As the fourth week of the semester begins, the 120 students of the Class of 2013 have each completed three clinical rotation experiences. The feedback from students about the new Illinois Integrated Veterinary Professional Curriculum has been overwhelmingly positive.

Three mornings a week the students meet as a group for an hourlong colloquium on topics ranging from biosecurity to veterinary careers to client grief. Then they disperse to more than 20 clinical areas, from anesthesiology to shelter medicine to the dairy. Many are paired with fourth-year students for peer learning; sometimes the first years must arrive at 7 am to help SOAP cases or return at night to check the maternity pens.

Every student is using the new Clinical Skills Learning Center, which provides a safe learning environment featuring the latest in hands-on equipment and models. Students are tracking the skills they learn and the cases they participate in via a new software program developed for human medical education. The software compiles a portfolio that documents individual learning experiences for each student.

I’ll continue to provide reports as the academic year progresses. For now, kudos to the students—in the first and fourth years—and to the faculty and staff who are making this exciting program a reality.--Herb