Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science

Overview

Having set the example in the UK veterinary medicine scene of practical, hands on, learning, the university of Nottingham will offer you the most extreme of this approach. Based on its own ‘Sutton Bonington’ Campus in the outskirts of Nottingham with its own, nearby working dairy farm and a plethora of clinical facilities such as a working teaching hospital on site, Nottingham veterinary school take practical learning a step further by introducing you to clinical examples and settings from day one so if you are keen hands-on learner then Nottingham is the place to be. In addition, this campus is the location of the majority of Nottingham’s animal and
agricultural science courses making it a fantastic centre for research thus allowing you to immerse yourself in various scientific projects.

Key Points

• Day one clinical
• Relaxed on grades
• Two intakes

Insider’s Guide to Nottingham Veterinary School from Tetiana T, Nottingham Veterinary Student

What makes Nottingham unique to other veterinary schools?

Nottingham definitely has the most practical course out of all of the other universities. You start gaining clinical exposure from your very first weeks. I find this aspect extremely helpful. It is a brilliant way to engage with the information that you are learning in lectures, and gradually start to apply it to clinical situations. For example, when learning about the anatomy of the forelimb, we would consolidate our knowledge by following content up with dissections. Being able to see the muscles and bones and understand where they are in 3D space is so helpful for learning anatomy. By the time that I have finished my first year, I will know how to do so many things that other vet schools only start teaching students during their clinical third years. It is a massive advantage. You start learning dissection techniques, clinical procedures, and animal handling skills immediately. For instance, I’m only on my eighth week of teaching, but we are already being exposed to MRI scans – something that a lot of vets may struggle with in practic! So by the time that you finally reach your clinical years, you have a head-start above everybody else. You get so much practice at doing things like reading MRI scans, that you gradually start getting the hang of it. And by the time that you graduate, you are more proficient at it than somebody who has had only two years to practice it.

GAMSAT Online Course

GAMSAT Video Tutorials, Books and Questions

Join now£69

Course Structure at Nottingham Veterinary School

Year 1 at Nottingham Veterinary School

The main modules taught this year are the neuromuscular system and circulatory and respiratory systems, alongside animal health and welfare.

Year 2 at Nottingham Veterinary School

Year 2 has a similar structure to Year 1, which the modules taught being the endocrine and integument system, urogenital system, and gastrointestinal system.

Year 3 at Nottingham Veterinary School

The year begins with a short research project, followed by the beginning of clinical teaching.

Year 4 at Nottingham Veterinary School

A year of clinical teaching, which immediately leads onto the 5^th year when clinical rotations begin.

Year 5 at Nottingham Veterinary School

An entire year of clinical rotations and elective weeks at the very end. There are no lectures during this academic year!

Teaching Style at Nottingham Veterinary School

What is the general teaching style at Nottingham? E.g. is it PBL/Traditional? etc.

Nottingham utilises a variety of teaching methods to ensure a holistic delivery of content. The main chunk of the content is delivered through a mixture of online and in-person lectures, all of which are recorded and always accessible to students. Other content is introduced through self-directed learning (SDL). This usually involves you being given a PowerPoint with guidance on what you need to learn. I have found the SDLs to be an absolutely brilliant way to develop my time management and research skills. As a graduate, you will regularly come across cases for which you may need to find more information. By developing these research skills early on, Nottingham vet students become very proficient at independently finishing their own resources out in practice. Furthermore, you get used to not having the answers given to you immediately, getting you used to uncertainty. This develops confidence in your own knowledge, ensuring that you can make decisions and trust yourself in the future.

Now onto one of my favourite parts of the course – the practicals. We have a minimum of one practical each week – it’s usually two or three! This is used to consolidate knowledge of anatomy, imaging techniques, as well as learn clinical skills. Small group teaching is used to consolidate and deepen our knowledge of what we learn throughout the week, as well as improve awareness of ethics and topical issues. This is a brilliant way to meet people and develop your ability to communicate effectively with each other. Finally, regular workshops and wrap-up sessions are opportunities to consolidate the content on an almost weekly basis. These tend to be interactive and Q&A sessions with a fun Kahoot to mix things up!

Does Nottingham offer dissection?

Yes, answered in other questions.

Does Nottingham offer a BSc? If so, how is the BSc year?

Nottingham offers an opportunity to intercalate in a second degree after the third year of teaching. This second degree is a teaching course that runs alongside the vet school. As a teaching student, you are given opportunities to help teaching staff during sessions such as practicals, giving you a direct experience of working with students. This is a brilliant degree to intercalate in for anybody who may be interested in working in teaching in the future. Vet students also say it is a great break away from the difficult workload of the main course!

What is the pre-clinical / clinical split like? Do you get early clinical exposure?

Answered in questions about what makes this university unique.

Social Life at Nottingham Veterinary School

What are the clubs and societies like?

Despite Sutton Bonington (SB) being a 30 minutes bus ride away from the main campus in Nottingham’s city centre, there is still plenty to do on campus! There are a variety of societies and sports clubs dedicated solely to students studying on SB. My favourite is climbing. It’s a brilliant way to both enjoy yourself and meet so many new people! Unfortunately, there aren’t quite as many sports clubs at SB as there are on the main campus. This can prove to be a bit tricky for people who want to participate in competitive sports that only run on the main campus. Some people decide to live in the accommodation there instead, despite it meaning that they have to travel to lectures every day. Otherwise, getting from SB to the main campus is very easy – you can even do some work on the bus!

What is the social life like?

As I’m not somebody who enjoys clubbing or partying, I wouldn’t be able to comment on what that aspect of the social life on SB looks like! What’s great, is that if you’re someone like me, there are still social events to get involved in that don’t involve drinking or loud music. The campus regularly hosts dining evenings, pub quizzes, movie nights, games evenings, and much more. There’s something to get involved in for everyone! The vet school also runs several veterinary societies. The one I’m most active in is the Surgical Society. And it’s awesome! I’ve only been to a few sessions so far, but I have learnt how to correctly use equipment, suturing techniques, and even got to practice my new skills on some pork bellies! It’s a brilliant society to get involved in if you’re interested in surgery like I am.

FAQs