - MVST Part 1B (2012-13)

Name of Course	Organiser	Email Address	Telephone Number
Biology of Disease (BOD)	Dr I B Kingston (Pathology)	ibk1000@mole.bio.cam.ac.uk	33330
Mechanisms of Drug Action (MODA)	Dr L MacVinish (Pharmacology)	ljm1000@cam.ac.uk	34034
Neurobiology and Animal Behaviour (NAB)	Dr Steve Edgley (PDN) Dr Hugh Matthews (PDN)	sae1001@cam.ac.uk hrm1@cam.ac.uk	33812
Preparing for the Veterinary Profession (PfVP)	Dr J Brearley (Veterinary Medicine)	jcb78@cam.ac.uk	37658
Veterinary Reproductive Biology (VRB)	Dr D Bainbridge (PDN)	db125@cam.ac.uk	33799
Comparative Vertebrate Biology (CVB)	Dr J H Brackenbury (PDN)	jhb1000@cam.ac.uk	33847

Course and Assessment
First Year Courses and Assessment -MVST PART 1A

This table summarises the first year courses, and how they are assessed.  First year students take both Second Vet MB and Tripos examinations. The main sitting for the Second Vet MB/Tripos examinations is in June.   Resits for all Second Vet MB subjects are in September.

Course	Exam paper structure		Material examined	Assessment				Exam format		Notes
Homeostasis (HOM)	Section I	1 hour	Lecture material	2nd MB	2nd Vet MB		Tripos	MCQs or Short Notes		Sections I & III taken as a single 3 hour paper
	Section II	2 hours	Practical material	2nd MB	2nd Vet MB		Tripos	Practical questions (by MCQs)
	Section III	2 hours	Whole course				Tripos	Essay questions
Molecules in Medical Science (MIMS)	Section I	1 hour	Lecture material	2nd MB	2nd Vet MB		Tripos	MCQs		Sections I & II taken as a single 3 hour paper
	Section II	2 hours	Practical material	2nd MB	2nd Vet MB		Tripos	Practical questions
	Section III	2 hours	Whole course				Tripos	Essay questions
Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology (VAP)	Section I	1 hour	Lecture material		2nd Vet MB		Tripos	MCQs		Sections I & III taken as a single 3 hour paper
	Section II	2 hours	Practical material		2nd Vet MB		Tripos	Practical questions (short notes and MCQs)
	Section III	2 hours	Whole course				Tripos	Essay questions
Introduction to the Scientific Basis of Medicine (ISBM)	One paper	45 minutes		2nd MB	2nd Vet MB			MCQs
Principles of Animal Management (PAM)	One paper	1 hour		2nd Vet MB				MCQs
Preparing for the Veterinary Profession A (PfVPA)						2nd Vet MB				Note 2

Note 1 Histology will be examined as part of the Homeostasis practical.
Note 2 First and second year strands of PfVP will be assessed in the Lent term of their second year.
Note 3 In order to validate the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) IA Tripos results will be released, under conditions of strict confidentiality, to the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate who run the BMAT on behalf of the University and Colleges.  Tripos results will be compared with BMAT results to assess the validity of the test.
Note 4 The regulations for MVST IA stipulate that each subject of the IA examination should carry the same marks.
Form and Conduct Notices have been published in the Reporter, which describe in detail the format of each examination.

Second Year Courses and Assessment-MVST PART IB

This table summarises the second year courses, and how they are assessed.  The main sitting for Second Vet MB/Tripos examinations is in June, but the Second Vet MB examination in Preparing for the Veterinary Profession is at the end of the Lent term.  Resits for all 2nd Vet MB subjects are in September.

Course

Exam Structure

Material examined

Assessment

Exam format

Notes

Biology of Disease (BOD)

Section I

1 hour

Lecture material

2nd MB

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

MCQs

Sections I & III taken as a single 3 hour paper

Section II

2 hours

Practical material

2nd MB

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

Practical questions

Section III

2 hours

Whole course

Tripos

Essay questions

Mechanisms of Drug Action(MODA)

Section I

1 hour

Lecture material

2nd MB

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

MCQs and short notes

Sections I & III taken as a single 3 hour paper

Section II

2 hours

Practical material

2nd MB

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

Practical questions

Section III

2 hours

Whole course

Tripos

Essay questions

Neurobiology and Animal Behaviour (NAB)

Section I

1 hour

Lecture material

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

Short Answer Questions

Sections I & III taken as a single 3 hour paper

Section II

1 hour

Practical material

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

Practical questions

Section III

2 hours

Whole course

Tripos

Essay questions

Veterinary Reproductive Biology (VRB)

Section I

1 hour

Lecture material

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

MCQs

Sections I and III taken as a single 2½ hour paper

Section II

1 hour

Practical material

2nd Vet MB

Tripos

Practical questions

Section III

1½ hrs

Whole course

Tripos

Essay questions

Comparative Vertebrate Biology (CVB)

Part I

1½  hrs

Whole course

2nd Vet MB

Steeple chase

Part II

1½  hrs

Tripos

Essay questions

Preparing for the Veterinary Profession (PfVP)

One Paper

45mins

2nd Vet MB

MCQs

The regulations for MVST IB stipulate that the maximum marks allocated to each subject at IB should be in the following proportions:

• Biology of Disease 10
• Mechanisms of Drug Action 10
• Neurobiology with Animal Behaviour 10
• Veterinary Reproductive Biology 8
• Comparative Vertebrate Biology 8

Note: The first and second years of the PfVP course are assessed together at the end of the Lent term of the second year.

Form and Conduct Notices have been published in the Reporter, which describe in detail the format of individual examinations.

Veterinary Student Register Agreement 2012

If you have a difficulty with any element of this declaration, please contact your college Senior Tutor to discuss how this might be resolved.

1   I have read the following information:

• The University’s Veterinary Student Code of Conduct and explanatory notes ;
• The University’s Confidential Sources of Help and Advice .

2    I will comply with the rules and procedures laid down by the Faculty Boards of Biology and Veterinary Medicine;

3    I recognise that all information obtained about any patient or their owner during the course of my duties is strictly confidential and may not be divulged to anyone other than in a clinical context;

4    I recognise that my conduct and dress when engaged in the care of patients and while undertaking Extra-Mural Studies will be appropriate to the status of a veterinary practitioner;
 
5    I will inform the Director of Education (Biological Sciences) and the Director of Veterinary Teaching immediately if I am involved in any police investigation, which may lead to charges being brought against me;

6    I will inform the Director of Education (Biological Sciences) and the Director of Veterinary Teaching immediately if I am no longer able to meet the requirements of this agreement or if I become aware of any change to my physical or mental health which may put at risk the health and well-being of patients or their owners.

7   I understand that the Fitness for Veterinary Practice Committee may share information about my registration with other bodies in the public interest and has the authority to remove my name, either temporarily or permanently, for failing to observe the Veterinary Student Code of Conduct or failing to progress academically.

8   I understand that I will remain on the Cambridge Veterinary Students Register and observe the University’s Veterinary Student Code of Conduct until I have:

• completed the requirements of the clinical Veterinary course satisfactorily;
• withdrawn from the veterinary course;
• sat any Vet MB examination on two occasions without passing;
• been suspended by the Fitness for Veterinary Practice Committee.

9    I understand that, if I fail to abide by this agreement and the Code of Conduct, I will be responsible for paying any reasonable costs arising from a review of my fitness for practice in the event that such review leads to me being found unfit for practice or fit for practice only on certain conditions.

10  I give my consent to the processing of my data by the University.

Student Name: ………................................      Witness Name: ………................................
(BLOCK CAPITALS)

Signature: ………..........................................     Signature: ………..........................................

Date: ........................    

Note that you will be reminded annually of the importance of these statements.
Please return this form, at your first Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology (VAP) practical on the morning of Thursday, 4 October 2012, to Dr David Bainbridge.

Available in your handbook and on the web at:
http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/sbs/facbiol/mvst/vethbk.html

Available in your handbook and on the web at:
http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/sbs/facbiol/mvst/vethbk.html

Available in your handbook and on the web at:
http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/sbs/facbiol/mvst/vethbk.html