Following the Threads: 5 Things To Know About NC State’s New Veterinary Curriculum

Ask new NC State DVM students what they’re most excited about in veterinary school, and it’s unlikely their responses would include the phrase “competency-based veterinary education curriculum.”

However, they would probably voice how excited they are to become knowledgeable, empathetic and capable veterinarians, and, on a fundamental level, that’s the same answer.

This fall, members of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 2028 are the first students to experience a reworked curriculum that strengthens their veterinary training by restructuring course material and improving its integration and application.

The new curriculum — a product of five years of collaboration among faculty, staff and members of the veterinary community — consists of five threads, or course blocks, centered on distinct themes. Each thread builds upon the other in a structure called a spiral curriculum, giving students the opportunity to revisit and deepen their learning as they move through the DVM program.

What else has changed? Here’s a short overview.

1. The core material is still there — it’s just more integrated.

This reorganization of course material improves students’ abilities to make connections in health and wellness across species and translate classroom lessons into hands-on learning.

Instead of taking dozens of individual courses, students follow their five thread units throughout the DVM program and build lasting bonds with the instructors who teach within each thread.

The threads are Animal Health and Disease, which covers the fundamentals of medicine and wellness for multiple species; Becoming a Professional, where students learn the business, communication and leadership skills necessary to work with clients and clinical teams; Exams and Interventions, which teaches the animal handling, clinical and surgical skills essential for patient care; Form and Function, which covers anatomy, body systems and animal behavior and how they change under healthy and diseased conditions; and Integrated Applications, where students use clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills to inform diagnoses and treatment plans.

Dr. Amy Snyder, an assistant clinical professor and co-leader of the Becoming a Professional Thread, says this curriculum structure aligns with the competency-based education model, an approach established in human medicine and championed by the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

“We’re aiming to give students the skills that they need to enter the workplace or into additional training opportunities upon graduation,” Snyder says. “We’ve worked hard to organize the material so that it isn’t being taught in a silo — because clinical care of patients isn’t a silo.”

2. Students put their learning into practice sooner.

The new curriculum structure encourages students to apply their learning from classrooms and labs into clinical settings earlier, forging stronger connections between what they read in a textbook and how patients present in a hospital. 

During students’ pre-clinical years, that practical aspect takes the form of simulations, case studies and working with animals under faculty supervision.

 “The book learning is very, very important, and it’s going to stick with you,” says Dr. Jen Turner, assistant teaching professor and co-leader of the Exams and Interventions thread. “But the things that you do with your hands and the ways you interact with your patients are going to be more of your day-in, day-out work after graduation.”

The updated curriculum also incorporates a preceptorship, a required four-week work experience, at the beginning of year three. Working with a partner veterinarian in the field boosts students’ aptitude and confidence as their careers develop, says Dr. Katie Sheats, architect of the new curriculum and newly appointed associate dean and director of professional education and admissions.

“The preceptorship also helps the college celebrate the value of collaboration in DVM student training, specifically with veterinarians outside of our campus,” Sheats says. “We, as educators, will get feedback from people who take our students as preceptors, and that will help to better inform the educational opportunities that we provide.”

3. Focus Areas have been streamlined and renamed.

During the spring semester of their second year, students declare an area of interest to concentrate their studies, similar to an undergraduate major. The former Focus Areas included 10 options covering animal groups and medical specialties.

The new curriculum dubs these selections Species Priority Areas, which are Small Animal, Farm Animal, Mixed Animal, Equine, and Zoological and Laboratory Animal Health. This structure better consolidates course material and relates it specifically to the animal populations of student interest.

“You can love horses and want to be a pathologist,” Snyder says. “You can love zoological species and want to do research. We’re giving everyone the same basic information and opportunities to learn about the types of animals that they’re interested in while also applying that career lens.”

4. Students still choose their own adventure, with mentor support.

The new curriculum continues to offer students options to personalize their courses and experiential opportunities.

In addition to selecting their Species Priority Area and preceptorship location, trainees can immerse themselves in a wealth of electives, selectives — weeklong, end-of-semester specialized courses — and clinical rotations. They are also encouraged to join over two dozen student-run organizations and take advantage of externships at outside veterinary practices to bring their learning community context.

Whatever students choose, the curriculum’s spiral structure is designed to bolster them holistically and academically.

“If for some reason students aren’t hitting curricular milestones, there are opportunities for remediation so we can bring them back up to speed,” says Dr. April Kedrowicz, associate professor of communication and co-leader of the Becoming a Professional Thread. “I think that is so important for students’ well-being, growth mindsets and self-compassion.”

5. The college community has embraced the new structure.

Adjusting to the widespread change a new curriculum brings can be a challenge, but by all accounts the college community has welcomed the transformation.

“I was very excited about revamping and expanding the clinical reasoning portion of the curriculum,” says Dr. Chris Mariani, professor of veterinary neurology and neurosurgery and Integrated Applications thread leader. “When I was going to vet school, we didn’t have any real courses that focused on that. I’m already getting comments from students about how excited they are to learn how to think like a doctor.”

The transition was made easier because so many people from different disciplines were involved in developing the curriculum, Kedrowicz says.

In addition, faculty members walked the first-year students through the new curriculum at orientation. Giovanna Hutchins says knowing what to expect from her courses made acclimating to vet school a breeze.

Within the first weeks of class, she realized she was already relating challenging course material from her Form and Function classes, which can cover limb anatomy across five species, to everyday life: “After having all these muscle labs, I’d see dogs walking around and realize what muscles they were using,” she says, laughing.