The Department of Physiological Sciences is heavily involved in the first and second-year Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program, teaching many didact systems level classes before clinical courses. In addition, many of the faculty are involved in the Linda F. Hayward Florida Veterinary Scholars Program (previously the Florida Veterinary Scholars Program), which provides an opportunity for veterinary students to engage in hypothesis-driven research over a 10-12 week period. For UF students, this happens between the 1st and 2nd years. The mission is to expose veterinary students to career opportunities in biomedical research.
Courses taught in the DVM curriculum
VEM 5101 Veterinary Gross Anatomy, Small Animal – 4 credits.
Gross anatomy of organ systems in companion animals.
VEM 5110 Animal Systems I – 7 credits.
Anatomy, physiology, and physiological chemistry of animal organ systems. Representative pathologic phenomena are also covered.
VEM 5111 Animal Systems II – 7 credits.
Continuation of Animal Systems I. VEM 5110 is a prerequisite to VEM 5111.
VEM 5112 Animal Systems III – 7 credits.
Continuation of Animal Systems II. VEM 5111 is a prerequisite to VEM 5112.
VEM 5171 Veterinary Pharmacology – 3 credits.
Introduction to general principles of pharmacology, with emphasis on selected classes of drugs that are used commonly in veterinary therapeutics, including mechanisms of action, adverse effects, indications for use as well as species–related differences in drug actions and restrictions.
VEM 5172 Veterinary Toxicology – 1 credit.
Principles of toxicology and mechanisms of antidotal therapy.
VEM 5176 Poisonous Plants – 1 credit.
The course is designed to expose students to the problems of plants poisonous to domestic animals, especially livestock and other farm animals. Emphasis will be placed on identification of plants from slides, dried specimens and live specimens presented during lecture and discussion periods. One outside lab periods will be scheduled. Students will become familiar with the general clinical signs of poisoning, postmortem lesions, species of animal most commonly affected, conditions of poisoning, and the toxic principle.
