College of Veterinary Medicine

The ICU rotation provides a good medical approach to the management of critical and often very unstable patients.
Since these cases are often very challenging diagnostically, and also very dynamic, they provide an excellent learning
experience, with ample opportunity for one-on-one discussion with the clinician, and for background reading. Students
have an opportunity to become familiar with use and interpretation of the advanced technical equipment available in the
ICU, and are also encouraged to perform and perfect technical skills such as catheterization of blood vessels and urinary
bladder, obtaining arterial blood samples, etc.

During the rotation, we encourage integration and a team approach among the students, the ICU clinicians, and the nursing staff.

Students on the ICU service start daily at 7:00 a.m. Their day ends when their cases are stable and all of the proposed diagnostics

have been completed (usually 6-7 p.m.). The students are expected to SOAP the cases daily including weekends, and to be closely

involved in decision-making, diagnostics and therapeutics, and present and discuss the cases at daily rounds. Students are internally

scheduled to assist in treatments in the Intensive Care Unit. Weekend duties are distributed among all assigned students equitably.

Rounds are held daily Monday through Friday at approximately 2 p.m.

Students will be expected to arrive promptly at the start of their shift, attend rounds and be available on the weekends.

Students will have access to veterinarians any time they are in the hospital - since this rotation averages 10 - 12 hour days, it can

be expected that a veterinarian will be available during those times.