Melbourne DVM core participation requirements

The Melbourne Veterinary School is one of OzTREKK students’ favourites. If you are considering studying at Melbourne, a candidate for the Melbourne DVM must have abilities and skills in the following five categories across all aspects of the course including practical classes and in clinical work:

• observation
• communication
• motor
• intellectual
• behavioural and social

Observational Skills
Visual acuity is required in most aspects of the program. Students must be able to observe and participate in practical laboratory classes in the basic sciences, including physiology and pharmacology demonstrations and experiments, anatomy dissection classes, and practical classes in histology, general pathology, parasitology, microbiology and immunology. Visual acuity is necessary to identify and interpret gross lesions indicative of disease, view and interpret tissue sections and fluid smears via light microscopy, recognise pathogenic agents either with the naked eye or by microscopic examination, and read and interpret the results of many diagnostic tests.
Communication Skills
Melbourne DVM students must be able to communicate effectively, both verbally and in written form. They must be capable of preparing written case reports, essays and other written assignments, of making oral presentations, and of satisfactorily completing examinations that require comprehension skills, clarity of expression, and the demonstration and application of relevant knowledge that is presented in a logical and coherent fashion.
Students must be able to maintain comprehensive and accurate written or electronic records, and to communicate effectively (both verbally and in writing) with the lay public, farmers, representatives of animal industries, diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical agencies, government and other responsible authorities, and members of the veterinary profession, using language that is appropriate to the audience and context.
Motor Skills
Students must possess sufficient motor function to be able to participate fully and independently in all classes. Practical class and clinical work activities require coordination of gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision. Students must be capable of identifying the potential risk of injury and take responsibility for their own safety, the safety of others and the safety of animals (including animal handling) whilst undertaking these activities.
Intellectual Skills
Problem-solving, a critical skill demanded of disease investigators, requires conceptual, integrative and quantitative intellectual skills. Students are expected to have the necessary intellectual capacity to permit them to develop and hone their skills in measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis over the course of the program, building on a strong foundational knowledge of the biological sciences. Students of the Melbourne Veterinary School must also have the capacity to develop skills in critically evaluating scientific evidence and to comprehend and integrate complex information relating to multiple scientific disciplines.
Behavioural and Social Skills
Students must possess the behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. As they also contribute to the learning of other students in a collaborative learning environment, they are expected to demonstrate inter-personal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment components may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.
Students of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program must be capable of working effectively both as individuals and as members of teams. They are expected to behave in a respectful and collegial fashion not only with other students but also with academic, administrative and technical staff of the faculty, members of the veterinary profession, representatives of animal and allied industries, and government authorities.
Students must be mature, self-aware and have the emotional health necessary to utilise their intellectual abilities fully. They must be aware of their personal limitations, and be cognisant of when and where to seek assistance or professional advice and support.

Melbourne Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Program title: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Semester intake: Late February/early March
Program duration: 4 years

Apply to the University of Melbourne Veterinary School!

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Do you have questions about Melbourne Veterinary School and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program? Contact OzTREKK’s Australian Veterinary Schools Officer Rachel Brady at rachel@oztrekk.com or call 1-866-698-7355 (toll free in Canada).