Student Rotation
One of the most popular rotations offered, the Koret Shelter Medicine Student Training Rotation allows fourth-year veterinary students hands-on experience with High-Quality, High-Volume Spay and Neuter (HQHVSN) while helping expand access to care to northern California communities and reducing the number of unaltered, free-roaming cats.
Most animals entering California shelters need to be spayed or neutered before they can be returned to their home or adopted into a new one. But increasingly, shelters no longer have access to a veterinarian on staff or in the community to fill that need.
The Koret Shelter Medicine Program Student Training Rotation located at UC Davis’s Center for Companion Animal Health is meeting the demand through partnerships with northern California animal organizations. Under the watchful eye of an expert shelter medicine veterinarian and two highly-skilled registered veterinary technicians, fourth-year veterinary students learn the ins and outs of running a veterinary clinic, performing physical exams, working with fractious cats, and completing spay/neuter surgery, diagnostics, and pre- and post-operative care.
“As a graduate, I cannot over-emphasize how important it is to ensure funding for Koret’s Student Training Program to continue providing this fantastic learning opportunity.”
Shelter Rotation Alumna
During a two-week clinical rotation, students will perform an average of 25 surgeries and learn how population and health management in a shelter environment differs from private practice – all while meeting a core surgery requirement for graduation from the School of Veterinary Medicine.
The partnership is a win-win for California communities and the university, but the animals are the ultimate beneficiaries. Students perform over 1,100 spay/neuter surgeries on cats and dogs waiting for a new home or hoping to be returned to their habitat through a Trap Neuter Return (TNR) program, the only proven feline management strategy for outdoor cats. Currently, this program offers the only TNR support available in Yolo County.
“The best part of my job is witnessing how many students are positively impacted by their time on the shelter medicine and high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter rotation,” said Dr. Stacy Kraus, DVM, a KSMP clinical instructor. “By the time they’ve completed the rotation they understand the massive impact a shelter veterinarian has in their community.”
Students attest to the program’s value. “The difference just two weeks made in my surgical exposure and skill is incredible,” said a recent graduate. “Shelter Medicine was one of the best rotations I had the privilege of taking.”
UC Davis SVM Student Shelter Medicine Club
Are you a current student at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine? Join the club! Check out the Shelter Medicine Club Instagram for the latest goings-on.
