Internal Medicine

If you are aware of other examples you believe to be important to include here, please send the information to HEVM for consideration.


New addition:

Teaching Tip: Virtual Oncology Clinic


The following includes literature which is relevant to the issue of internal medicine instruction. The titles are linked either to a publicly available copy of the document or to a digital object identifier. If there are illustrations which may be publicly viewable, these are also linked, but there is no guarantee that they would be viewable across all platforms.


Farrell, Robin M. and Shell, Linda G. 2018 Development of a dermatology diagnostic techniques teaching session: A nine-step approach Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 45(1):108-118

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The aims of this article were to describe the development of a dermatology techniques teaching session and to provide the reader with a structured approach that can be used as a template to design or audit other clinical skills teaching sessions.


Hawkins, Eleanor C.; Hansen, Bernie and Bunch, Brenda L. 2003 Use of animation-enhanced video clips for teaching abnormal breathing patterns Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 30(1):73-77

The ABV [animated breathing pattern videotape] is a collection of video clips of small animal patients with normal and abnormal breathing patterns on a conventional videotape of approximately 20 minutes duration. Each video clip is shown for 20 to 40 seconds, followed by the same clip with superimposed animation of rib and diaphragm motion, followed by the initial clip again, without overlying animation.


Kerwick, Carmel M.; Meers, Joanne and Phillips, Clive J.C. 2008 Training veterinary personnel for effective identification and diagnosis of exotic animal diseases Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 35(2):255-261

The authors discuss the ethical and practical aspects of teaching disease recognition in animals.

The use of live, deliberately infected animals for demonstration purposes is not currently supported by any research indicating an improved learning outcome compared with that from alternatives, such as videos, necropsy specimens, and dedicated computer-aided learning packages. Therefore, ethical requirements to minimize the use of animals in teaching and research may prevent live-animal use.

You may be able to obtain a copy of the paper from: ResearchGate


McCobb, Emily; Rozanski, Elizabeth A.; Malcolm, Elizabeth L.; Wolfus, Gregory and Rush, John E. 2018 A novel model for teaching primary care in a community practice setting: Tufts at Tech Community Veterinary Clinic Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 45(1):99-107

Benefits to veterinary students include the opportunity to build clinical competencies and confidence, as well as the exposure to a diverse client population. The financial model of the clinic is described and initial data on outcomes for case load, clinic income, veterinary student evaluations, and high school students’ success in passing the veterinary assisting examination are reported. This clinical model, involving a partnership between a veterinary school and a technical high school, may be adoptable to other clinical teaching situations.


Nolan, Michael W.; Balogh, Marton and Waltman, Suzanne Shelly 2019 Teaching Tip: Virtual Oncology Clinic Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 46(3):367-371

…the lessons learned through the implementation of this oncology clinic module are expected to apply to a wide range of clinical disciplines.


Schlachter, Jason George 2004 Virtual Veterinary Emergency Room: a software system that presents dynamic, interactive medical scenarios for teaching 102 pp

Was a masters thesis project at The University of Georgia. This describes the development and use of a computer program to simulate emergency room situations. It is not known whether this program is commercially available, but one could inquire through the University of Georgia Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

This is a teaching tool that provides a bridge between textbook material and clinical practice where students can apply their medical knowledge without endangering the lives of real animals.


Snowden, Karen; Bice, Kathryn; Craig, Tom; Howe, Lisa; Jarrett, Melissa; Jeter, Elizabeth; Kochevar, Deborah; Simpson, R. Bruce; Stickney, Mark; Wesp, Ashley; Wolf, Alice M. and Zoran, Debra 2008 Vertically integrated educational collaboration between a college of veterinary medicine and a non-profit animal shelter Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 35(4):637-640

The program represents a creative approach to veterinary training that conscientiously uses animal resources in a positive fashion. We believe that this is a successful partnership between a state-supported veterinary college and a non-profit shelter that benefits both agencies. We encourage other veterinary colleges to explore similar partnership opportunities to provide optimal training for professional students while using animal resources efficiently.


Spindel, Miranda E.; MacPhail, Catriona M.; Hackett, Timothy B.; Egger, Erick L.; Palmer, Ross H.; Mama, Khursheed R.; Lee, David E.; Wilkerson, Nicole and Lappin, Michael R. 2008 A lifesaving model: Teaching advanced procedures on shelter animals in a tertiary care facility Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 35(4):553-558

The results suggest that collaboration between a tertiary-care facility and a humane shelter can be used successfully to teach advanced procedures and to save homeless animals. The project demonstrated that linking a veterinary teaching hospital’s resources to a humane shelter’s needs did not financially affect either institution. It is hoped that such a program might be used as a model and be perpetuated in other communities.


Updated 2023-12-17