Just over halfway . . .

Well. The first year is just over halfway done, so a few thoughts on the end of the first term and the beginning of the second. The pace picked up incredibly over the last four weeks of the first term, and it hasn't really let up since then. We went from the nice easy "overview" of each system, to the alimentary system, which definitely stepped things up a notch, both in quantity and detail of information. I guess I can understand that - the majority of this second term is focusing on ingestion, digestion, and the development of the associated organs.

One of the really nice things that happens here at the RVC, which I touched on very briefly in my introduction, is the integration of core concepts into practice. For example, as part of this second term (the Alimentary Strand), we've had two lectures over the past two weeks that were very clinical in nature. The first was on a condition called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI), and tied in nicely with the lectures on digestion and absorption of nutrients (since EPI is primarily a disorder of absorption); while the second should be instantly familiar to anyone who has worked at a vet practice: diarrhea (or, as they spell it here, diarrhoea). So not only are we getting the basic sciences, but we see instantly how they will apply in our future practice, which really underscores the importance of solid understanding.

I think that the part of this course which might be the hardest to get your mind around, as a North American student, is the assessment system. I come from a similar background to most of you: four or five classes a term, three to five exams per class, regular quizzes, maybe a paper or two; plus associated laboratory grades. From stories you've no doubt heard from your friends at vet school in the US/Canada, things aren't much different. Nope. Not at RVC. Our entire first term (remember, that's 11 weeks and 6 subjects) was assessed on the basis of 30 multiple choice questions (MCQ). To call this surprising would be a major understatement. To call it easy would be a major mistake. However, on the whole, the system is terribly fair (e.g., the term one exam was only worth 5% of our year end grade, the term 2 exam is shorter, and only worth 2.5% - the bulk of our year grade, 85%, comes from the exams in June/July).

We're assessed based on five methods: MCQ, problem solving, essay, SPOT, and ISF. The first three are probably second nature to most of us. MCQ is just like back home - although the questions tend more towards the generalities, and you might be presented with something you've never seen before -they want to see if you can work it out based on the knowledge that you do have; so the key is to parse out the key phrases and concepts that you know - the answer will almost always be discernable based on that. Problem solving is an extended short answer question, based on an image or a chart or something related. You'll need to identify the key to the problem, and then answer five to seven questions based on that identification, demonstrating that you've grasped the key associated concepts. Essay - it's an essay, although you do need to cram a lot of detail into a short amount of time. The SPOT is just like a lab practical back home - 30 stations, 2-3 minutes at each station, identify the specimen and answer a few questions about it. Each of these exams is worth a percentage of the year end grade, and if you're comfortable with the material, are challenging but not impossible. The one that is probably the hardest for most North American students is the viva, or oral exam. I'll talk about that next time - I've got a tutorial session on it tomorrow.