SCAM21002U Companion Animal Surgery – Soft Tissue Surgery I

Volume 2024/2025
Education

This course is a compulsory course at the Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science. The Master is a postgraduate education targeting small animal veterinarians seeking Continual Professional Development (CPD).

This course is only available to enrolled students pursuing the full programme and is not open to single course students

Content

The purpose of this course is to provide the students with theoretical and practical tools to perform rational diagnostic work-up and clinical decision-making, and to extend the participants knowledge, personal skills and competences within the discipline of companion animal surgery. The course will provide the students with theoretical and practical competences within the fundamentals of soft-tissue surgery focusing on common abdominal (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal, splenic, urological), and ear, nose, and throat surgeries in primary and referral practice. The course addresses the principles of and uses a set of tools to assess the outcome of soft-tissue surgeries. As part of the responsibilities of the companion animal surgeon the course emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to, and management of, soft-tissue surgical patients, animal pain perception, and individually-tailored anaesthetic and analgesic management.

Learning Outcome

Having completed the course, the student must be able to:

Knowledge

  • Understand the aetiology, pathophysiology and clinical appearance of soft tissue surgical disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal, splenic, and urological conditions), as well as of the ear, nose, and throat common in primary and referral practice.
  • Understand the influence of surgical disorders of the gastrointestinal, urinary and upper respiratory system on the selection of anaesthesia and analgesia protocols.
  • Use and continue to develop common and typical techniques for selected surgical organ disease with focus on acute symptom relief.
  • Explain, reflect about, and discuss a problem-oriented and evidence-based work-up, treatment plan and prognostication for patients with surgical disease of the gastrointestinal, urinary and upper respiratory systems.
  • Define and identify relevant anatomical structures.
     

 Skills

  • Perform atraumatic advanced surgical techniques with particular emphasis on tissue handling and minimal invasive diagnostics in regard to disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal incl. sutured and stapled anastomoses, splenic, and urologic conditions), as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries common in primary and referral practice.  
  • Applying advanced surgical technologies such as surgical staplers, electrosurgery, laser surgery, harmonic scalpels.
  • Assess patients after surgery with focus on treatment effect, complications and prognosis.
     

 Competences

  • Evaluate, plan and manage a diagnostic work-up for a patient with a complex history within companion animal soft tissue surgery.
  • Plan more advanced therapy/procedures for companion animal soft tissue surgery patients in regard to disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal incl. sutured and stapled anastomoses, splenic, and urogenital conditions), as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries common in primary and referral practice.
  • Independently obtain, evaluate and elaborate on evidence based new knowledge within companion animal soft tissue surgery incl. ethical challenges.
  • Collaborate and communicate within and between specialist and non-specialist peers and laypersons involved in companion animal soft-tissue surgical patient management.

Updated literature lists will be posted 1 month prior to course start. The participant should have theoretical knowledge updated prior to participation.

Inclusion criteria for Master's Programme in Companion Animal Clinical Science: Degree in veterinary medicine and at least two years of relevant work experience.
A mixture of case-based and problem oriented lectures, e-learning, theoretical and practical exercises. Case-study work. Scientific literature.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 20
  • Preparation
  • 56
  • Practical exercises
  • 15
  • Exam
  • 50
  • Total
  • 141
Oral
Individual
Collective
Credit
5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio
Type of assessment details
The portfolio exam consists of two parts.

1) The course certificate, which supports, underpins, and focuses on the learning process (learning portfolio). All required components of the course certificate must be approved and include a) a minimum of 80% active participation, b) preparation and plenary discussion of theoretical clinical cases, c) an objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) and, d) a written assignment, in form of a selected case log.


2) A graded evaluation, which focuses on the intended learning outcomes (evaluation portfolio). The graded evaluation includes an exam with multiple-choice, short answer, and/or essay questions.
Exam registration requirements

Both, approved course certificate and a passed examination are required to pass the course. Students may attend examination without approval of course certificate.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

Exam dates will be published on the programme  homepage.

Re-exam

Re-examination will concern the themes that have not been passed.

Criteria for exam assesment

 

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student shall be able to:

Knowledge

  • Understand the aetiology, pathophysiology and clinical appearance of soft tissue surgical disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal, splenic, and urological conditions), as well as of the ear, nose, and throat common in primary and referral practice.
  • Understand the influence of surgical disorders of the gastrointestinal, urinary and upper respiratory system on the selection of anaesthesia and analgesia protocols.
  • Use and continue to develop common and typical techniques for selected surgical organ disease with focus on acute symptom relief.
  • Explain, reflect about, and discuss a problem-oriented and evidence-based work-up, treatment plan and prognostication for patients with surgical disease of the gastrointestinal, urinary and upper respiratory systems.
  • Define and identify relevant anatomical structures.
     

 Skills

  • Perform atraumatic advanced surgical techniques with particular emphasis on tissue handling and minimal invasive diagnostics in regard to disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal incl. sutured and stapled anastomoses, splenic, and urologic conditions), as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries common in primary and referral practice.  
  • Applying advanced surgical technologies such as surgical staplers, electrosurgery, laser surgery, harmonic scalpels.
  • Assess patients after surgery with focus on treatment effect, complications and prognosis.
     

 Competences

  • Evaluate, plan and manage a diagnostic work-up for a patient with a complex history within companion animal soft tissue surgery.
  • Plan more advanced therapy/procedures for companion animal soft tissue surgery patients in regard to disorders of the abdomen (abdominal wall, gastro-intestinal incl. sutured and stapled anastomoses, splenic, and urogenital conditions), as well as ear, nose, and throat surgeries common in primary and referral practice.
  • Independently obtain, evaluate and elaborate on evidence based new knowledge within companion animal soft tissue surgery incl. ethical challenges.
  • Collaborate and communicate within and between specialist and non-specialist peers and laypersons involved in companion animal soft-tissue surgical patient management.