Veterinary Clinical Sciences
The Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (VCS) is the largest
department in WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. It is organized into
four divisions-small animal; equine; food animal including population
medicine, epidemiology, and theriogenology; and clinical support services
including radiology, anesthesiology, clinical pathology, and others. Within
each division are two or more sections which are organized by specific
discipline, e.g., medicine and surgery. The department teaches clinical
subjects including medicine, surgery, radiology, anesthesiology, animal
reproduction, and clinical pathology.
The academic
staff is forty faculty and fifteen interns and residents. They are
responsible for teaching about sixty percent of the D.V.M. curriculum
including a majority of the third- and fourth-year classes. The "laboratory"
in which much of this instruction takes place is the Veterinary Teaching
Hospital. In the hospital environment, students are introduced to the
practical aspects of the clinical disciplines. The teaching hospital also is
the part of the college the general public most frequently equates with the
WSU College of Veterinary Medicine. The hospital provides around-the-clock,
fee-based veterinary services for the general public and acts as a
veterinary referral center for practitioners in the Pacific Northwest and
western Canadian provinces.
The
department is committed to excellence in diagnosis, treatment, and
management of clinical problems. To accomplish this, VCS utilizes the most
sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic technology. As well as teaching,
VCS faculty conduct research to enhance current knowledge regarding disease
causes, diagnosis, and treatment. Some researchers perform these activities
in classic laboratory settings, whereas others utilize case material,
literature reviews, and experiences gained in the course of managing large
numbers of a particular patient type. The department's research activities
tend to be of an applied clinical nature. Specific strengths in recent years
have been developed in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors and
neurological problems in dogs,
investigation of field disease problems affecting
herds and flocks, the passive transfer of immunity, and equine exercise
physiology.
