Clinical Veterinary Elective (VETS5016)

Course overview

Development of clinical and research skills through understanding the principles of translating a clinical case (problem) to a well-structured clinical question to search and systematically evaluate the evidence found in relevant literature pertinent to the case, in particular during clinical practical work in one of a number of clinical disciplines.

The course consists of two major components:

1. Clinical Elective Placement
2. Systematic Review - Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM)

CLINICAL ELECTIVE PLACEMENT

An elective clinical placement (internal rotation OR extramural WIL), which is scheduled as a four (4) week block from 20 October to 16 November 2025.ﾠ

• Students will complete the clinical elective placement as either a UQ internal rotation (allocated by Course Coordinator based on student preference, suitability, and availability) or an extramural WIL placement (self-sourced by student at an external clinic).
• The goal of the elective placement is to give depth to the clinical experience in a particular field (mixed, small animal, equine, production animal etc.). The 4-week duration within one environment allows both the student and the supervisory team to get to know each other and allow more tasks and responsibilities to be delegated to the student over time.
• An overview of the UQ internal rotation elective placements is available in the VETS5016 course Blackboard site under Elective Profiles. Specific questions not addressed in the placement description should be directed to the rotation supervisors in the first instance or the course coordinator as required.
• Students seeking a UQ internal rotation for their elective placement will submit three preferences and a supporting statement for their first preference. If the number of submissions for a particular placement is greater than available places, the placement supervisor and the Course Coordinator will rank applicants based on student statements.
• Elective preferences for internal rotations must be submitted via InPlace by 9am Monday 4 August 2025. Internal rotations will be allocated by the Course Coordinator. Please consider carefully when submitting your preferences as allocations are final once published and confirmed in InPlace.
• Students choosing to complete their elective placement as extramural WIL are to source their own placement with an external provider and submit details via InPlace. See Additional Timetable Information below for submission deadlines.
• The clinical elective placement must be completed in line with the published InPlace schedule i.e., 20 October - 16 November 2025. Variations to the InPlace schedule can only be approved by the School of Veterinary Science Chief Examiner via a Deferred Examination Request - see Additional Timetable Information below for more details.
• Students will submit a Case Log of 10 cases through My Progress by 5pm Monday 10 November 2025. This task is to encourage students to reflect on the cases that they have seen, on what they have learned, and what they want to continue working on. More information on the task will be provided on Blackboard. Be mindful that this task needs to be completed by week 3 of the elective placement, not week 4, as to give enough time for marking ahead of grade finalisation. 
• The rotation/placement supervisor will collect comments from the team and summarise them into an assessment form submitted via InPlace by the last day of the placement and/or by 5pm Sunday 16 November 2025 at the latest. The SVS Placements Team will manage this process.
• The clinical placement performance is a Pass/Fail assessment. The course coordinator will review the marking grid as well as the comments filed by the rotation/placement supervisor and finalise the assessment for each student. Please do not hesitate to remind your rotation supervisor to fill out your performance assessment at the end of the placement as this is an important assessment item for the course. 

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW (EBVM)

Evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM), which consists of an evidence-based systematic review of an intervention in veterinary medicine.

• Students are expected to learn and improve their skills in transforming a clinical problem (a topic of interest) into an answerable research question, search and evaluate evidence, and communicate their findings in concise and scientific language. Key learning objectives relating to evidence-based veterinary medicineﾠwill be assessed in this component, which is supervised by the course co-coordinator, and an academic supervisor (nominated by each student). This component has multiple assessment tasks requiring responses throughout the year.
• The EBVM guidelines document is revised regularly to enhance clarity. We will continue working on this document in response to students feedback.
• In collaboration with the library, we will schedule one or two structured, flexible delivery library sessions via zoom between February and April. Other flexible delivery sessions may also be held on demand and in consultation with the course co-coordinator. Sessions will focus on literature search strategies and EndNote. Drop-in sessions will be negotiated on request. If held, and when possible, all sessions will be recorded and posted on Blackboard.
• Potential advisors can be found through the School of Veterinary Medicine website as well as the UQVETS hospital websites. This will allow students to engage with the breath of staff working in different disciplines and to find advisors based on special interests. All academic staff do participate in this task, whether they are clinicians or not. If you are encountering difficulties securing an advisor, be creative in the type of topic or question that you want to investigate. We encourage students to contact both clinical staff and non-clinical academics as they are equally equipped to guide students for a systematic review.
•  Systematic review protocol and advisor's details assessment item is the first assessment item due. The submission date will be on Friday 4th April 2025 5pm to encourage students to find a supervisor early and to work on this piece of assessment at the beginning of the year rather than close to submission date. Securing an advisor early is ESSENTIAL for students to manage this task effectively throughout the year and to complete the EBVM aspect of the course successfully.
• The nominated principal advisor will identify a secondary assessor to evaluate independently the final essay. The principal advisor can be any academic in the vet school, he/she does not have to be a clinician. Interns, resident and professional staff clinician can supervise a student EBVM as long as the second assessor is an academic. The second assessor does not have to be in the same discipline as the primary assessor nor a specialist in the student EBVM topic. Second assessors are usually staff within the School, however occasionally adjunct staff or former staff who still have ties with the School of Veterinary Science can be invited to be secondary assessor as required by the circumstances. The use of secondary assessor outside the School of Veterinary Science needs approval from the course coordinator.
•  The EBVM systematic review essay submission date this year will be Friday 5th September 2025 5pm to allow sufficient time to primary advisors and secondary assessors to mark the essays prior to the start of the elective placements. 
•  The EBVM systematic review essay will be independently assessed by the nominated principal advisor and the secondary assessor. The course co-coordinator will only evaluate the final essay if there were a significant (>25% difference) disparity between the primary advisor's and the secondary assessor's evaluations. A remark by an expert epidemiologist might be requested as required. The student will be awarded the average mark of that of the principal advisor and of the secondary assessor if no remark is needed, or of the average of the two marks that are the closest to each other between primary advisor, secondary assessor and the course co-coordinator/epidemiologist if a remark has been requested.
•  A new assessment item called supervisor performance assessment has been added to this course to ensure close collaboration between students and their primary supervisor. Student/advisor interactions are an essential component of the EBVM assignment to achieve high-quality work. Continued collaboration with your advisor, proper time management, progression of the work throughout the year and ethical use of AI will be assessed in the Supervisor assessment form. This form will be submitted by the primary supervisor by Friday 31st October 2025 5pm through Blackboard on behalf of the student. 

Course requirements

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

VETS4010, VETS4022, VETS4035, VETS4034, VETS4040.

Restrictions

Enrolment restricted to Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) students.

Course contact

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Clinical Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Placement Schedule

Prior to enrolment in the final year of the Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) program, you will be allocated a schedule of Clinical Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placements in UQ’s placement management system, InPlace. A condition of your enrolment in 5th year courses with a Clinical WIL placement requirement is the completion of all scheduled WIL placements, including internal and external WIL placements, as per your allocated InPlace schedule. Once published, variations to your InPlace schedule can only be approved by the School of Veterinary Science Chief Examiner via a Deferred Examination Request. Variation requests will be considered in line with the conditions outlined in the UQ deferred examination policy. Deferring an exam - my.UQ - University of Queensland.

Acceptable grounds for a request to vary your schedule include:

• Medical grounds
• University-sanctioned commitments e.g., registered elite athlete/performer
• Compassionate grounds e.g., death or serious illness of a family member or close relative

Schedule variation requests will NOT be considered for the following reasons:

• Birthdays, weddings, and other cultural or social events
• Pre-booked holidays – you should not make any travel or vacation plans at any time during the full calendar year of the final year of your program

To request a change to your schedule, submit a deferred assessment request via mySI-net Requests and include documentary evidence of the reason for your request.

Clinical Extramural WIL Placements (EXTERNAL) 

Clinical Extramural WIL Placements must be self-sourced in line with the placeholder dates in your InPlace schedule. 

Self-sourced placements must be registered via the VETS5016 Self Placement link on your InPlace dashboard within the following timeframes: 

• A minimum of four (4) weeks prior to the placement start date for domestic placements (within Australia). 
• A minimum of six (6) weeks prior to the placement start date for international placements (outside Australia) – more than 6 weeks’ notice is preferred. 

If you require assistance sourcing an external placement, contact vetenquiries@uq.edu.au to seek support from the SVS Placements Team. Include the following information in your request: 

• Placement dates (as per the placeholder in your InPlace schedule) 
• Course code and any specific placement requirements (e.g., [VETSxxxx] – small animal clinic) 
• Locations other than your normal semester residence in SI-net where you have access to free accommodation (e.g., staying with family or friends) 
• Distance you can travel daily for your placement 
• Interest / ability to relocate for the placement and support yourself with paid accommodation 
• The type of clinic experience you are seeking for this placement (e.g., emergency, specialist, primary care) 

If there are fewer than four (4) weeks remaining until the start date of a placeholder in your schedule, and you have not registered a self-sourced placement for these dates, the SVS Placements Team will allocate you to a Clinical Extramural WIL Placement at a site within reasonable driving distance of your Semester Address, as recorded in your mySI-net Personal Details. 

Pre-placement requirements

All students must complete the OHS modules on Blackboard before commencing rotations in the VMC. Additional timetable and induction information is available on Blackboard and should be reviewed by students prior to commencing their respective rotations.

EBVM Library Sessions

The library sessions will commence in February 2025ﾠand continue until May 2025. The sessions will be delivered monthly via Zoom. The exact date and timeﾠwill be announced on BlackBoard.

Clinical Elective Placements

• Students are expected to complete their elective placements in the four week period between the 20 October and 16 November 2025.
• The timing of the elective is to ensure that students have completed their core internal rotations prior to embarking on their elective placements. This will ensure that knowledge and skills gained during core rotations can be further developed during the elective placement e.g., students interested in small animal cardiology placement will have completed their small animal medicine rotation.
• Standard elective placements are 4 weeks in duration.
• Students are required to attend the equivalent of 40ﾠhours/week in each week of the elective placement.
• Exceptions to the aboveﾠrequirements areﾠat the discretion of the Course Coordinator and SVS Chief Examiner.
• Internal rotation elective placement preferences are due Monday 4 August 2025.
• Self-sourced extramural WIL elective placement submissions are due at least 4 weeks prior to the elective period (at least 6 weeks if international).
• Students that do not submit preferences or a self-sourced placement will have an electiveﾠplacement allocated to them by the Course Coordinator, Dr Meler.
• Once published and confirmed in InPlace, placement allocations are final.

Aims and outcomes

The aim of this course is to develop the research skills of veterinary students in order to better understand the connectivity between professional practice and research, and how to apply evidence-based medicine to better manage clinical problems. Students will also develop their clinical knowledge and skills in a specific area of selected practice. 

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Activity Report / Case Log

Mode

Written

Category

Notebook/ Logbook

Weight

15%

Due date

10/11/2025 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

Submitted through MyProgress.

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Late submission

A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.

• Students that fail to submit their completed caselog will receive a mark of 0.
• Students who do not submit by the due date will lose 1 mark per day past the due date.

Clinical Elective: Placement Performance Assessment

• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Placement

Weight

Pass/Fail

Due date

Online submission by placement supervisor by 5pm Monday 17 November 2025

Other conditions

Work integrated learning.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

At the end of Week 3 of the placement, UQ will send a request via email to your supervisor to complete an assessment on your performance in the workplace. Supervisors will submit this report directly to UQ as per instructions in the email. The formal feedback will be released to you following review by UQ.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Please refer to ADDITIONAL COURSE GRADING Information > Attendance and absence

Project Plan: Student details, Topic and Supervisor Confirmation

Mode

Written

Category

Project

Weight

15%

Due date

14/04/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

The Project Plan will be submitted via a Turnitin portal on the VETS5016 Blackboard site (located in the Assessments folder).

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension. Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date.

EBVM: Systematic Review of an intervention

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

55%

Due date

5/09/2025 5:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

The EBVM Systematic Review will be submitted via a Turnitin portal on the VETS5016 Blackboard site (located in the Assessments folder).

Please note: this assessment should also be submitted to the nominated primary advisor and secondary assessor electronically (by email).

Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on-time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

All students must ensure they receive their Turnitin receipt on submission of any assessments. A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if one or more of your submissions are missing. Without evidence, the assessment will receive the standard late penalty, or after seven days, will receive zero. In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Turnitin

By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration “I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment”.

Plagiarism

Turnitin is used to check for plagiarism. Penalties can be severe for plagiarism.

The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another either intentionally or unintentionally. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy at: ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.60.04-student-integrity-and-misconduct

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension. Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

EBVM: Performance Asssessment

• Identity Verified
• In-person

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Placement

Weight

15%

Due date

31/10/2025 5:00 pm

Other conditions

Work integrated learning.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L06

Task description

Submission guidelines

The primary supervisor must complete and submit this form on Blackboard by the due date

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Attendance and absence 

Attendance is required at all rostered shifts during each clinical rotation, and forms part of the professionalism criteria on the assessment tasks for each rotation. 

• Students are expected to remain until all cases are up-to-date and treated. 
• Students must take appropriate breaks as required (at least 10 minutes’ break every two hours) to ensure health and wellbeing. 
• Students should check with their rotation supervisor prior to taking a break or leaving for the day. 

All students MUST follow the instructions in the Learning Activities > Additional Learning Activities Information section of this course profile to notify of any absence 

Grade calculations 

When rounding final marks for grade calculations, part marks of <0.5 will be ROUNDED DOWN to the nearest whole number, and part marks of >/= 0.5 will be ROUNDED UP to the nearest whole number.  

To pass VETS5016

Student MUST achieve a minimum of 50% overall and pass (50%) in the following graded assessment tasks;

• COMBINED Systematic Review of an Intervention AND Protocol Form
• COMBINED Clinical Elective Placement Performance Assessment AND Activity Report/Case Log or portfolio.

Rotation Performance Assessment and FALP 

Students who receive a “Does not meet standard,” in any category, will be required to undertake a “Formalised Additional Learning Plan” (FALP). A FALP is tailored to the individual student to provide opportunities to improve on and/or demonstrate achievement of the learning objective not met in the performance assessment. ﾠ 

• The FALP may include a repeat of up to 50% of the total rotation time for students who receive a “Does not meet standard” in one or two categories and up to 100% for students who receive a “Does not meet standard” for more than two categories.  
• FALPs may also include clinical case scenarios, written assignments, HUB skills demonstrations, or oral viva-type examinations. ﾠ 
• Upon completion of a FALP, and demonstration of satisfactory performance the mark in that category, the mark in the related category may be adjusted to no greater than 1.0 ("Meets standard"). 
• If the remediation is judged, by the course coordinator, to be unsuccessful, it remains a “Does not meet standard”, the grade remains a zero in that category,ﾠand the student will formally fail the rotation and the course. Students who fail the course may be eligible for a supplementary assessment. 

Details of the FALP will be recorded in the online marking platform, written by the Course Coordinator in collaboration with the student. It will clearly state the deficiency, remediation required and time commitment. The student, in consultation with the Course Coordinator, will be booked in for additional learning as required by the plan by the SVS administration team. The plan should be completed, if possible, no later than one week before the final grade upload for graduation in the current year. Students must make themselves available when additional learning is offered.  

If the plan cannot be completed before grade upload, students will be awarded an INC (Incomplete grade) and may miss graduation for that year.  

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

General

• The learning objectives for the listed elective placement will be available on the VETS5016 course Blackboard site under the heading Elective Profiles. A generic placement profile is also available for students doing GP placement outside UQ as a guideline to share with their placement supervisor. In the rareﾠcircumstances where an elective placementﾠis specifically tailored for an individual student, the student will consult with the course coordinator Dr Meler and the placement supervisor to establishﾠspecific learning objectives appropriate for the placement.
• Submission of assessment items will be carried out electronically. Guides for completing tasks will be provided on Blackboard and should be referred to by the student when completing the submission.
• Students are expected to utilise a variety of learning resources relevant to their chosen elective placement. Students should actively research the relevant veterinary literature via textbooks, journals, and reputable online resources using the online UQ library. Students should also actively involve themselves in reflective learning and in discussion with knowledgeable mentorsﾠsuch as the clinicians involved in theﾠelective placements.
• For students completing an internalﾠrotation in the Small Animal Hospital, a large collection of veterinary textbooks and computer-based teaching programs is located in the Veterinary Medical Centre.
• Students should register as a student user at Veterinary Information Network (VIN) - http://www.vin.com/promo/students.htm. The VIN membership is sponsored by the Royal Canin pet food company. It is important that you register using your official UQ student email account as this provides proof that you are a veterinary student. Please note that it may take a day for access to be granted.
• Students should also refer to the International Veterinary Information Service website at http://www.ivis.org, which provides free access to a wide range of online veterinary texts and proceedings. You willﾠneed to register (no fee) to obtainﾠaccess.

SWS + UQU

Maintaining a work-life balance and seeking help early is crucial for successful university studies. UQ Student Support and Wellbeing Services (SSWS) and the Student Union (UQU) offer numerous resources for UQ students. Student Services provides various mindfulness programs and counselling services to boost confidence and improve overall physical and mental wellbeing. UQU also offers a range of support, welfare, and wellbeing resources.

For immediate assistance, please call the 24/7 UQ Counselling and Crisis Line at 1300 851 998.

The Hub

The Student Clinical Skills Hub is a purpose-built, state-of-the-art self-directed learning facility located centrally in the School (John Mahon (8105), Room 101) with two main areas and an online resource community available for all veterinary students.

The Hub has a lab where students can practice their clinical skills using standard veterinary equipment, on simulators and/or models in conjunction with supporting audio-visual resources and a smaller communications suite with two working consult rooms, a viewing room and a debriefing space.

The Hub aims to provide a safe, authentic, self-directed learning environment where students can practice their clinical skills according to their competence, beyond the scheduled contact hours of their programs and further enhance their capacity for self-directed, lifelong learning. As BVSc5 students, you will have swipe card access to the Hub from 6am-10pm, 7 days a week from December of BVSc4. See the Hub's Blackboard organisation for induction and OH&S requirements for access.

If you cannot access the community or have other questions, please get in touch with the Hub Coordinator via svs-hub@uq.edu.au or ext 15046.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Additional learning activity information

Attendance at Clinical WIL placements 

Clinical WIL placements are a compulsory component of the final year of the Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) program. Attendance at all Clinical WIL placements as per your InPlace schedule is expected, and full attendance is required to be eligible to pass the course. The requirements for attendance will be communicated via the course Blackboard site and shift times will be advised by the Course Coordinator / Rotation Supervisor (internal placements) or the Placement Supervisor (external placements). 

Absence from clinical placements 

Attendance at a clinical placement is treated in the same way as a course assessment item. Acceptable reasons for absence from clinical placement are in line with the Acceptable reasons for an extension to the assessment due date. 

In the event you are unable to attend a clinical placement due to illness or other exceptional circumstances, you must take ALL the following steps: 

1. Notify your placement site prior to your shift start time by phone or email; AND 
2. Email the relevant Course Coordinator and svs-studentabsence@uq.edu.au prior to your shift start time; AND 
3. Submit documentary evidence for your absence (i.e., medical certificate, statutory declaration) no more than 48 hours from when the absence occurred to svs-studentabsence@uq.edu.au. 

Rescheduling missed day/s 

To make up for the lost time resulting from your absence to meet the placement requirements of your course, the following options are available and will depend on the duration/timing of your absence. 

Option 1: Make up day/s 

If it is possible to schedule and complete the required make up day/s within the existing dates of the scheduled placement, this can be arranged directly with your Placement Supervisor/Course Coordinator and ‘resolved’ within the scheduled placement. 

Option 2: Extension 

If it is not possible to schedule and complete the required day/s within the existing scheduled dates, you must apply for an extension to your placement dates via the my.UQ Extension to Assessment Due Date process to arrange for the make up day/s to be scheduled at a later time. 

If approved, the SVS Placements Team will liaise with the placement site and adjust your InPlace schedule as required. Where possible*, the make up day/s will be scheduled to occur within a holiday period in your schedule. 

Option 3: Deferral 

If you are absent for the entire scheduled placement or have missed enough day/s to require rescheduling of the entire placement, you must apply for deferral of your placement via the mySI-net Deferring an exam process, to be considered by the SVS Chief Examiner. 

If approved, the SVS Placements Team will liaise with the placement site and adjust your InPlace schedule as required. Where possible*, the deferred placement will be scheduled to occur within a holiday period in your schedule. 

*Options 2 and 3: Possible delayed graduation 

Scheduling make up days or deferred placements within the same academic year will depend on the capacity of the placement site (internal or external) and the student’s individual InPlace schedule. 

In some cases, it may not be possible to schedule make up day/s or reschedule the placement prior to the end of year results release, which may result in delayed completion of the course and program requirements and potentially affect your eligibility to graduate. 

Library access and training sessions

Key references and other sources of information included in the EBVM essay must be consistently identified; advisors and experienced librarians will provide assistance.

Voluntary assistance sessions to refresh library and research skills (including the use of search databases and Endnote) will be available at the UQ Gatton Library via Zoom (see Blacboard for relevant dates).

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

• Fitness to Practise Policy
• Work Integrated Learning and Work Experience Policy

Course guidelines

Professional Conduct

SVS takes professionalism extremely seriously. Professionalism involves treating all individuals with respect in every face-to-face, phone, or email interaction, when using social media, and when completing course and staff evaluations (SECaTS). Disrespectful, unreasonable, offensive and aggressive behaviour is unacceptable.

SVS promotes an inclusive culture and diverse workforce. As you fill out evaluations, you are asked to resist stereotypes and focus your opinion on the content of the course and ability of the instructor to deliver this content.

Inherent Requirements

Some programs and courses at UQ have inherent requirements (https://future-students.uq.edu.au/apply/inherent-requirements) that must be met in order to graduate. Inherent requirements are core activities, tasks and skills that are essential to successfully completing a program or course. They can include:

• physical and cognitive requirements
• communication and interpersonal skills
• professional behaviour
• ethical conduct

Inherent requirements help us to maintain the integrity of our programs, learning, assessment and accreditation processes. They are based on a program’s learning outcomes, which are designed to reflect required professional standards.

The Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) program has a specific set of inherent requirements (https://future- students.uq.edu.au/apply/admissions/inherent-requirements/inherent-requirements-veterinary-science-programs) that you must meet to be able to graduate.

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements should be read in conjunction with other information such as the BVSc(Hons) Program Rules as well as:

• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Statement on Fitness to Practice (https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/publications/fitness-to- practise-a-guide-for-uk-veterinary-schools-and/)
• UQ Fitness to Practise Policy, Procedures and Guidelines (https://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/3.30.14-fitness-practise).

If you think you may experience any problems meeting inherent requirements, contact a Diversity, Disability and Inclusion Adviser (https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/diversity-disability-inclusion).

We can make reasonable adjustments for cultural or religious reasons, or for students with a disability or medical condition (including mental health conditions and temporary conditions). Even with reasonable adjustments, you still have to meet inherent requirements and all academic standards to graduate. If you’re unable to carry out some inherent requirements, you may fail part of your program and be unable to graduate.