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Available During Optimization/Open Enrollment These courses can be added to your schedule by submitting a request through eValue. For clinical rotations that require instructor permission for late schedule changes (within 45 days of the start of a block), a Clinical Rotation Change Form must be completed and turned in to the Office of Academic Affairs.

VMS 6413 VHC-Wentzville Specialty Rotation
(Course Leader: Drs. Karen L. Campbell and Tara J. Ehling)

The rotation at the Veterinary Health Center at Wentzville is designed to provide hands-on experience in the areas of specialization offered at our Saint Louis-area satellite practice. The rotation gives students hands-on experience in the evaluation, diagnosis and management of dermatology cases. Students also have the opportunity to become involved in the diagnosis and treatment of oncology cases and gain exposure to chemotherapy and radiation therapy-based treatments. Typically three days per week are spent with the dermatology service and two days per week with the oncology/radiation oncology service. The location for the elective at the VHC in Wentzville, Missouri. Student housing is not provided. It is approximately a 75- to 90-minute drive from Columbia. Students should plan to arrive by 8 a.m. and are expected to stay until records and case discussions/rounds for the day have been completed (rarely later than 6 p.m.). There are no weekend or evening duties.

VMS 6710 Small Animal Community Practice at The Pet Doctor
(Course Leader: Drs. Richard Meadows (MU) and Marcy Hammerle (TPD))

This is a special two-week off campus community practice elective available only at this location other community practice electives are by consent only. It will be scheduled in Evalue for one student in each two week block.  Dr. Richard Meadows is the MU supervising veterinarian and Dr. Marcy Hammerle is the owner and supervising veterinarian at The Pet Doctor location.  Prior permission of the instructors is not needed for this elective.

The Pet Doctor is an AAHA accredited hospital in the Winghaven area of O’Fallon, MO.  It is a 2.5 doctor practice staffed by an ABVP boarded veterinarian (canine and feline) and experienced general practice and emergency veterinarians that can offer excellent mentorship and experience.

The Pet Doctor serves a varied clientele demographic and is also very active in local rescue.  Services offered include in-house diagnostics , electronic medical records, digital radiography, digital dental radiography, a separate dental suite including high speed dental system, ultrasound, general surgery including CO2 laser surgery, Physical Therapy and Rehab including hydrotherapy treadmill, cold laser therapy , shock wave and platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP).  Orthopedic procedures such as TPLO are performed in house by traveling ACVS boarded surgeon with general and soft tissue surgeries performed by staff doctors.   Medical treatments and anesthesia monitoring is performed by experienced, credentialed support staff.  Overnight emergencies and overnight hospitalized cases requiring supervision are transferred to nearby specialty hospital.

Our goal is that by the end of their veterinary training and experiences in clinical practice, students will have strong communication skills and work well with clients, having empathy and understanding of their needs.  They will be able to show caring and support of a client’s emotional needs, along with having strong medical skills to treat the pet. They will be able to develop different treatment plans based on a client’s personal ethics and financial abilities.  They will be able to work closely in a respectful relationship with support staff and appreciate their skill.  They will need to be willing to work with and support pet rescue and to develop plans that consider the different needs of a rescue organization compared to a client owned pet.   They will be confident in their medicine and physiology, even in complex cases, but also willing to do research on a regular basis to determine the best care for a patient.

Tentative schedule for this graded elective would include four 10 hr days/week with no weekend duties.  Housing in the St. Louis area is the responsibility of the student.

VMS 6711 Small Animal Medicine
(Course Leader: Dr. Leah Cohn)

Internal medicine will be a continuation of the internal medicine section VMS 6411 and may be repeated. The elective student may choose between a clinical elective and a research elective. The clinical elective student will have the same responsibilities as a regular internal medicine student. The elective students will carry a caseload comparable to the regular students, and be evaluated in the same manner (ie, 70% subjective and 30% objective). The objective grade is based on either a multiple choice test or a project identified by the senior instructor on duty. The project may include preparation of educational materials for clients or the general public, or educational materials for other veterinary students. The research elective will involve either prospective or retrospective research with the intention of presenting results at Phi Zeta day in the spring of the year. The student will also attend internal medicine rounds and may care for medicine cases if an adequate case load permits this option. Generally, students choosing the research elective will discuss options with the internal medicine clinicians months in advance of the rotation to allow for adequate preparation of a project idea and efficient use of time while on rotation.

VMS 6713 Shelter Medicine Elective at the Humane Society of Missouri
(Course Leader: Dr. Amie Burling)

This 6-week clinical rotation is taught off-site at the Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis, MO.  The rotation aims to provide a comprehensive experience in shelter medicine, including surgery, internal medicine, behavior, epidemiology, and veterinary forensics.  However, experiences can be somewhat varied and are determined by the veterinarian in charge.  Grading is subjective and based on a metric determined be the course leaders.  Housing will be provided for the student in St. Louis at no charge.

VMS 6720 Equine Medicine & Surgery
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leader: Dr. Philip Johnson)

Students may choose equine medicine or surgery for 2 credits (2 weeks). Presently, in-house ambulatory electives are not offered due to the nature of the activity (limited number of seats in trucks).  Students repeating equine medicine and/or surgery will often function in a way similar to students taking the rotation for the first time. It is anticipated that students may take the elective block before the required block. The student may, at the discretion of the instructor, have different responsibilities to include special projects or papers, and may be excluded from some responsibilities or experiences of the basic equine rotation. The student will usually be expected and encouraged to participate in equine medicine or surgery rounds. Participation in primary equine emergency service is an option but will not be required. However, the student will be expected to participate in secondary (back-up) emergency duty. Repeat students will be evaluating new cases and may be working alongside different instructors and house officers. Thus, the learning experience will build on the knowledge base achieved in the first rotation. The objective grade may be based on the results of formal examination, unless not required by the attending service leader.

Students may be allowed to undertake graded elective rotations at locations remote to Columbia. For internal medicine and surgery, these ‘external’ graded experiences must be for 2 weeks and must be supervised by a diplomate of the ACVIM-LAIM or ACVS, respectively (that person should be willing to provide a grade of the participating student). Participating students may be required to provide a report of their experience upon return to Columbia. Interested students should start making arrangements by talking to one of the equine (medicine or surgery) specialists (who will have to agree to facilitate the process).

VMS 6732 Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leader: Dr. Jill Luther)

Students in this elective will have clinical case exposure and responsibility equivalent to students in the required Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery Rotation (VMS 6432). Also, VMS 6732 elective students will participate in daily rounds discussions and other educational activities along with the required Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery Rotation students. Elective students will participate in emergency call rotation along with required rotation students. Students need not take VMS 6432 before taking VMS 6732. However, if a student takes VMS 6732 first, s/he must eventually take VMS 6432. In other words, VMS 6432 will not become elective. Special permission from the course leader is not required for VMS 6732 unless the student wishes to repeat the elective. In other words, VMS 6732 may be taken only once, but may be taken a second time with course leader consent. The number of students who may take VMS 6732 in any given rotation is dictated by the overall course scheduling program that limits the total number of students on the Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery Rotation.

Three alternative options exist for VMS 6732:

1. Students may take this elective off campus under the supervision of a board-certified surgeon in private practice. See the Office of the Dean of Academic Affairs and the VMS 6732 Canvas site for details about this option. This is a nice option when the clinical rotation scheduling program indicates that there is no room for an on-campus VMS 6732 elective student. Course leader consent is necessary for this option to make sure proper arrangements have been made with the sponsoring board-certified surgeon.
2. Students may do an elective at Veterinary Specialty Services in St. Louis, MO.  This practice has prior approval so the student needs to contact them directly and then forward their dates to Dr. Jill Luther and Jennifer Hamilton so the elective can be added to their schedule.
3. VMS 6732 may be used for a non-clinical elective in Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery. Such an elective experience requires advanced planning with a specific faculty member of the Soft Tissue Surgery Service. This option requires course leader consent.

VMS 6734 Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leader: Dr. Derek Fox)

The objective of this course is to offer more clinical exposure to the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic diseases in the small animal patient. Alternatively, this time may be used to complete a special orthopedic research project but that must be previously arranged with one of the senior faculty members (Fox, Torres, Hutcheson) before registration. The required orthopedic course is not a prerequisite for the elective course offered as similar clinical experiences are anticipated regardless of which is taken.

VMS 6736 Small Animal Neurology
(Course Leader: Drs. Joan Coates & Daniela Mauler)

The neurology/neurosurgery rotation is designed to give students hands-on experience with clinical service, and medical and surgical neurology cases. During this rotation, the student will practice client communication skills, history taking, physical and neurologic examinations, and establish competence in the care, diagnosis and treatment of dogs and cats with neurologic diseases.

Students in this elective will have clinical case exposure and responsibility equivalent to students in the required Small Animal Neurology/Neurosurgery clinical rotation. The elective rotation can only be taken AFTER completion of the required rotation. Elective students will participate in emergency call, duties and rounds along with the required block students.

VMS 6741 Radiology
Small Animal DX and Large Animal DX: Clinical Elective in Diagnostic Radiology: (emphasis in either small animal radiology or large animal radiology)
(Course Leader: Dr. Jimmy Lattimer)

Students taking an elective in diagnostic radiology will be required to sign up for at least 2 weeks of the block. The outline of activities is as follows: The elective student will be expected to attend the faculty/resident rounds at the beginning of the day (8:30). They are welcome to arrive at 8 am and sit in on topic rounds with the required Radiology block students until the faculty/resident rounds begin. On Monday’s the residents will have Known Case Conference (KCC) and DX elective students may attend. LA DX students will assist the technician/technologists performing radiographic examinations in the large animal clinic. The SA DX students will not be required to routinely assist the technologists but are encouraged to participate in obtaining special views. During any time the students are not working on their case reports, they are encouraged to “shadow” the clinician or resident on routine clinical service on either the first (LA) or second (SA) floor of the hospital and observe performance of any special procedures done by that clinician. The student will also be assigned to independently develop radiology reports for a minimum of 10 cases from either cases currently being radiographed (SA) or a combination of current and old studies with the ratio dependent on caseload (LA). The elective student will also be required to develop a presentation to share with the regular rotation students, elective students, residents, and faculty near the end of their elective rotation (Friday, Monday or Tuesday depending on the total number of elective students). This presentation should be a power point forming a mini seminar on the topic under discussion lasting approximately 10-15 minutes. The topic can be based on a case, an investigative study, or an imaging topic. Grading will be subjective on the basis of attendance, participation in discussions with the radiologists in rounds and on the floor, completion of the radiology reports, and the quality of the work on the reports and presentation. Additional case reports will be a positive factor. No examination will be required. Grading will be letter grades. There is a limit of 2 students per block in each of these electives for a total of 4 DX imaging students. Rearrangement of the SA:LA ratio (eg. 3 SA DX and 1 LA DX) will be allowed with special permission of the course leader after the initial block schedule is completed. Both electives may be taken before the regular block rotation and may be repeated.

VMS 6742 Anesthesiology
(Course Leader: Dr. Keith Branson)

Students taking this elective will be assigned to anesthetize and monitor the more challenging anesthetic cases during the clinical rotation. Students may elect to participate in equine or food animal anesthesia, but participation in small animal anesthesia will be necessary. In addition, students will select a published hypothesis-driven research paper on a subject relevant to veterinary anesthesia or prepare a presentation on an anesthesia related topic and present that material to the anesthesia service during anesthesia rounds.

VMS6743 Radiology: Special Imaging
(Course Leader: Dr. Jimmy Lattimer)

This elective is an introduction to special imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance and nuclear scintigraphy in small animal patients. A major part of the course will be devoted to recognition and interpretation of abdominal ultrasound. The goals of this rotation are first, to provide opportunities for elective students to be exposed to various diagnostic imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography, nuclear scintigraphy and magnetic resonance imaging; second, to understand indications for use of and limitations of various imaging modalities; and third, to improve sonographic skills and interpretation of sonographic images.
Students electing to take the clinical elective will be required to attend the regular radiology staff resident rounds at the beginning of the day in order to be familiar with the discussion between the clinicians regarding cases that have had special diagnostic imaging examinations. The student will be required to be present for the performance of all ultrasound examinations and will be assigned specific times to be present for CT, MRI and nuclear scintigraphy examinations. During this elective, most of the time will be spent observing ultrasound examinations. In the case of ultrasound studies, when time and resources permit, the student will be encouraged to repeat the study and try to repeat the findings of the clinician. Unfortunately this is not possible in MR, CT and scintigraphy and may not always be possible with ultrasound examinations. When the student is not occupied with special imaging studies, he or she will be required to work on case reports (two assigned cases related to MRI, CT or nuclear scintigraphy) and an oral presentation. The two case reports will need to be presented to the special imaging clinical instructor before the end of the two-week rotation so that they can be revised and included in the record of the patient. The oral presentation will be in the form of a power point given towards the end of the rotation (Friday, Monday or Tuesday depending on the number of elective students) and will form a mini seminar prepared for an audience consisting of regular and elective students. The topic of the presentation should be focused on an interesting case seen during the rotation for which the student was present during the examination. The presentation should include signalment, physical examination findings, results of diagnostics not restricted to imaging findings. The presentation should also elaborate on the disease process involved, and normal and abnormal imaging findings of the organ of interest.  This presentation is expected to be approximately 10-15 minutes in length. In addition, the student will need to complete clinical competencies related to this elective and view a tutorial on basic physics and normal imaging findings. The rotation may be taken before or after the regular rotation in radiology. Grading will be A/F and based on attendance, participation in discussion, professionalism, case reports, view of the tutorial, oral presentation and satisfactory completion of the clinical competencies. There is a maximum of 3 students per rotation in this elective. This rotation cannot be repeated.

VMS 6744 Radiation Therapy: Clinical Elective in Radiation Therapy
(Course Leader: Dr. Charles Maitz)

Students who take the clinical elective in radiation oncology will be introduced to radiation therapy planning, treatment execution, and case management. The main goal of the course is to develop a better understanding of the radiation therapy patient, including side effects of therapy and expected outcomes, which will position them to be quality collaborators on radiation therapy cases as referring veterinarians. In addition, they will experience the subspecialty of radiation oncology. They will be introduced to the specialized equipment used in radiation therapy, including external beam radiation therapy, computerized treatment planning, brachytherapy, plesiotherapy, and radiopharmaceuticals. The students are expected to develop an understanding of radiation physics, radiation biology, cancer biology, and clinical oncology as they pertain to radiation therapy and the management of radiation therapy cases. The students are expected to attend weekly radiation oncology service rounds, as well as daily medical oncology case rounds. The bulk of the time on the rotation will be spent observing the delivery of radiation therapy at either the Columbia or Wentzville location, participating in treatment planning for radiation therapy, or participating in direct case management and consultation. The student will be expected to present a 20 minute topical presentation to the clinical radiology students and faculty. The elective rotation can be taken before or after the clinical radiology and/or clinical oncology courses. The Wentzville rotation is only available with prior approval.

VMS 6751 External Food Animal Service and Theriogenology Teaching Program (EFASTP) Course Outline
(Course Leader: Dr. Loren Schultz)

I. Course Description

1. The objective of this course is to offer veterinary students at MU additional options for clinical training in Theriogenology and Food Supply Veterinary Medicine beyond the core curriculum. It may be taken for 2 to 4 weeks depending on availability of host practices.
2. The External Food Animal Service and Theriogenology Teaching Program is cooperative program between veterinary practitioners, the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Robert J. and Elizabeth M. Gourley Foundation.
3. The course will be offered during the clinical blocks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, and 12

II. Selection of students for the EFASTP

1. A list of practitioners will be made for each clinical block. Students wanting to participate will rank the practitioners based on the description of the food animal and theriogenology case load provided by the practitioner.
2. If enough slots are available students will be assigned to the practice the ranked the highest.
3. When multiple students rank a practice the same and not enough slots are available preference will be given to the students with the best combined grades in their food animal and theriogenology didactic courses available at least three months prior to the clinical block the select.
4. In the event that more students select this elective than there are slots available, students not assigned to a practice will be given the choice of participating in the food animal medicine and surgery clinical elective during that block or opting out the elective completely.
5. Students participating in the course will be required to evaluate the practice they attend. This evaluation will be used in determining the suitability of the practice to host students.
6. One student on each clinical block will participate in the end of block meeting with the VHC Department Head to discuss the program.

III. Administration of the Program:

1. Dr. Loren Schultz will be the course coordinator.
2. A MU faculty member will visit the practice(s) and student(s) to observe the functioning of the EFASTP.
3. The course coordinator will conduct exit interviews with each student.
4. At the conclusion of the first three months, the EFASTP will be critiqued by the Food Supply faculty, Theriogenology faculty, Theriogenology Task Force, and Food Animal Advisory Committee.
5. Input from the practices, the students, faculty, Task Force and the Advisory Committee will be used to modify the EFASTP on an ongoing basis as needed.
6. The Dean’s Office and the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Department’s Chair will be updated on the EFASTP quarterly on February 01, May 01, August 1, and November 1.
7. Student’s travel expenses at the beginning and end of external practice experience will be reimbursed upon proper submission of Form UM11 to the Course Coordinator.

IV. Grading Criteria

1. Every clinician in a participating practice that has clinical contact with a student will complete the student evaluation form used by the faculty of the Food Animal Section. This (these) form(s) will be sent to the course coordinator by US or e-mail when the student finishes their stay in the practice.
2. Practitioners and students will each have a copy of the Proficiencies, Skills, Tasks and Competencies List (see Section VI). The practitioner will initial each Proficiency, Skill, Task or Competency that the student performs on both the practitioner’s and the student’s lists. The student will keep their copy. The practitioner will return their copy of the list to the course coordinator along with the form in V. 1. above.
3. Each student under the supervision of a practitioner will perform at least 15 of the items of the Proficiencies, Skills, Tasks, or Competencies List.
4. For each two hours of credit, students will be required to submit two (2) two-page, double spaced, referenced case reports on cases seen by the student in the practice and approved by the practitioner as part of the course requirements.
5. The course coordinator will evaluate the forms and will be responsible for assigning a grade for each participating student.

V. Proficiencies, Skills, Tasks and Competencies List

A. Large Animal

1. Correctly place a halter on a bovine.
2. Restrain a bovine with a lariat.
3. Restrain a porcine with a snare
4. Demonstrate and discuss the proper the proper use of a bull lead.
5. Discuss and demonstrate the safe operation of a head catch or squeeze chute.
6. Perform a rectal examination in the bovine.
7. Palpate a cow’s reproductive tract for pregnancy.
8. Palpate a mare’s reproductive tract for pregnancy.
9. Perform regional blocks for abdominal surgery in the bovine.
10. Castrate a calf.
11. Castrate a horse.
12. Castrate a piglet.
13. Castrate a small ruminant.
14. Assist with a ruminant caesarian section.
15. Assist with a porcine caesarian section.
16. Assist with a mare caesarian section
17. Perform a breeding soundness examination on a bull.
18. Perform a breeding soundness examination on a stallion.
19. Perform a breeding soundness examination on a ram or buck.
20. Use ultrasound to diagnose pregnancy in a cow/heifer.
21. Use ultrasound to diagnose pregnancy in a mare.
22. Use ultrasound to diagnose pregnancy in a small ruminant.
23. Use ultrasound to diagnose pregnancy in a sow/gilt.
24. Exam an equine’s foot.
25. Properly administer a subcutaneous injection in various species.
26. Properly administer an intramuscular injection in various species.
27. Demonstrate an intravenous injection in various species.
28. Pass a stomach tube on a bovine.
29. Pass a stomach tube on an equine.
30. Administer fluids to a calf via an esophageal feeder.
31. Administer a bolus to a baby calf.
32. Administer a bolus to an adult bovine via a balling gun.
33. Determine the age of cattle by their dentition.
34. Discuss the proper storage and handling of drugs and vaccines.
35. Auscultate normal and abnormal lungs.
36. Examine and auscultate cattle with abdominal disorders, i.e., displaced abomasums, bloat, grain overload, etc.
37. Perform a rumenotomy.
38. Discuss Beef and Dairy quality assurance.
39. Discuss biosecurity and biocontainment.
40. Dehorn a baby ruminant by electro-cautery
41. Dehorn older cattle with Barnes or Keystone dehorners with hemostasis.
42. Demonstrate local anesthesia for the cornual nerve.
43. Demonstrate proper tattooing of cattle.
44. Properly apply a third eyelid flap.
45. Assist in obstetrical procedures any species.
46. Demonstrate the correct procedures for collecting sterile quarter milk samples.
47. Properly place implants in cattle ears.
48. Discuss and demonstrate the proper use and care of reusable syringes.
49. Perform an epidural block in a bovine/small ruminant.
50. Assist with the replacement of a prolapsed vagina, uterus, or rectum.
51. Perform and interpret the California Mastitis Test.
52. Conduct a physical examination on a bovine and/or small ruminant.
53. Conduct a physical examination on an equine.
54. Conduct a physical examination on a porcine
55. Demonstrate and discuss body condition scoring of beef animals.
56. Demonstrate and discuss body condition scoring of dairy breeding females.
57. Demonstrate and discuss body condition scoring of small ruminants.
58. Repair a cut or laceration.
59. Treat and discuss causes of neonatal pig diarrhea.
60. Use and discuss synchronization programs in bovine or porcine.
61. Demonstrate knowledge of proper nutrition for beef/dairy/small ruminant or porcine production.
62. Be exposed to production records (i.e. DHIA, CowSense, Pig Champ, etc.)
63. Analyze ventilation systems in a commercial swine operation.
64. Be exposed to regulatory veterinary medicine
B. Small Animal
1. Perform a breeding soundness examination on a dog.
2. Assist with a cat or dog caesarian section.
3. Castrate a dog.
4. Castrate a cat.
5. Spay a cat.
6. Spay a dog.
7. Perform and explain vaginal cytology in the bitch.

VMS 6760 Small Animal Nutrition
(Course Leader: Dr. Robert Backus)

Instruction will occur during 2-weeks sessions of clinical blocks and will include any of the following (depending on current caseload): nutritional assessment and management of in-house patients, homemade diet formulation, extramural nutrition consultations, topical reviews, laboratory exercises, individual presentations, and field trips and/or tours.  The course objective will be to develop competence in assessment and provision of nutrition in hospitalized and outpatient dogs and cats. Participants will become familiar with commercial therapeutic and over-the-counter diets, including their indications and contraindications for use. Students will also become familiar with developing effective weight loss plans, use of product guides and other resources to compare, select, and formulate diets will be demonstrated and practiced. Individual research projects relevant to nutrition consultation may be assigned. Depending on availability, a day trip to a pet food manufacturing site may be included.

Specific learning objectives:

1. Perform nutritional assessments of hospitalized patients and outpatients.
2. Formulate nutrition plans (including assisted feeding plans) by integrating patient history, physical exam, diagnostics, and ongoing findings.
3. Evaluate progress and outcomes in cases; adjust recommendations as needed.
4. Become familiar with commercial therapeutic and maintenance diets, including applicable product guides, to evaluate and recommend appropriate choices based on nutritional assessments.
5. Participate in external nutrition consultations and become familiar with the formulation of home-prepared canine/feline diets.
6. Learn how to critically evaluate peer-reviewed journals and present an appraisal of an original research article to classmates.
7. Participate in daily clinical case rounds.

Grading will be 50% objective and 50% subjective. Subjective evaluation will be based on attendance, participation, performance, enthusiasm, prior knowledge base, and clinical skills. Objective evaluation will be based on performance of written exams, presentations, homework assignments, and case materials. Each rotation is limited to 2 to 6 students and will be held from 9:30 AM to 5 PM on week days. Weekend case obligations occur but generally are infrequent.

VMS 6800 Clinical Ophthalmology
(Course Leader: Dr. Elizabeth Giuliano)

A 2-week elective in comparative ophthalmology will afford students an opportunity for concentrated study and experience on our clinical rotation. Elective students will only be accepted so that the rotation will contain a maximum of 7 students total (including required rotation students and elective students combined). The learning experience will build on the knowledge base achieved in the required 2-week rotation, thus students are recommended to have completed the required rotation in ophthalmology (VMS 6460) prior to participating in this elective. However, the elective course may be taken prior to the required course; if this is the case it would serve as the “required rotation” with the subsequent rotation serving as the “elective” in terms of expectations, requirements and grade assignments.

As part of the Ophthalmology elective requirements, students will select a published hypothesis-driven research paper on a subject relevant to veterinary ophthalmology and present the paper to fellow colleagues and service members during ophthalmology rounds. Elective students will be expected to manage the more challenging ophthalmology cases and assist required rotation students with routine cases. Participation in ophthalmic surgical emergency duty is required during the 2-week elective period.  Once a year, typically in October or November, the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) hold their annual meeting at various locations in the United States. Details about the conference are available at www.acvo.org. Students with a focused interest in ophthalmology are strongly encouraged to sign up for an elective during the block that overlaps with our national meeting if they desire to attend the ACVO meeting.

Off campus Ophthalmology elective rotations are granted on a case-by-case basis and require approval by the course leader.  Requirements of these electives are a 40=55h/week of exposure in a specialty ophthalmology clinical or research setting (academic or non-academic) under direct supervision of a board certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist.

VMS 6810 Cardiology
(Course Leader: Dr. Stacey Leach)

Cardiology elective consists of a two week clinical rotation in the MU Veterinary Health Clinic. Duties include primary case receiving and patient care with clinical case work-up. Additional responsibilities include attendance at daily topic rounds and participation in related clinical activities. Opportunities for emergency receiving and participation in interventional procedures are available as case material presents. The syllabus, course objectives, and grading rubric are available on canvas.  Grading will be based on both subjective performance (~70 to 75%) and objective (exam worth ~25-30%).

Students who wish to gain additional cardiology experience can elect to take an additional 2 weeks at an off-campus site under the direct evaluation of a board-certified cardiologist.  Students are responsible for obtaining permission and arrange dates with the off-campus cardiologist in advance.  Student must complete a 2 week elective rotation at the MU VHC prior to taking an off-campus rotation.  Teaching will be largely centered on cases seen by the board-certified cardiologist on duty at the off-campus site, with student participation to the extent deemed appropriate by the supervising clinician and in accordance with all practice regulations of veterinary licensure in the state of practice.  Detailed case discussion, reading assignments, and other interactions will be at the discretion of the supervising clinician(s).  Students are required to submit 2 case reports (approved by the supervising clinician) upon completion of the off-campus rotation to the course coordinator (Dr. Leach) regarding cases seen by the student in the practice.  See the syllabus for additional information regarding format of the case reports as well as grading of the off-campus rotation.  Course leader consent is necessary for this option to make sure proper arrangements have been made with the sponsoring board-certified cardiologist.  Previously approved off-campus locations have included the following:

1) Veterinary Specialty Services in St. Louis, MO: Dr. Cecelia Marshall

2) Blue Pearl Overland Park near Kansas City, MO: Dr. Laura Hatton

3) Blue Pearl North Seattle in Seattle, WA: Dr. Mark Harmon

VMS 6821 Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leader: Dr. Tony Mann)

The objective of this course is to provide interested students with an opportunity for additional structured clinical exposure to small animal medicine and surgery and, in particular, emergency and critical care. The rotation can accommodate up to 3 elective students at a time. Teaching methods will consist of hands-on experience in the ICU, daytime and after-hours emergency receiving, and participation in rounds. A list of objectives to be achieved by the end of the rotation will be required if this is the elective student’s first time on the SAECC rotation. This is a clinical rotation; therefore, daily rounds topics will vary with caseload. The syllabus outlines a set of rounds topics that are typically discussed during the course of the rotation, and rotation students can also request specific rounds topics depending on clinical interest and exposure.

Student scheduling will vary depending on the number of students taking the elective. Student schedules are designed for students to rotate through daytime, evening, and weekend emergency receiving during the course of a 2-week rotation in order to maximize the opportunities available to receive patients. Students spend approximately one week on a “daytime” schedule and one week on an “evening” schedule, with a common time from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. for didactic and case rounds. While student schedules vary, each student will be scheduled 1 day off for each 7-day period. The contact time and activities may be altered for students taking the rotation for more than 2 weeks. The first day of the rotation will be Wednesday to be synchronized with core and other elective rotations. A practical examination will occur by the final day of the rotation, unless taken on a prior rotation (see below). Grading will be both subjective and objective.

The elective may be taken prior to the required rotation and may be repeated; however, the duties and schedules of students will be guided by the number of times a particular student has taken the rotation. Items such as the required objectives checklist and practical examination will be completed on the first 2 weeks the student spends on the rotation regardless of whether the student is in the “required” or “elective’ portions of the block, and will not be required thereafter if they were successfully completed. If the practical examination was taken on a previous SAECC rotation, the elective student will submit a project pre-approved by the course leader.

For students seeking to complete this rotation as an off-campus elective, the off-campus site must be a veterinary facility that provides 24-hour emergency and critical care, with at least one veterinarian who is a Diplomate of the ACVECC. Off-site facilities must have a signed preceptorship agreement on file with the CVM, and must agree to submit grading forms to the SAECC course leader following the end of the rotation. Once the student has identified a possible facility for an off-campus elective and a time, permission must be obtained from the SAECC course leader, and the student must coordinate with, and receive official grading forms from, the administrative assistant of the Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs. The off-campus elective student does not take the practical examination or complete the objectives checklist. Instead, the off-campus elective student will submit a log of cases seen and will complete the project that other SAECC elective students complete.

VMS 6830 Food Animal Production Medicine
(Course Leader: Dr. Scott Poock)

Minimum of 5 students and maximum of 16. This course is offered during block 4/12 each year. The course will consist of class meetings and field trips. During the field trips, the students will have assignments in various areas of concern on the farm. The students will write a report for the producer on how the farmers can improve their operations. Swine, dairy, and beef management will be covered. There will be emphasis on herd health evaluation, diagnostics, problem-solving, farm management, and economics. The goal is to teach the students preventative medicine and how to create proactive health programs that will enhance the profitability of the producer. There will be instructors from the agricultural industry, as well as faculty.

VMS 6850 Small Animal Specialty Medicine II (oncology)
(Course Leader: Dr. Brian Flesner)

The objectives of this rotation are for students to:  explain the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of common tumor types in dogs and cats and discuss these topics with clients in small animal practice; identify and discuss the most commonly used chemotherapeutics (including indications, mechanisms of action, and side effects); discuss different treatment modalities available for the treatment of cancer in companion animals and the goals of cancer treatment.  Furthermore, on this elective rotation students will be offered the opportunity to become more involved in clinical trials cases and understand the mechanics of clinical trials.  Student performance will be assessed 70% subjectively based on clinical performance and 30% objectively based on a short presentation (on one of our ongoing clinical trials). Students will actively receive cases and examine, diagnose, and participate in treating animals presenting to the oncology service. Cytology, biopsy, bone marrow aspirate, and chemotherapy administration are among the procedures that are routinely performed. Discussions are held for one hour daily to review case histories, lab results, radiographs, and CT scans. Formal cytology rounds are held with clinical pathologists during the rotation. May be taken up to two times.

VMS6920 Equine Techniques Elective
(Course Leader: Dr. Joanne Kramer)
Only offered during Block 1/9 third third and Block 2/10 first third.
This course provides an opportunity for equine oriented veterinary students wishing to enhance their understanding of the clinical techniques used in equine veterinary medicine and gain hands on practical experience in selected clinical techniques.   It is offered as a 2 week elective clinical rotation.

The course will be delivered in 8 modules.  Each module will have a laboratory or lecture/laboratory associated with it and online learning materials and/or assessments. Laboratories will involve a combination of work on models, anatomical specimens, live horses, and online resources.  Each module consists of approximately 4 hours lecture/laboratory time and 4 hours online learning, assessment and independent study. Some laboratories may be scheduled on weekend mornings.

 

Consent Only Courses

Information about Consent Electives

VPB 6676 Laboratory Animal Medicine and Management
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leaders: Dr. Craig Franklin)

The University of Missouri Comparative Medicine Program (CMP) offers an elective experience ranging from 4-6 weeks (2/3 to complete blocks). Activities in laboratory animal medicine, comparative pathology, and comparative medicine research are available. The student will participate in all three, but may emphasize one or two areas.

LABORATORY ANIMAL MEDICINE: Students participate in day to day provision of clinical veterinary care to research animals. They assist and participate in routine health procedures, clinical observations, evaluations, diagnosis and designing treatment plans for a diverse group of animals including dogs, cats, rabbits, swine, rats, mice and exotic species such as bats and amphibians (species populations vary depending on ongoing research). Students also gain experience in laboratory animal practice/facility management and research animal regulations by observing interactions and problem solving between laboratory animal veterinarians, regulatory staff, research staff and animal care staff. Students may also participate in elective or experimental surgeries  if the latter are ongoing during the clinical rotation.

COMPARATIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH: Students are assigned a research project. The student conducts a literature review, implements the project, analyzes data generated and gives a seminar presentation at the completion of the externship. Alternative projects involving development of new procedures in animal care or quality assurance may also be available.  Students can also rotate with post-DVM trainees of the CMP who are actively engaged in research projects. During these rotations, students discuss projects and participate in laboratory procedures.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: Students can also participate in a variety of ongoing activities such as seminars, lab meetings, animal handling laboratories, facility inspections and rounds. Opportunities to visit regional research facilities and specialized facilities on the MU campus such as the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and the National Swine Resource and Research Center are also available. Students are under the direct supervision of clinical veterinarians, research scientists, comparative pathologists and post-DVM trainees throughout the elective experience.

Students interested in COMPARATIVE PATHOLOGY may arrange to spend additional time or the entire rotation with IDEXX BioResearch, a world-renowned rodent diagnostic laboratory.  There, activities may include necropsy, parasitology, histopathologic evaluation of tissues and evaluation of test results from microbiology, serology and molecular diagnostics laboratories.

This course requires instructor permission and can be repeated. Course guidelines are available upon request.  Credit for Laboratory Animal elective experiences at other institutions require prior instructor approval and the presentation of a seminar to the CMP upon return from an off-campus experience. Please contact Dr. Franklin.

VPB 6679 Clinical Pathology Elective

Our clinical pathology lab is located within the teaching hospital but receives a mixture of “in-house” and mail-in (diagnostic lab) sample submissions.  Cytology case load is moderate to high and thus ensures exposure to a wide range of samples from both small and large animals during a two-week period.  One faculty member +/- one clin path resident are scheduled to be on clinics each week.  The faculty member on clinics at the time will be the primary instructor/mentor for elective students.

Goals/Learning Objectives

These can be tailored to suit the individual’s needs, interests, and future plans. Learning objectives that apply to all elective students include:

1. Gain a basic understanding of the instrumentation and workflow in our laboratory
2. Improve skill level in microscopic evaluation of cytology and hematology slides
3. Improve understanding of sample collection/handling and the potential consequences of sample mishandling
4. Practice interpreting hematology and clinical chemistry data
5. Gain familiarity with clinical pathology textbooks, atlases, and online resources

Activities/Tasks

Clinical pathology rotations for elective students entail a mixture of the following:

• One-on-one and/or group discussions of laboratory data from hospital patients with a clinical pathologist
• Review of daily hematology and cytology slides with our clinical pathology trainees and faculty
• Focused topic discussions/reviews as questions arise during the rotation
• Participation in a robust rounds schedule with our clinical and anatomic pathology trainees
  • weekly cytology rounds, journal club, chemistry rounds, and biopsy rounds
  • additional opportunities to attend dermatopathology rounds, ocular pathology rounds, hematology rounds, image review, JPC rounds, and gross pathology rounds dependent on those schedules and the student’s interests
• Opportunities to review cytology and hematology slide sets independently or with clinical pathology trainees or faculty
• Observation of sample processing/instrumentation in our lab.  Examination of urine sediment slides can also be included if desired.
• Students will prepare a 15-20 minute presentation for the end of the rotation (usually performed on the last day of the rotation).

VPB 6679 Diagnostic Pathology & Special Species
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leader: Dr. Gayle Johnson)

Students MUST have completed VP 6647 Diagnostic Pathology and Special Species Medicine I (required Path Block) before taking this elective course. In very rare circumstances, if the student has prior pathology experience, exceptions will be considered.

Students repeating this pathology rotation could potentially have different responsibilities, to include special projects or papers, and be excluded from some experiences gained in the first rotation. The learning experience will build on the knowledge base achieved in the first rotation. Students must identify a mentor and develop a plan for the required elective before approval by the VMDL Instructional Coordinator. Mentors may be in the areas of anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, toxicology or microbiology. An oral presentation and/or written report is required at the end of the block.

Off-site electives may receive credit with prior approval of a VMDL faculty member familiar with the host institution and the quality of the education received at the off-campus location.  Off-site electives in special species medicine may be taken prior to the required Path Block.

VPB 6684 Research Techniques in Veterinary Pathobiology
Also Available as an Off Campus Elective with instructor permission
(Course Leader: Dr. Craig Franklin)

Students will arrange a research project with a selected instructor prior to signing up for this elective. This course will consist of a 6 week hands-on experience with various research techniques. The student will be required to submit a paper and give a short presentation describing the methodologies used, research results, and interpretation. This research experience may also be the basis for a poster or oral presentation at the college or at a national meeting (No graduate school course credit is gained).

VMS 6700 Food Animal Medicine
(Course Leader: Dr. Loren Schultz)

The VMS 6700 elective is offered as an offsite instructor approved rotation. The student is responsible for setting up the experience. All rotations at other academic institutions will be approved. Practice based rotations must offer unique experiences that are not obtainable through EFAST or at the teaching hospital and require instructor permission.

VMS 6710 Small Animal Community Practice
(Course Leader: Drs. Richard Meadows and Amie Burling)

With the approval of this section’s instructional leader (currently Dr. Richard Meadows), a student may select to complete a 2 week elective in dentistry, dermatology or high quality general small animal practice. This may be at another veterinary college or in a practice with an approved veterinarian or practice.

With permission from Dr. Amie Burling, a student may elect to spend those 2 weeks in the Shelter medicine portion of VMS 6710 at an approved shelter.

VMS 6712 SAIM Associated Veterinary Specialists
(MU Course Leader: Dr. Leah Cohn, Practice Leader: Dr. Wayne Hause)

This 2 week clinical rotation is taught off-site at a private veterinary specialty practice, Associated Veterinary Specialists (AVS), in St. Louis, MO.  Teaching will be largely centered on cases seen by the veterinarians on clinical duty at AVS, with students participating to the extent deemed appropriate by the supervising clinician and in accordance with all practice regulations of veterinary licensure in the state of Missouri.  Detailed case discussion, reading assignments, and other interactions will be at the discretion of the supervising veterinarians. Grading will be entirely subjective and based on the supervising veterinarian’s assessment of the student’s knowledge base, communication skills, participation and engagement, work ethic, technical skills, communications skills, and other areas of performance.  Housing must be arranged by each student at their own expense.

VMS 6750 Theriogenology
(Course Leader: Dr. Dietrich Volkmann)

The only elective Theriogenology experiences that will be offered will be off-campus. Students are required to locate elective opportunities by themselves and then verify with the course coordinator that their chosen program meets the requirements for academic credit. No more than two credits (two weeks) will be awarded for an elective experience in any one location.

Mission

Our mission is to inclusively educate and train outstanding clinicians and scientists from diverse backgrounds, generate new knowledge, engage stakeholders, and foster economic growth, all of which promote and protect the health and welfare of animals and people.  Simply put, our mission is to Teach, Heal, Discover and Serve.

Vision and Values

We are passionate about defining the future of veterinary medicine to improve animal and human health.

Our shared vision is reflected in our mission and our values statements. These beliefs have guided the strategic planning process and the establishment of our strategies, objectives and goals.  As we move the College of Veterinary Medicine forward, we will seek excellence in all aspects of our mission including teaching, research, service, economic growth, and outreach and engagement.

We define excellence as:

• Training a diverse group of professional leaders who think critically, solve problems, effectively communicate with others, and adapt to the evolving demands of the veterinary profession,
• Creating flexibility in our systems, processes and resources to meet the changing needs of our profession and our constituents,
• Leading the way in One Health through our exceptional collaborations within and across disciplines,
• Maintaining a collegial and inclusive environment that values integrity, accountability and respect for each individual,
• Achieving financial sustainability to thrive in any economic landscape, and
• Creating awareness of the mission of the CVM and building ongoing commitment and loyalty to that mission.
  

Strategic Goals

We have defined four strategic goals encompassing the four components of the College’s mission – Teach, Heal, Discover, and Serve.  Accordingly, each of the strategic goals and accompanying objectives outlines the College’s priorities in each of these areas for the next three years (2020-2023).

In addition to the four strategic goals articulated below, among the overarching goals of the College will be to enhance diversity and promote an atmosphere of inclusion, mutual respect and open expression, and establish and grow programs for faculty, staff and student wellness that promote healthy and sustainable workloads for all members of the CVM community.

Strategic Goal #1: Teach

We are committed to educating those who will help define the future of veterinary medicine: veterinary students, veterinary interns and residents, graduate students, veterinary technicians, veterinary practitioners, and researchers who seek to advance their knowledge and expertise. The teach roadmap for the CVM is informed by an overarching vision for curricula, assessment, and teaching in the CVM that is connected to accreditation criteria, better engages stakeholder perspectives, and promotes healthy and sustainable workloads for all community members.

This vision defines our student outcomes and directs how they will be assessed and reported.

In addition, it outlines mechanisms for departments and service units to enhance curricula and the delivery of course content in the CVM.  To focus efforts on assessment, enhancement, and improvement of established curricula in the CVM, with the exception of initiatives currently underway and approved by the Dean, this process will limit the development of new curricula, certificates, and programs during the next three years.

The teach vision and goals align with principles from the Student Success component of MU’s Strategic Plan. Specifically, they incorporate student engagement and well-being, supporting, recognizing and incentivizing teaching excellence and creating workforce ready graduates.

G1-Objective 1: Continue to improve the overall education experience for all CVM trainees.

Actions:

• Continue to improve curricular content and delivery so that it better aligns with principles of wellness, COE standards, and the results from internal reports including the CVM holistic curriculum review, the simulation lab task force report, and results of a faculty and house officer survey regarding the curriculum.
• Better define holistic CVM student outcomes and plans for their assessment.
• Establish more realistic workloads for students including time for students to engage in dedicated study as well as personal and professional development.
• Provide multiple transparent mechanisms for student involvement and feedback related to improvements in the curricula and teaching delivery.

G1-Objective 2: Emphasize and exemplify a culture that prioritizes, rewards and invests in teaching excellence.

Actions:

• Incentivize, assess, and reward effective teaching connected to plans generated from Mizzou’s Teaching for Learning Center and the Task Force for Enhancing Learning and Teaching (TFELT).
• Establish local programs and promote campus and national/international professional development opportunities for faculty, trainees and staff in matters of education.
• Provide education “onboarding” for new faculty, graduate students, and house officers that utilizes a cohort-based faculty learning community (FLC) with CVM defined goals for orientation and FLC defined goals for intrinsic professional and community development.
• Provide dedicated and protected time for new faculty hires with teaching expectations to complete a required college teaching certificate (or equivalent) in first three years of employment.

G1-Objective 3: Improve resources for teaching, by enhancing the CVM learning infrastructure.

Actions:

• Renovate classrooms for teaching, rounds, and student study across our facilities.
• Establish a new state of the art clinical skills and simulation lab that will support curricular improvements outlined in 1.1.
• Integrate clinical skills and professional skills throughout the curriculum.
• Dedicate or reallocate faculty and staff FTE to curriculum improvement and advancement of innovative, evidence-based teaching methods.

Strategic Goal #2: Heal

We will continue to position the Veterinary Health Center and Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory as leaders in advanced clinical care and diagnostics.  Our services will provide hands-on experiences for teaching and focus our research by identifying clinical and translational problems that warrant further investigation.  We will demonstrate excellence in practice using leading-edge expertise, techniques, and equipment in a manner that is accessible to our clientele.

G2-Objective 1: Invest in people (existing and new hires), technology, equipment, and facilities to meet or exceed accreditation standards and ensure the competitiveness of the VHC and VMDL.

Actions:

• As VHC and VMDL operations evolve, identify opportunities for deliberate growth and expansion taking into consideration our primary mission(s) and balancing those mission(s), while evaluating the potential impact on faculty and staff well-being and the return on further investments in people, technology, equipment and facilities.
• Evaluate areas where deliberate growth and expansion are needed versus areas that should be sustained at the current level or diminished. Adjust staffing (faculty, technicians, and support staff) to meet current and future needs including hiring or reassigning people where needed.
• Evaluate the ratio of non-tenure and tenure track faculty within each service to meet the needs of teaching, research, clinical and diagnostic service, and outreach and engagement.
• Evaluate current and future infrastructure needs, i.e. technology, equipment, and facilities that are needed to sustain current service activities, but also that will be necessary for deliberate growth and expansion of our service operations or to respond to emergent situations.
• Use data-driven approaches to evaluate the success of investments in people, technology, equipment, and facilities.
• Evaluate potential retention strategies for all personnel (see also 2.1 and 2.2 above).
• Enhance existing programs and institute new programs that provide professional development opportunities for personnel (faculty, technicians, and staff). For example, potential expansion of career ladder to all staff or sabbatical or research leave for faculty.
• Continue existing programs and institute new programs that recognize and reward personnel for excellence in clinical and diagnostic services.
• Explore innovative funding mechanisms to offset the cost of professional development activities, e.g. scholarships or grants. Funding could be tied to conditions of employment to facilitate retention.
• Continue to invest in equipment and technologies that advance our clinical and diagnostic capabilities and maintain our competitiveness in the marketplace.
• Continue to develop strategies that allow reinvestment of a portion of clinical and diagnostic revenue into infrastructure, e.g. “plant” accounts.
• Develop a 20-year plan for major equipment and technology purchases with priority given to equipment and technologies that have the greatest ability to impact future revenue, but potentially also meet the needs of our educational and research missions.
• Evaluate technologies that could improve inventory control and clinical and diagnostic case tracking to improve efficiencies and cost recovery in the VHC and VMDL.
• Expansion/replacement of physical facilities.
• Deliberate growth and expansion in the clinical and diagnostic service areas is currently constrained by the size and condition of our physical facilities. Further, some areas will not meet the future requirements from key accrediting bodies (i.e. AVMA, AAVLD) without significant investment. Hence, evaluation of clinical and diagnostic space needs along with expansion of the VHC and replacement of the VMDL are key to the future of our clinical and diagnostic service operations.

G2-Objective 2: Continually enhance patient care, customer service, and accountability among personnel within the VHC and VMDL.

Actions:

• Maintain a culture within the VHC and VMDL that values excellent patient care, customer service and communication among all personnel (faculty, staff, and students).
• Continue to recognize and incentivize examples of excellent patient care, customer service, and communication.
• Provide user-friendly, accessible training opportunities for all personnel aimed at improving communication and clinical skills.
• Continue, and enhance, communication and client interaction training efforts for students, interns, and residents entering clinics.
• Continually improve customer service through assessment of formal and informal stakeholder (e.g. rDVM and client) feedback (e.g. CalPro surveys) and implement corrective action when needed.
• Identify strategies to improve clinical and diagnostic service efficiency and foster accountability within the VHC and VMDL.
• Identify optimal technician/assistant-to-faculty/house officer ratios in each of the service areas to improve efficiency and productivity in the VHC and VMDL.
• Evaluate strategies to improve operational efficiencies within and among clinical and diagnostic services. This should include an analysis of how to optimize case management whilst fulfilling our educational mission.
• Provide career advancement opportunities that allow technicians and staff to take on leadership roles aimed at improving clinical and diagnostic efficiencies.
• Cross-train a complement of staff and technicians so that we have personnel that are available to ensure continuity of services and patient care when short term personnel shortages arise, e.g. vacations and unexpected absences.
• Ensure that expectations of all personnel (i.e. faculty, staff, house officers, fellows, and graduate students) are clearly defined and open and honest performance evaluations are performed according to the requirements of the employee’s position and/or training program. Ensure that course corrections are taken when an individual is not meeting the conditions and expectations of their employment contract.

G2-Objective 3: Effectively manage clinical and diagnostic caseload through marketing efforts and expanded services to support and fulfill the educational, research, and service missions of the VHC and VMDL.

Actions:

• Continually develop relevant marketing strategies that generate awareness of services offered and expertise available to our constituents through the VHC and VMDL.
• Enhance the visibility of faculty and technicians on the frontline of patient care and diagnostic services.
• The VHC and VMDL should have specific staff members dedicated to marketing, outreach, and engagement efforts.
• Evaluate existing marketing strategies and adjust and develop new strategies using data-driven approaches, e.g. media outlets, billboards, social media, internet, coupon programs, face-to-face visits with rDVMs, CE offerings to rDVM and clients, and extension, outreach and engagement activities.
• Evaluate target areas for potential new business development using available data.
• Make faculty and staff aware of marketing efforts.
• Evaluate service areas where deliberate growth and expansion is possible and where investment (i.e. FTE, financial, etc.) is likely to correlate with improvement in caseload and revenue generation.
• Continue to serve local veterinary clinics with 24-hour emergency and critical care services, and seek opportunities for expansion where feasible.
• Evaluate mechanisms to balance referral caseload with routine or teachable caseload.
• Evaluate where deliberate growth an expansion of services is possible and not in direct competition with referring veterinarians. Survey practitioners to determine gaps that need to be serviced, e.g. within our practice radius are there practices that need large animal emergency coverage for parts or all of the year. While current staffing may not allow expansion, if there was a demonstrated need and available clientele, a case could be made for after-hours large animal clinical faculty or staff.
• Explore areas of need within the state that we could potentially provide services to on a part-time basis.
• Leverage our presence in Wentzville, Kansas City, and Springfield to increase services in Columbia, e.g. VMDL sample pick up, shuttle service for animals to Columbia that need care we cannot provide at satellite locations.

G2-Objective 4: Track and balance revenues/expenditures within the VHC and VMDL to allow for improved prioritization and decision making whilst considering our primary mission(s).

Actions:

• Reinstitute a mechanism for tracking revenue and expenditures by service section and revenue collection by faculty member.
• Develop and/or utilize existing tools to accurately provide estimates to clients and referring veterinarians for patient procedures, care, and diagnostics. Provide training and set expectations among all personnel responsible for writing and/or communicating estimates.
• Develop mechanisms to evaluate cost structure relative to income to better define the economic viability of existing services and areas of potential growth while ensuring the financial stability of VHC and VMDL.
• Use available data to evaluate potential areas to focus marketing efforts for expansion of services and new business development (see Objective 4).

G2-Objective 5: Seek new and untapped service, research, and educational ventures to increase revenue for the VHC and VMDL including building collaborations within and outside MU, e.g. Next Generation Precision Health Initiative, Clinical and Translational Science Award One Health Alliance (COHA), and MU School of Medicine.

Actions:

• Identify services that leverage existing infrastructure to build revenue for the VHC and VMDL, e.g. fee for service contract research in food animal, CWD testing in the VMDL, and clinical trials in oncology.
• Market revenue-generating contract research and service opportunities available within the VHC and VMDL.
• Identify educational programs that leverage existing infrastructure and generate revenue but also feed the pipeline for tomorrow’s veterinary professionals, e.g. Veterinary Technician program with Moberly Area Community College.
• Explore mechanisms and opportunities to maximize our service, educational, and research to have a more global reach.
• Advertise our world-class clinical and diagnostic services regionally, nationally, and internationally.
• Explore which services could be expanded to an international audience, e.g. highly specialized diagnostic services.
• Explore public-private partnerships that leverage our infrastructure and expertise.
• Explore online CE offerings that generate notoriety and revenue for the VHC and VMDL.

Strategic Goal #3: Discover

We are committed to expanding knowledge and expertise in veterinary medicine, comparative medicine and translational research to advance animal and human health. We will lead nationally and internationally by positioning the CVM as a premier research entity based on the strengths of our areas of research focus and our research training programs.

G3-Objective 1: Build a strong research environment and provide the tools to support research success.

Actions:

• Invest in the CVM research infrastructure including research laboratory space, animal housing facilities, and personnel (investigators, technicians, and support staff) in order to accommodate, expand and build research programs.
• Facilitate access to information that fosters partnerships and enhances collaborative research opportunities. Examples include access to analytic programs, regular networking events, etc.
• Provide information related to departmental, College, campus, system and federal regulatory processes in an easily accessible location and format.
• Reduce regulatory burdens by streamlining processes. This will be done directly at the college level and through participation of CVM faculty on campus-wide initiatives/committees.
• Building upon existing programs, establish formal peer-mentoring mechanisms in each department to assimilate junior faculty and support them throughout the career/tenure process.
• Provide financial support to assist and sustain promising research programs.
• Provide incentives and reward faculty who demonstrate exemplary research productivity.
• Hire or redefine existing support staff to provide centralized support for grant administration, regulatory compliance and statistical analysis.
• Hire or redefine existing support staff to focus on advancement activities that specifically target research support, endowed chair positions, etc.
• Hire or redefine existing support staff to provide centralized support for clinical trials.
• Hire and support more clinician scientists whose primary focus is research.

G3-Objective 2: Bolster graduate and postdoctoral training programs to benefit trainees and elevate the reputation of CVM research.

 Actions:

• Establish new and support growth of existing professional, graduate, postdoctoral fellowship and dual degree training programs.
• Formally outline and promote guidelines for pursuing a DVM/PhD.
• Develop an umbrella graduate program for the College of Veterinary Medicine. Should include support staff dedicated to training grant support, recruiting and liaising with the graduate school.
• Enhance interactions and networking among all CVM trainees conducting research (veterinary students, graduate students, postdocs, interns and residents) to foster a supportive community and facilitate an environment of success.
• Find mechanisms for financial support to sustain programs such as Phi Zeta / CVM Research Day and the Veterinary Research Scholars Program, which foster introduction of research to veterinary professional students.

G3-Objective 3: Enrich the nationally and internationally ranked research presence of the College.

Actions:

• Identify focused areas of research that incorporate both basic and clinician scientists and build on existing/emerging strengths. Establish collaborative programs centered on these areas of research excellence.
• Highlight the talent of our research scientists and programs at the international, national and state level. This can be accomplished by regularly promoting research accomplishments through various mechanisms such as social media, news outlets, website, etc. and creating a rigorous process for nominating individuals for local, national and international awards and honors.
• Expand our interdisciplinary research environment by facilitating interactions with colleagues on campus, in industry and beyond to support further advances in animal and human health.
• Commit resources (e.g. travel grants) for faculty travel to national/international meetings with the objectives to showcase their work and promote the research reputation of the College.
• Provide resources for and encourage leave opportunities including paid short-term leave and those outlined in the Collective Rules (research leave, development leave, sabbatical).

Strategic Goal #4: Serve

We will increase public and stakeholder awareness through engagement and outreach and develop targeted marketing and advancement strategies to provide additional CVM revenue streams and better serve our internal and external stakeholders.

G4-Objective 1: Strategically and inclusively expand the CVM’s engagement and outreach efforts, first focusing on the needs of Missourians.

Actions:

• Strengthen relationships between the CVM and agricultural commodity groups and organizations, to enhance awareness of the CVM’s impact on Missouri’s agriculture.
• Identify key commodity groups and organizations (e.g., Farm Bureau) which should have an ongoing dialogue with the CVM.
• Ensure communication, engagement, and understanding between the CVM and commodity group representatives.
• Enhance the CVM’s visibility via increased interactions between CVM personnel and its various stakeholders.
• Increase CVM personnel attendance and participation at local, state, regional and national veterinary medical professional organization meetings and conferences.
• Increase CVM personnel attendance at agricultural exhibitions, including the Missouri State Fair.
• Increase CVM personnel participation in local and statewide emergency responses impacting pets and livestock.
• Increase use of telecommunications technologies to enhance the CVM’s interactions with stakeholders when in-person attendance is not possible.
• Provide CVM and personnel with increased opportunities for mentored service learning opportunities in communication, diversity, and inclusion, involving K-12 STEM education.
  • Increase awareness of the role of veterinary medicine in STEM education.
  • Continue the CVM’s Annual Open House, focusing on STEM-related topics and inclusive public engagement.
  • Enhance CVM interactions with youth organizations such as 4-H and FFA.
  • Use telecommunications technology to enhance the CVM’s role in K-12 STEM education throughout the state.

G4-Objective 2: Market the CVM’s unique role in serving Missourians and society.

Actions:

• Support the CVM communications office to ensure coherent media interactions across the CVM, MU Campus, UM System and the CVM’s external stakeholders throughout Missouri.
• Collect and analyze data on the CVM’s economic impact in Missouri and prepare a summary report for key internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintain a productive marketing partnership with organized veterinary medicine and other influential stakeholders with shared goals.

G4-Objective 3: Foster a culture of innovative economic development and entrepreneurship by forming strategic partnerships with industry and other key stakeholders. 

Actions:

• Ensure that a system is in place to reward participating faculty for their entrepreneurial efforts.
• Actively lobby within the University System for more faculty-friendly innovation and commercialization structure and educate CVM faculty on existing and future policies.
• Promote CVM’s multidisciplinary programs for the creation of commercially viable ideas in the areas of biomedical innovation, telemedicine, e-learning, and outreach.
• Identify potential industry partners for the development of mutually beneficial relationships.

G4-Objective 4: Expand philanthropic investment in the CVM to enhance its teach, heal, discovery, and service missions.

Actions:

• Increase the number of personnel within the advancement office.
• Hire and train an additional advancement officer in the VHC to lead early identification and cultivation of major gift prospects.
• Prepare for the expansion of the advancement office with a fourth professional fundraiser in 2-3 years.
• Hire a college-wide event professional who will work closely with advancement.
• Clearly define specific funding priorities, establishing targets for which the CVM can strategically market projects and demonstrate success.
• Establish funding models with prospective funders (private or public).
• Identify internal leaders (individual or committee) for each funding project to collaborate with CVM advancement.
• Create a formula for private funding for VMDL and VHC renovation/construction to complement public funding component.
• Identify prospective donors for the project and develop mechanisms of recognition for donors.

Strategic planning is used to concentrate resources into a few critical directions in order to best maximize the benefits to stakeholders. Our stakeholders include all of the groups we exist to serve and who are affected by the choices we make. For the CVM, this includes our students and trainees, the employers of graduates, our faculty and staff, our alumni and donors, professional veterinary medicine, and society at large.

Our aim with Beyond Vision 2020 was to revise the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan to reflect our goals for the next three years (2020-2023) allowing the College of Veterinary Medicine to:

• Set clear goals for the future,
• Provide a sharpened focus and prioritize needs,
• Align our goals with our resources,
• Respond to the changing needs of the veterinary profession, and
• Create a commitment to action by involving and engaging our stakeholders.

Drivers

Besides the fact that strategic planning is a part of any effective management strategy, several factors have been key drivers for the Beyond Vision 2020 process:

1. Re-accreditation in 2020: Accreditation is the process by which an educational institution or program submits to a voluntary, non-governmental review to determine whether it meets accepted standards of quality. Within veterinary medicine, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education (COE) develops the standards and conducts the reviews of DVM educational programs on a 7-year basis. In 2020, the College will participate in a full site visit and all areas of the College will be reviewed to ensure that 1) our programs meet national standards as well as our own stated mission and goals, 2) the science and art of veterinary medicine are being advanced through contemporary curricula, and 3) our graduates achieve specific learning goals and are competently prepared to begin professional practice.

2. Managing the financial constraints associated with decreased state funding and rising student debt load: State funding levels for veterinary schools and colleges have decreased substantially over the past decade. In addition, in fiscal year 2021, the University of Missouri, Columbia will adopt a new resource allocation model that has the potential to impact the College’s economy. Hence, difficult choices have to be made regarding where to invest resources as well as how tuition and fee increases might impact veterinary student indebtedness.

3. Responding to the future direction of veterinary education: Societal needs from the veterinary profession continue to evolve, and we need to position the College to train a diverse work force of job-ready professionals that meet these societal needs. These approaches need to be cost-effective for the trainee and provide a financially viable return on their investment.

4. Responding to additional issues facing the veterinary profession: Preparing the job-ready graduate means preparing globally-competent resilient individuals with skills beyond the classroom, clinic, or research laboratory. Physical and mental well-being, written and verbal communication skills, critical thinking, and business and marketing skills are among the many aspects of ensuring the success and well-being of our veterinary professional, graduate, and post-graduate clinical trainees.

These drivers, as well as our own assessment of the College’s challenges, opportunities, capabilities, and resources have been used by the strategic planning committees to build a roadmap for the College for the next three years.

Committee Structure

One of the greatest by-products of effective strategic planning is its ability foster engagement and collaboration across the organization. Our collaborative planning process was structured to ensure that a comprehensive plan would be created, that people would understand the plan, and that the organization would be able to implement it. A guiding principle of Beyond Vision 2020 has been to involve a variety of people in the work teams that identified, refined and prioritized the goals found in the College’s Vision 2020 plan.

To this end, we created a two-tiered committee focused specifically on ensuring the creation of a workable plan.

The main Strategic Planning Committee consisted of thought leaders representing the four main themes in the Vision 2020 revision, i.e. Teach, Heal, Discover, and Serve.  These individuals were identified by having served on the Vision 2020 planning committee and volunteering to attend a 1-day retreat held by the Dean in August 2019 with the exception of the Serve subcommittee theme leaders that were added after the August retreat when it was decided that rather than have the Serve theme be a cross-cutting theme, it should be a separate theme.  The following individuals served as leaders of the four theme subcommittees detailed below:  Linda Berent, Elizabeth Bryda, Lauren Delaney, Craig Franklin, Janie Harmon, Joanne Kramer, John Middleton, David Wilson, and Shuping Zhang.

Four theme-driven Strategic Planning Subcommittees led by 2-3 people from the main Strategic Planning Committee named above were populated by the theme leaders from a list of volunteers and content experts within a given theme.  The composition of these subcommittees were as follows:

Teach Subcommittee: Chris Baines, Tamara Hancock, and Laurie Wallace; chaired by Linda Berent and Joanne Kramer

Heal Subcommittee: Anastasia Glahn, Dae Young Kim, Angela McCleary-Wheeler, Megan McCracken, Bryan Torres; chaired by John Middleton and David Wilson

Discover Subcommittee: Kate Anderson, Shawn Bender, Chris Baines, Charlie Brown, Joan Coates, Philip Johnson, Carol Reinero, and Sherri Sachdev; chaired by Elizabeth Bryda and Craig Franklin

Serve Subcommittee: Craig Payne and Tim Evans; chaired by Lauren Delaney, Janie Harmon, and Shuping Zhang

In addition, to committee and subcommittee participants, input was sought from other faculty members, staff, students, and outside stakeholders.  Each subcommittee decided the objectives and goals for their theme and prioritized them.

Process and Timeline

Strategic planning can be defined as a structured process through which members of an organization reflect upon their challenges, opportunities, capabilities and resources; examine the needs of their stakeholders; and identify forward-thinking goals, objectives and priorities to guide them into the future.  In August 2019, a structured process and working timeline for revising the CVM’s Vision 2020 plan was established.

Our process included these major work steps:

• Assemble the main strategic planning committee and theme-driven subcommittees
• Review available information and data to make informed decisions (see below)
• Revise, as needed, the College’s Mission, Vision and Values
• Revise the College’s Strategic Goals
• Define Objectives and Action Items under each Strategic Goal

In revising the Vision 2020 plan, the committees considered the following (Figure 1):

• The Dean’s top priorities stated in her 4 September 2019 email.
• Accomplishments of the Vision 2020 plan to date as reported to the Dean on 1 August 2019 by members of the original Vision 2020 subcommittees.
• Feedback gained from the Fall 2018 CVM Retreat.
• AVMA COE Standards and the CVM’s draft self-study.
• Results of the holistic curriculum review.
• Input from faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders
• UM System Strategic Priorities (“Compacts for Education, Research, Engagement and Economic Development for the 21st Century”)
  •  https://www.umsystem.edu/president/president_priorities
• MU Strategic Plan
  • https://provost.missouri.edu/strategic-plan/

Items were prioritized based on level of importance and urgency, and some items from the previous plan were eliminated. Major accomplishments from Vision 2020 plan are summarized below.

Timeline

August 2019 – Dean Henry held a retreat with several volunteer faculty members and administrators to help define the strategic planning process.

September-October 2019 – The main strategic planning committee is finalized and subcommittees are assembled.

October-December 2019 – Main strategic planning committee meets monthly.  Subcommittees meet as needed to revise and develop the strategic goals (Teach, Heal, Discover, and Serve) and revise and develop the objectives and action items under each strategic goal.

December 31, 2019 – Draft strategic plan completed.

January, 2020 – Stakeholder input sought.

February, 2020 – Strategic planning committee revises plan based on stakeholder input.

March, 2020 – Final document submitted to Dean Henry.

Summary of Accomplishments from Vision 2020

The Vision 2020 plan had five strategic goals, which we have condensed into four strategic themes in the Beyond Vision 2020 strategic plan.  Elements of the original Strategic Goal #5 were moved into the Serve theme (now Strategic Goal #4). 

Teach – The Teach theme developed from Strategic Goal #1 in the Vision 2020 plan, data from the college-wide retreat, data from the curriculum review, AVMA COE standards 6, 9, and 11, strategic priorities of UM System and MU, and overall stakeholder input. Objectives 1, 2, and 3 from the Vision 2020 plan were reviewed. Details of the accomplishments of Objectives 1, 2 and 3 were reviewed and are summarized here.

Accomplishments under Objective 1 from Vision 2020 were significant and represent the major portion of progress on Vision 2020’s Strategic Goal #1. The holistic curriculum review was accomplished using a diverse group of faculty members. The core individuals involved were the teaching and curriculum committees with stakeholder input across the college, alumni, and employers of CVM graduates. This process was time intensive, and we found it necessary to go back much further in the process to better understand how each course and its content fit within the overall curriculum and how each related to the evolving needs of the veterinary profession and newly developed curriculum learning outcomes (CLO’s). Recommendations from the curricular review and feedback from faculty and house officers on the need for curricular revision are ongoing and form the basis for the new Objective 1 in the revised strategic plan.

A student outcomes and curricular coordinator position was established and the entire curriculum mapped to curricular level learning objectives. Workshops on question and objective writing were provided along with mentoring on aligning objectives with course assessments to assist with this process. In the summer of 2019, the annual course review process was implemented in part to maintain momentum in the curriculum review and mapping.

Teaching resources have been developed including a Canvas™ site repository of resources for teaching, assessment, and curriculum practices, and instructional period briefs intended to raise awareness about our curriculum and foster collaboration and cooperation across courses and instructional periods have been developed. A veterinary specific course has been developed for inclusion in the main campus college teaching graduate certificate. Faculty support for attending local, national, and international teaching conferences has been provided. Expanding on these resources forms the basis for the new Objective 2 in the revised strategic plan.

Objectives 2 and 3 from the Vision 2020 plan relate to student clinical experience and skills, and to career ready skills such as communication and business needed for success in the veterinary profession.    Progress has been made in multiple areas, but we envision further improvements in teaching, assessment, and documentation of outcomes. The Veterinary Health Center caseload has increased and now provides broader clinical exposure. Clinical orientation will be expanded to one week starting with the class of 2023 with the goals of increasing student preparation and communication skills. Shelter medicine has been expanded and a wide variety of off-campus preceptorships have been made available both in private and non-private practice settings. The Associate Dean of Student Affairs has developed, maintained, and monitored these preceptorship opportunities.

Significant progress has been made in the teaching and assessment of communication skills by use of the medical school simulation center in the freshman year, elective courses, and in clinical orientation. However, more space in the curriculum must be allocated for these and other professional skills.

With the development of the clinical skills simulation lab, more classes will be able to integrate skills and skills assessment into their courses. The remodeling of W234 for this purpose is to begin in Spring 2020

Many of the goals not accomplished in Strategic Goal # 1 of the Vision 2020 plan were due to lack of physical and financial resources. The revised strategic plan’s Objective 3 focuses resources on needed physical renovations, support for on-going curricular improvements necessitated by AVMA COE requirements, and continued support of teaching excellence.

Figure 1 – Dendrogram detailing information and data considered in revising the Teach theme of Vision 2020 plan.

 

Heal – The Heal theme was developed from the Clinical and Diagnostic Services subcommittee theme in the Vision 2020 plan.  Strategic Goal #3 in the Vision 2020 plan articulated the objectives and actions developed by the Clinical and Diagnostic Services subcommittee. In the Beyond Vision 2020 plan, the Heal theme and Strategic Goal #2 encompass the objectives and actions planned for the clinical and diagnostic service attributes of the College.

Accomplishments in this arena during the past 7 years have been considerable. The VHC and VMDL have both increased gross revenues, and mechanisms were put in place to track revenue by clinical and diagnostic section. Tracking revenue and expenditures was the highest priority objective under this theme in Vision 2020, and whilst still part of the strategic plan has been given a lower priority in the current revision.

Enhanced customer service and accountability within the VHC and VMDL were a focus in Vision 2020, and external feedback suggests we have made improvements over the last 7 years.  Going forward we have revised this objective and focused on professional development of all personnel as part of this objective.

Objective 3 in Vision 2020 was focused on investing in people, technology and equipment. We have expanded on this objective in the revised plan by including facilities, in part because we have been successful at growing revenues and caseload in both the VHC and VMDL, but this has led to overcrowded and inadequate facilities to meet current clinical and diagnostic needs. Hence, this has risen to our highest priority under this goal.

Marketing and expansion of services was a major objective in Vision 2020, and efforts over the last 7 years seem to have paid dividends through increased revenues and caseload. That said, ongoing efforts are needed to maintain competitiveness and hence this remains an important part of the revised plan. New business development is important to any enterprise not only to improve revenue but also, in our case, to provide the necessary caseload for teaching the next generation of professionals. The VHC and VMDL have been innovative in attracting revenue and indirect cost through clinical trials and fee-for-service research and testing for outside entities, and we have proposed further mechanisms for such development in Objective 5 of this goal in the revised plan.

Discover – While progress was made toward achieving some of the objectives outlined in the Vision 2020 Strategic Goal #2, the original goal that addressed research and innovation, it was the view of the Discover theme subcommittee that many of the actions proposed under each of the three objectives in the Vision 2020 Strategic Goal #2 were not specifically accomplished.

The Discover theme is listed as Strategic Goal #3 in the revised plan. The objectives and actions have been revised to suit the current needs of the College, Missouri, and Society in general. The three revised objectives listed according to priority are: 1) Build a strong research environment and provide the tools to support research success, 2) Bolster graduate and postdoctoral training programs to benefit trainees and elevate the reputation of CVM research, and 3) Enrich the nationally and internationally ranked research presence of the College.

The new Objective 3 builds on the original Objective 1. The MU CVM is home to several National centers which have continued to achieve Federal funding, and MU CVM faculty members are Nationally and Internationally recognized in several areas of expertise under the One Health umbrella.

Objective 2 in the original plan was to “Facilitate commercial research contracts that generate further investigative opportunity and additional sources of revenue.”  The CVM has had success in this regard, especially in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery where several clinical services including Medicine, Oncology, and Food Animal continue to perform clinical trials and fee-for-service research. Further, several CVM faculty members from across the Departments have licensed their innovations and developed start-up companies.

Objective 3 in the original plan was to “Support faculty in establishing and maintaining solid research programs.”  While faculty development opportunities in the research arena have emerged over the last 7 years, this is an area of focus in the new strategic plan as more can be done for both faculty development and the development of the next generation of scientists graduating from the CVM.  Current trainee development programs tend to be area specific with some excellent programs, but there is a lack of College-level resources to support faculty and trainee development.  This is addressed in the revised plan by prioritizing resources and tools to support research success and bolster graduate and postdoctoral training programs.

Serve – An integral part of Vision 2020, Strategic Goal #4 was designed to “develop innovative partnerships and nurture economic opportunities.” In keeping with main campus’ goals and integrating internal feedback, Strategic Goal #4 has been revised and updated to guide the CVM in better serving its internal and external stakeholders over the next three years.

The original first objective was to establish endowments for specific programs within the CVM. While the advancement team has made significant progress in establishing endowments to help our College in trying economic times, most of the endowments are for student support, and we have not made significant progress toward funding specific programs. This objective has been revised to include all philanthropic resources (not just endowments) and repackaged as Objective 4 in Beyond Vision 2020.

The original second objective was to foster a culture of entrepreneurship, primarily among faculty. The University has become more supportive of privatization of faculty discoveries, and several CVM faculty members are in various stages of commercializing innovations. However, these activities are not included in the formal evaluation of faculty members. Similarly, the original fourth objective was to cultivate and track existing faculty relationships with corporations for economic benefit. However, no progress was made on tracking these relationships or developing major strategic cooperative relationships with industry. The CVM continues to interface regularly with and derive benefit from corporations and other private sector groups with veterinary interests, and is actively looking for opportunities to collaborate with industry in basic and applied research, as well as clinical trials. To account for these ongoing activities, which frequently go hand-in-hand, the original objectives two and four have been combined into Objective 3 with the language updated to facilitate more collaborations with government agencies as well as other Departments within the University system.

The third objective was to explore the potential for a Midwestern Center of Excellence for veterinary education, leadership, and business management. While the CVM remains engaged in the Kansas City animal health corridor, this objective has been removed from the revised plan, since no progress has been made toward the development of this Center of Excellence.

The fifth and final objective was to market the profession and the CVM to the public and key stakeholders. To this end, several personnel were added in communications and marketing, Facebook pages were established, and the VHC/VMDL websites were revised and updated. Additionally, CE events have been hosted regularly both at the CVM and at regional VMA meetings, and CVM faculty routinely present at these functions. Student groups, such as the Mule Club and Raptor Rehab, continue to present the CVM in a positive light. The marketing objective was updated and appears as Objective 2 in the present plan.

Notably absent from Vision 2020 was a specific engagement and outreach initiative that was separate from the marketing objective. Increasing stakeholder awareness through engagement and outreach complements marketing and advancement and facilitates the CVM’s ability to serve its stakeholders. Therefore, an objective focusing on strategic and inclusive expansion of the CVM’s engagement and outreach efforts has been added and marked as a priority objective in the Beyond Vision 2020 plan.