Veterinary Medicine
COURSE STRUCTURE DIAGRAM WITH CREDITS
First semester
- 9 CFU
First semester
- 8 CFU
Second semester
- 2 CFU
- 7 CFU - COMPULSORY SUBJECTS, CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CLASS
First semester
- 8 CFU
Second semester
- 8 CFU - COMPULSORY SUBJECTS, CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CLASS
Second semester
- 4 CFU - OPTIONAL SUBJECTS
- 7 CFU
First semester
- 4 CFU - OPTIONAL SUBJECTS
- 6 CFU
Admission requirements
To be admitted to the Course in Veterinary Medicine, students must possess a secondary school diploma or another equivalent qualification taken abroad.
Admission to the Course in Veterinary Medicine is disciplined for each university and each academic year, by a planned number of student contingents (E.U. and non-E.U.) in relation to a Decree from the Ministry of Education, University and Research (M.I.U.R.). The M.I.U.R. drafts the admission test and sets the date, starting time and duration. Therefore, the admission test is given at the same time at all Veterinary Medicine Faculties. The admission test currently entails a written test with questions on General Knowledge and Logic, Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics. It is a multiple choice test.
Pre-enrolled candidates must sit for the national admission test, and based on the results calculated on the number of correct, incorrect and unanswered questions, a classification is prepared.
The candidates in the classification included within the number established for the Faculty by M.I.U.R. are enrolled unless they explicitly waive this right in writing. Places which become vacant are filled from the classification until the planned number of E.U. and non-E.U. students is reached for the Faculty.
Gaps in academic preparation, considered to be a lack of the specific knowledge required for admission to the Course in Veterinary Medicine, revealed during the admission test, are made up during the first year of the course with make up procedures, testing and removal according to the rules of the Faculty's Regulation.
Key learning outcomes
The academic quality of the veterinarian is achieved thanks to a specific programme, characterised by a series of steps, which the students must follow in the degree programme, which lasts 5 years and is divided into 2 semesters/year for a total of 10 semesters.
The learning quality is very often translated into the concept of competence revolving around problem-solving therefore students must acquire evidence based knowledge and specific skills.
The essential competences are divided into three important areas:
A) General professional competences: specific characteristics of veterinarians;
B) Basic knowledge and learning: level of knowledge and learning required for practicing the profession of veterinarian and any other professional opportunities in any area of veterinary medical science;
C) Basic practical competences: basic practical competences necessary, a) at the time of graduating and b) after a practice period of professional training.
Students must gradually obtain knowledge and specific competences for independently making professional decisions in a diagnostic framework (intra-vitam and post-mortem), and for treating, controlling and eliminating diseases. Healthcare education is aimed at acquiring notions for protecting the well-being of animals and the veterinarian’s role in protecting public health.
Students must acquire managerial abilities in terms of veterinary urban hygiene (fight against strays), livestock hygiene, animal feeding and nutrition. Students must also acquire competences in the areas of hygiene, quality and safety of animal origin foods.
The teaching method is characterised by a calibrated study load, which let average students learn consistently to know and know how. The curricular programme requires attendance at lessons and observance of pre-requisites.
Orientation activity (15 credits) is included in the first four years of the course and first semester of the fifth year.
It is aimed at introducing students to the in-service training (30 credits) to be performed during the last semester of the fifth year. The purpose of the orientation and in-service training is to let students acquire so-called one-day-skills, i.e. professional capacities and skills which make them immediately operative, after licensing, to practice the profession of veterinarian.
The skills and competences acquired during the orientation and in-service training periods will be documented in a portfolio and checked by passing practical tests designed to also allow an accurate aptitudinal assessment and make clinical, livestock and inspection specialist areas possible.
Career opportunities
The professionals emerging from this course may perform:
Veterinary practice;
specialist activity within the national Public Health Service: AUSL and IZS;
professional activity in industries such as livestock farm, pharmaceutical, feed and food production and processing;
professional activity in Local Agencies: Municipalities, Provinces and Regions;
professional activity in Aid Agencies
professional activity within the European Union: EFSA, DG SANCO, etc.
professional activity at Universities and Research Centres: CNR, INRCA, etc.
professional activity in the Army’s Veterinary Corps
professional activity at Ministries
Knowledge and understanding
Veterinary Medicine graduates must have acquired and studied the inter-relations existing between the contents of the foundation sciences and those of clinical and livestock sciences and inspection of animal origin foods in relation to the complexity which is characteristic of the state of health and well-being of animals and protection of the consumer, with particular focus on the interdisciplinary nature of veterinary medicine.
1. know and understand the basic biostructural organisation of organisms and the basic cell processes of animals and plants;
2. know fundamental notions of biomathematics, useful for a development of quantitative logic and instruments for defining and characterising biomedical phenomena, and of physics for understanding the anatomical-clinical biomechanics, kinetics and static, as well as the principles of fluid, acoustic and optical dynamics and electrical phenomena applicable to the cell and transmission of electrical impulse in animal organs and systems;
3. possess information technology skills useful for managing service information technology systems, consulting databases and on-going professional education;
4. know, interpret and understand the morpho-structural organisation of animals of a veterinary medical interest, including in relation to anatomy-clinical applications, from an anatomical to histological level including the process principles by which organisms are generated, grow, develop and organise into tissues, organs and systems.
5. know the basics of chemistry for understanding molecular and biochemical mechanisms which are the foundation of the biostructural intima, cell life processes and their metabolic functions;
6. know the phenomena and mechanisms associated with cell and organ functions of the animal body, their dynamic integration in systems and general control mechanisms in normally functioning conditions;
7. know the mechanisms of gene information expression at a cell and molecule level and of animal populations, to understand the genetic bases of biodiversity including for the genetic improvement of animals in livestock production, to the recognition of species and races of animals of an interest to veterinarians including genetic, diagnostic and preventive surveillance, useful for eliminating diseases related to susceptible genetic polymorphisms or resistance: e.g. scrapie;
8. know the structure and function of microorganisms, the relationship between microorganisms-host and related immune defence mechanisms; know how to formulate the diagnosis, prophylaxis and treatment of infective and parasitic diseases of domestic animals and bird species to provide the bases for the control of infectious and parasitic diseases with particular reference to zoonoses, including of food origin;
9. know the fundamentals of epidemiology for the study of the distribution and frequency of diseases, and their course in the animal population;
10. know the causes of diseases in animals, to understand and decodify the fundamental pathogenic and physiopathological mechanisms;
11. possess an adequate systematic knowledge of the most significant diseases of the various organs and systems, under a etiopathogenic, physiopathological and clinical profile, in the context of a single and overall vision of animal pathology and the ability to critically assess and correlate clinical symptoms, physical signs and function alterations to each other which are found in an animal with anatomical/pathological injuries, interpreting their pathogenic mechanisms and studying the clinical and/or food safety significance;
12. possess the ability to correctly apply the methods instrumental for detecting clinical, functional and laboratory findings, critically interpreting them including under a physiopathological profile, for the purposes of diagnosis and prognosis;
13. know the professional ethics and those connected to professional responsibility, critically assessing the ethical principles used as a basis for different possible professional decisions and the ability to develop an interdisciplinary type mental approach, expanding knowledge of the rules and dynamics which characterise team work;
14. know the veterinary professional ethics, bioethics and laws to supply the knowledge necessary for performing the professional activity in compliance with national and E.U. laws, for the purposes of protecting public health, animal healthcare and the environment;
15. know the various classes of medicines and toxins, molecular and cellular mechanisms and their action, the fundamental principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and the knowledge of therapeutic use of medicines, pharmacological interactions and the criteria for defining treatment programmes, as well as the knowledge of the principles and methods of clinical pharmacology, including pharmacosurveillance, side effects and improper use to illegally improve performance in sports (doping) or in production (energy distributors);
16. ability to propose different imaging diagnostic procedures, to interpret findings as well as know the indications and methods for the use of contrast mediums and the ability to propose the therapeutic use of radiation and related principles for radiation protection;
17. know the anatomy/pathology pictures, cell, tissue and organ injuries and their evolution in relation to the most significant diseases of the various organs and systems and the anatomy/pathology contribution to the clinical decision-making process, with reference to the use of forensic, histopathologic and cytopathologic diagnosis, including with biomolecular techniques, for diagnosis, prevention, prognosis and treatment of diseases of the single animal or groups of animals, including the ability to interpret anatomy/pathology findings;
18. possess an in-depth knowledge of the most evolved technological and biotechnological development in use in veterinary medicine;
19. know the territorial healthcare problems gained from practical in-service training directly in the field;
20. know healthcare emergencies caused by climatic – environmental eco-risks;
21. know livestock feeds, feed techniques and animal nutrition in livestock production and for companion animals;
22. know the systems and environments of breeding, zoognostics, ethology and ecology to provide scientific instruments for correct healthcare management of animals in livestock production, to protect the well-being of the animal and consumer and respect the environment;
23. know the causes and pathogenic mechanisms of diseases and the main reactions of animal organisms in response to these diseases to supply the bases for correctly forming a diagnosis and treatment;
24. know the production and processing processes of animal origin food to identify and prevent healthcare risks for human health due to the consumption of animal origin foods;
25. know the symptomatology, organ physiopathology, ancillary diagnostic techniques and treatment of diseases of a medical and surgical interest to formulate diagnoses and set up treatment to cure diseases of animals of a veterinary medical interest;
26. know the physiology and physiopathology of reproduction in animals, natural and artificial insemination including embryo transplant, birth and reproductive and neonatal pathologies for animal reproduction management and for the diagnosis and treatment of reproduction system diseases;
27. know the main diseases of laboratory animals and exotic species;
28. possess notions of aquaculture and fish pathologies;
Veterinary Medicine master graduates will perform practical activities in the various roles and clinical, inspection and livestock professional environments.
For the indicated purposes graduates will have acquired specific professionalism in the field of internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, infectious diseases, parasitic diseases and pathological anatomy, as well as in the livestock area and inspection sector for animal origin foods, by performing in-service training designed to develop professional skills. The practical training is in the form of in-service training for 30 credits, performed full time, directly supervised by professors or competent body, of a duration not longer than six months out of the total five years of study, as required by DIRECTIVE 2005/36/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL, published in the Official Gazette of 7 September 2005 related to the recognition of professional qualifications. The in-service training is to be performed in an integrated manner with the other academic activities of the course at university educational-assistance infrastructures, national healthcare system facilities (ASL, IZS), butcher and animal origin food processing plants, animal livestock farms, feed producers and kennels for dogs and cats.
The acquired knowledge and ability to understand will be periodically assessed by written and/or oral and/or practical tests.
Applying knowledge and understanding
Veterinary Medicine graduates must have acquired:
1. ability to autonomously take the anamnesis and perform a clinical and instrumental clinical examination, diagnostic tests on biological fluids, tissues and cells, both intra-vitam and post-mortem, to assess the state of health, disease and welfare of single animal or groups of animals, in consideration of connected zoonotic risks. Capabilities in studying the inter-relations existing between basic sciences and clinical sciences to perform a diagnosis, a prognosis and to propose medical and surgical treatments, aimed at eliminating disease or illness;
2. ability to independently detect and assess the healthiness of animal origin foods. Ability in applying the chain hygiene measures to adopt in the production, processing and preservation process of foods in order to guarantee their quality and safety and to prevent alterations which may be harmful for human health;
3. ability to promote the development of livestock science and apply technical knowledge on feeding and breeding of animals in livestock production to respect animal welfare and protect the environment;
4. ability to design and plan veterinary public health interventions both in ordinary conditions and in emergency;
5. apply professional ethics rules and national and E.U. veterinary laws;
The combination of knowledge and skill is acquired and developed during the entire academic programme and is particularly refined and transformed into knowing how during periods of guidance and training.
Assessment of skills will be assessed by in-course practical tests.
Making judgements
Veterinary medicine graduates will know how to act, in daily professional practice, with full independence of judgement supported by their knowledge, competences and skills, to improve the quality of treatment, animal welfare and public health. They are aware of their ethical responsibilities towards the single animal or groups of animals, client and community, they are also aware of the fact that their professional decisions may have determinant repercussions on the environment and society, also in the absence of a complete scientific information.
Independence of judgement is tested and assessed with written tests and context simulations (episodes of food poisoning in single cases and group situations, epizootic emergencies, zoonosic risks, etc.) where the graduate independently solves the various problems which the veterinarian is involved.
Learning skills
Veterinary Medicine graduates must:
possess adequate experience in independent study and in organising their permanent training and have the ability to autonomously perform a bibliographic study in databases and websites for professional updating. They must have gained the ability to critically read scientific articles, derived from their knowledge of English language which allows them to understand international literature and to remain updated.
At the end of the curriculum studiorum of veterinary medicine graduates will have achieved a cultural background which let them continue in the 3rd cycle of university studies: PhD, specialisation schools (professional colleges) or Master.
Assessment of learning is performed in-course, with tests, and ends with the assessment of the final examination.
Communication skills
Veterinary Medicine Graduates must:
1. know how to effectively communicate with clients, laypeople, colleagues and Authorities regarding medical-veterinary subjects, both basic and specialist. They must also be able to listen and respond with an attitude in keeping with the situation, even if difficult, using appropriate language in relation to the context and counterpart.
2. know how to communicate in English, both orally and in writing on basic and specialist medical-veterinary subjects.
Communication skills will be tested and assessed by discussion of cases and methods during exercises, guidance, in-service training, tests and final exam.
Final examination, if any
The final examination includes the presentation and discussion, before the Degree Commission, of a written report, called thesis, organised along the lines of a scientific publication, independently prepared by the student under the supervision of a supervising Faculty professor regarding a specific Veterinary Sciences topic.
The Degree Commission must approve the thesis before assigning a degree.
The degree is assigned by the Degree Commission on a scale of one hundred and ten.
Degree exams are open to the public.
The proclamation takes place at the end of the Degree Commission’s work.
