Isu Veterinary Services Corporation

PROMOTE MISSION OF IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY (ISU) PROVIDING ISU VETERINARY STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS WITH EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING IN A VETERINARY HOSPITAL AND EMERGENCY/SPECIALTY CLINIC.

EXPOSURE TO A DIVERSE CASELOAD IS NOT ONLY BENEFICIAL FOR STUDENT EDUCATION; IT IS ALSO A REQUIREMENT FOR THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE'S ACCREDITATION. ONE OF THE STANDARDS SET BY THE ACCREDITING AGENCY FOR VETERINARY MEDICAL COLLEGES IS THAT NORMAL AND DISEASED ANIMALS OF VARIOUS DOMESTIC AND EXOTIC SPECIES MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES. OFF-CAMPUS EXPERIENCES ARE COUNTED TOWARD ACCREDITATION PROVIDED THAT OVERSIGHT BY THE ISU CVM ENSURES APPROPRIATE DELIVERY OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, INCLUDING WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION OF EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND PROOF THAT THEY ARE BEING MET. AN ADDED BENEFIT FOR STUDENTS IS THAT THEY GET TO EXPERIENCE THESE 'MONITORED AND MENTORED' EXPERIENCES AT IVS IN A PRACTICE ENVIRONMENT SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY WILL ENCOUNTER UPON GRADUATION.THE ACCREDITING AGENCY EXPECTS IVS TO BE INCLUDED IN ANNUAL EVALUATIONS AND SEVEN-YEAR SITE VISITS. THE ISU COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE HAS SEVERAL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES IN PROGRESS SO STUDENTS CAN GAIN ADDITIONAL CLINICAL EXPERIENCES FROM CASES INITIATED AT IVS. FOURTH-YEAR VETERINARY STUDENTS HAVE ROTATED THROUGH IVS IN THE ONCOLOGY (CANCER) ROTATION. DR. SHAWNA GREENE, BOARD CERTIFIED BY THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE (ACVIM), PROVIDES THE ONCOLOGY SERVICES FOR IVS, WHICH INCLUDES CLINICAL STAGING AND INNOVATIVE CANCER CASE MANAGEMENT. IVS OFFERS SURGICAL ONCOLOGY AND CHEMOTHERAPY/IMMUNOTHERAPY/ANTI-ANGIOGENIC THERAPY AS WELL AS PAIN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR END-STAGE CANCER. ANNUAL SURVEYS OF EMPLOYERS OF ISU GRADUATES INDICATE THAT EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED ON A NEED TO INCREASE PRECEPTORSHIP/CLINICAL EXPERIENCES EXTERNAL TO THE TEACHING HOSPITAL AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCES WITHIN THE TEACHING HOSPITAL. DURING THE SUMMER, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE VM1-VM2 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN EMERGENCY/SPECIALTY CLINICAL MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS AT IVS. SEVERAL PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS ARE ALSO EMPLOYED PART-TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PRECEPTORSHIPS (TWO-WEEK ROTATIONS) AT IVS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND APPROVED FOR FOURTH-YEAR STUDENTS. THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER FOR PERCEPTORSHIPS DURING SPRING SEMESTER. WHILE ENROLLED IN THE IVS PRECEPTORSHIP, A STUDENT CAN PARTICIPATE IN ONCOLOGICAL PATIENT TESTING AND TREATMENT, INTERNAL MEDICINE PATIENT TESTING AND TREATMENT UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE BOARDED INTERNIST, SURGICAL PROCEDURES UNDER THE DIRECTION OF BOARDED SURGEONS, AND MONITORING AND TRIAGING OF MULTIPLE EMERGENCY MEDICAL CASES. THUS, THESE PRECEPTORSHIPS PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH EXCELLENT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AT A REFERRAL/EMERGENCY HOSPITAL LOCATED IN A METROPOLITAN AREA. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS GAIN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AND A CRITICAL FACTOR IN THEIR FUTURE SUCCESS.IVS RECEIVES EMERGENCY CASES, SPECIALTY ONCOLOGY, SURGICAL, AND INTERNAL MEDICINE. ISU-LVMC RECEIVES CASES THAT IVS AND REFERRING VETERINARIANS CANNOT OR PREFER NOT TO HANDLE. THE ISU-LVMC ALSO PROVIDES STATE-OF-THE-ART DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT SERVICES THAT ARE NOT TYPICALLY FOUND IN REFERRING VETERINARY PRACTICES AND UNAVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE IN IOWA. AS A RESULT OF ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH IVS, THE ISU-LVMC HAS RECEIVED INCREASED NUMBERS OF REFERRALS FROM DES MOINES AREA VETERINARIANS FOR CASES INVOLVING SPECIALIZED ORTHOPEDIC SURGERIES, REHABILITATION, AND ADVANCED IMAGING AND DIAGNOSTICS. AS WELL AS, ALL CASES REQUIRING SECONDARY AND TERTIARY CARE FOR MEDICINE, OPHTHALMOLOGY, CARDIOLOGY, DERMATOLOGY, AND SURGICAL TREATMENT.CLINICAL LABORATORY DIAGNOSTIC TESTING SAMPLES ARE RECEIVED AT THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FROM IVS VIA AN EXPEDITED PARTNERSHIP SERVICE WITH UPS, WHICH HAS BEEN RECENTLY STREAMLINED. THESE LABORATORY SUBMISSIONS ARE USED IN TEACHING CASE-BASED PATHOLOGY AND CLINICAL PATHOLOGY TO THIRD-YEAR AND FOURTH-YEAR VETERINARY STUDENTS. THE LABORATORY RESULTS INCLUDE BIOPSY, CYTOLOGY, HEMATOLOGY, BIOCHEMISTRY, AND URINALYSIS, WHICH ARE ALL COMMON LABORATORY TESTS ENCOUNTERED IN VETERINARY PRACTICE. IVS REGULARLY EMPLOYS 3-4 PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS. THESE STUDENTS MUST WORK CLOSELY WITH TECHNICIANS TO REVIEW ALL PROCEDURES IN THE TRAINING MANUAL, UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF TECHNICIANS IN VETERINARY PRACTICE, AND IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE.FOR THE PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30, 2021, ISU-VSC SERVED 12,600 DIFFERENT PATIENTS. OF THE PATIENTS SERVED, 8,125 WERE REFERRED BY AREA VETERINARIANS WHO FELT THAT THEIR PATIENTS NEEDED THE ADDITIONAL SPECIALTY CARE PROVIDED BY ISU-VSC. THIS SIGNIFICANT CLIENT BASE WILL PROVIDE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY VETERINARY STUDENTS TO INTERACT WITH THE SPECIALISTS AND LEARN ABOUT DISEASE PROCESSES AND CASE MANAGEMENT IN A VETERINARY HOSPITAL.