Courses

VDPAM 309. Intro to Production Animal Informatics. Cr. 1.S. Prereq: Enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine curriculum.
The fundamentals of how clinical, diagnostic, production and financial information is obtained and used by production animal operations will be presented. Students will acquire skills to create and use spreadsheet for manipulation and summarizing data. They will also acquire knowledge of where to find inexpensive and readily available resources with information on how to use spreadsheets and other software. Students will also have the opportunity to work with different record keeping programs used by swine, beef and dairy operations.

VDPAM 310. Intro to Production Medicine. Cr. 2.  S.  Prereq: Classification as a second or third year veterinary student or permission of instructor.
The role of the veterinarian in the management of animal health and production in populations including evaluation tools in dairy and beef cattle herds, beef feedlots and swine herds will be described. Provides veterinary students with a starting point to understand the principles and techniques that are the basis of food-animal population health diagnosis management programs.

VDPAM 340. Clinical Foundations. Cr. 1. S. Prereq: Classification in veterinary medicine. 
One week course at Iowa State University. An introduction to Food Supply Veterinary Medicine covering overviews of major animal agriculture species (beef, dairy, pork, sheep and camelid), production systems, behavior, welfare, handling and restraint, examination techniques, biosecurity, epidemiology and food safety. Visits to production units are utilized to introduce the application of clinical skills. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.

VDPAM 351. Bovine Embryo Transfer and Related Technology. Cr. 2. S. Prereq: Classification as a second or third year veterinary student.
This course will meet for two hours once each week of the Spring Semester. The first hour will be traditional lecture and the second hour will be a combination of student projects, labs and demonstrations of applied clinical procedures. Bovine embryo transfer and closely related topics such as: female reproductive physiology, estrus synchronization, semen sexing and reproductive disease will be emphasized. In addition, several class periods will be devoted to the use of ultrasound for diagnosis of reproductive and non-reproductive conditions.

VDPAM 416. Bovine Reproduction Evaluation Laboratory. Cr. 1. F.S. Prereq: Classification as a third year student in veterinary medicine. 10 students per section.
Bovine rectal palpation techniques will be repetitively taught in 7 four-hour sessions. Students will also learn techniques of epidural anesthesia, artificial insemination, and ultrasonic imaging. University-owned cattle will be used. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred. No Wednesday section in Spring semester.

VDPAM 421A. Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center: Calving. Cr. 1. F.S.SS. Prereq: Fourth year classification in veterinary medicine; ability to provide own transportation to each site.
The Calving Elective provides an opportunity to expand knowledge and experience in all phases of calving management. The program is structured around normal calving operations at USMARC. The GPVEC and USMARC veterinary staff will make an effort to include students in veterinary activities that take place during the Calving Elective. The opportunity exists for assistance in diagnosis, treatment, and management of many commonly encountered situations in the dam and calf. Students are encouraged to make every effort to become involved in USMARC calving activities. Direct involvement includes routine husbandry activities beyond those involving traditional veterinary roles which are expected of the student.

VDPAM 421B. Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center: Bull Breeding Soundness. Cr. 1. S. Prereq: Fourth year classification in veterinary medicine; ability to provide own transportation to each site.
The Bull Breeding Soundness Examination Elective involves training in all phases of the examination, collection, and semen evaluation for up to 200 herd bulls and/or sale bulls as recommended by the Society for Theriogenology. Chuteside training and hand-on experience are the primary training techniques for this elective with informal discussions held during the performance of the breeding soundness examinations.

VDPAM 421D. Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center: Feedlot Management. Cr. 1. F.S. Prereq: Fourth year classification in veterinary medicine; ability to provide own transportation to each site.
Evaluation of production techniques and production efficiency including ration and feeding management, health management program development and evaluation, environmental management, quality assurance, feedlot necropsy and microbiology techniques, and break even analysis. Approaches to solve seasonal health problems within the management objectives for different feed yards are the strong emphasis of this elective. Students may have the opportunity to follow cattle to a packing plant to learn the methods for tracking animals into the food chain, identifying production problems that are not diagnosable at the feedlot level, and monitoring beef quality assurance. Biosecurity activities will be emphasized and practiced.

VDPAM 421E. Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center: Weaning Management. Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Fourth year classification in veterinary medicine; ability to provide own transportation to each site.
This is a hands-on elective in which students participate in the weaning management at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. Students will be involved with processing, feeding, finding, and treating sick calves. Additionally, students will be introduced to developing weaning rations and managing feed delivery. Students will also learn how to develop vaccination and treatment protocols and each student will have as an objective the development of their own vaccination and treatment protocol template. As time allows, students will visit commercial feed yards and cover production management topics.

VDPAM 421F. Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center: Pregnancy Examination. Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Fourth year classification in veterinary medicine; ability to provide own transportation to each site.
The Pregnancy Examination Elective involves students, the GPVEC faculty, and USMARC personnel during pregnancy examination. Activities involve rectal examinations for pregnancy, collecting data and entry into the CowCalf5 computer software program to evaluate the reproductive performance of the herd. This elective is designed for students who have some palpation experience and are interested in honing their skills. Ultrasonography may be utilized by students based on adequate time and interest. Pregnancy Examination occurs during yearly fall herd work at the USMARC, therefore, speed and accuracy will be stressed, rather than basic technique. Introduction into rectal examination for reproductive use is stressed during the Bovine Reproduction Elective.

VDPAM 421P. Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center: Gomer Bull Surgery. Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Fourth year classification in veterinary medicine; ability to provide own transportation to each site. 
The Gomer Bull Surgery Elective is designed to give students interested in food animal surgery an opportunity to practice their surgical skills by performing penile translocations and epididymectomies on USMARC teaser bull candidates. Lectures specific to gomer bull surgery as well as other topics related to food animal surgery will be presented during this elective.

VDPAM 422. Beef Cattle Calving. Cr. 2. Repeatable. F.S.SS. Prereq: VDPAM 310; fourth year classification in veterinary medicine
This elective provides students opportunity to assist cow-calf operations with calving in Nebraska, South Dakota or other locations. These operations typically calve 300-1,000 head each spring. Calving experience is not required, but a good understanding of working around cattle is necessary. Students will be actively participating in the day to day, normal calving routine including detecting and sorting off “springers”, calf “watch”, detecting when intervention is needed and assisting delivery, caring for and monitoring newborns and dams for good health and early disease detection, tagging/processing new calves, treating calves needing intervention and performing other routine calving chores. Students need to provide their own transportation to the site and overnight stays at or near the production sites are required. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.

VDPAM 436A. Beef Records Analysis: Introduction. Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Classification in Veterinary Medicine, VM1-VM3 or special permission of instructor.
Lectures will emphasize current production and evaluation techniques for beef cow/calf operations and students will learn to conduct and critically assess production and financial data using a standardized approach. Lab activities will allow students an opportunity to work with individual beef cattle producers to identify areas for improving profitability, health, and sustainability.

VDPAM 436B. Beef Records Analysis: Herd Management. Cr. 1. S. Prereq: Classification in Veterinary Medicine, VM1-VM3 or special permission of instructor, VDPAM 436A.
Lectures will emphasize current production and evaluation techniques for beef cow/calf operations and students will learn to conduct and critically assess production and financial data using a standardized approach. Lab activities will allow students an opportunity to work with individual beef cattle producers to identify areas for improving profitability, health, and sustainability.

VDPAM 436C. Beef Records Analysis: Cow/Calf Preventive Medicine. Cr. 1. F. Prereq: Classification in Veterinary Medicine, VM1-VM3 or special permission of instructor, VDPAM 436A, VDPAM 436B.
Lectures will emphasize current production and evaluation techniques for beef cow/calf operations and students will learn to conduct and critically assess production and financial data using a standardized approach. Lab activities will allow students an opportunity to work with individual beef cattle producers to identify areas for improving profitability, health, and sustainability.

VDPAM 436D. Beef Records Analysis: Feedlot Production Medicine. Cr. 1. S. Prereq: Classification in Veterinary Medicine, VM1-VM3 or special permission of instructor, VDPAM 436A, VDPAM 436B, VDPAM 436C.
Lectures will emphasize current production and evaluation techniques for beef feedlot operations and students will learn to conduct and critically assess production and financial data using a standardized approach. Lab activities will allow students an opportunity to work with individual beef cattle producers to identify areas for improving profitability, health, and sustainability.

VDPAM 451. Clinical Embryo Transfer. Cr. 2. F.S.SS. Prereq: VDPAM 351, fourth year classification in veterinary medicine.
Elective clinical assignment in techniques of embryo transfer. Primary species studied will be bovine but equine and small ruminant embryo transfer will be covered during appropriate seasons. Enrollment is limited to four students per two week session. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.

VDPAM 471. Theriogenology: Food Animal. Cr. 2. Prereq: Fourth-year classification in veterinary medicine.
Elective clinical assignment in Food Animal and Small Ruminant Theriogenology involving male and female breeding soundness exams, dystocia management, advanced diagnostic procedures, surgical and nonsurgical insemination programs in small ruminants, and semen cryopreservation. Medical and surgical correction of reproductive disorders in cattle and small ruminants.

VDPAM 476. Food Animal and Camelid Field Service. Cr. 2. Repeatable. F.S.SS. Prereq: VDPAM 310; Fourth year classification in Veterinary Medicine.
Elective course in food animal and camelid field services. Students will assist university veterinarians in delivering health care and production management services to the ISU livestock farms and other livestock farms in the local area. Focus will be on delivery of individual animal care and establishment of best practices for herd management of production systems at the university and in the region. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.

VDPAM 477. Food Animal and Camelid Medicine and Surgery. Cr. 1-2. Repeatable. F.S.SS. Prereq: Fourth-year classification in veterinary medicine. Clinical assignment focused on the management of food animal and camelid medicine and surgery cases. Specific instruction in clinical evaluation of cases coupled with appropriate diagnostic testing and therapeutic intervention will
be emphasized. Additional instruction will be provided in disease prevention, intensive care and management of food animal and camelid species. Particular emphasis will be placed on appropriate on-label and extra-label drug usage in food animal species. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.

VDPAM 481. Advanced Cow/Calf Production Medicine. (Dual-listed with VDPAM 581). Cr. 2. S. Prereq: Completion of two semesters of VDPAM 436 or UNL equivalent (V MED 596 Cattle Production), fourth year classification in veterinary medicine.
Two-week senior elective that will focus on the economics of animal disease in cow/calf operations. Evidence based medicine and epidemiological principles will be used in investigation of disease outbreaks. Extensive partial budgeting used. Students will complete at least two disease investigations involving outbreaks in commercial cow/calf operations and communicate their findings to the class, the herd owner, and local practitioner. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.

VDPAM 482. Applied Beef Production Medicine Preceptorship. Cr. 1-6. Repeatable. F.S.SS. Prereq: VDPAM 310 and permission of instructor; ability to provide transportation to each site.
Advanced course in beef production medicine with emphasis on herd management, production analysis, and problem solving. Forty hours clinical experience per week. Assignments will include preceptorships with a practicing veterinarian and/or a production unit. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred

VDPAM 483. Beef Production Medicine. Cr. 2. F. Prereq: VDPAM 310.
Two week advanced clinical rotation in beef production medicine. Fifteen hours recitation/discussion and 20 hours clinical experience per week. This course is designed to expose students to cow-calf and feedlot production concepts. The activities scheduled for the rotation depend greatly on the time of year. Whenever possible, the class incorporates field trips. Students should anticipate that travel, including overnight stays, may be required. These field trips can vary in length from several hours to several days and may include weekends. Typically, 3-4 days of the rotation are spent at the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center, Clay Center, NE. Students should, therefore, plan accordingly and contact the instructor, immediately, if they anticipate a conflict. Students should not schedule Grand Rounds during this rotation. Biosecurity policies require documentation of your presence in the USA 5 days immediately prior to the start of class if international travel has occurred.