Companion Animal Cardiology – Applied Clinical Cardiology

Lectures, e-learning, theoretical and practical exercises. Case-study work.

Having completed the course, the student must be able to:
 
Knowledge

• Define, identify and discuss veterinary methodology and paraclinical tools in systematised reflective clinical decision making in companion animal clinical practice specifically within clinical cardiology.
• Explain the pathophysiologic mechanism involved in cardiac remodelling and development of congestive heart failure in the companion animal cardiology patient.
• Explain, reflect about and demonstrate overview of systematic clinical approach to the companion animal cardiovascular patient at an advanced level.
• List appropriate differential diagnoses according to the signs of cardiovascular diseases and the development of disease.

 
Skills

• Apply the quantitative and qualitative methodologies such as performing and applying clinical cardiovascular examination and assess cardiovascular size and function and tools as well as master relevant skills such as auscultation, clinical ECG, thoracic radiology and conventional trans-thoracic echocardiography.
• Interpret, assess and reflect on collected patient data in order to localize the lesion and cause of cardiovascular disease.
• Discriminate between cardiac and non-cardiac disorders, discriminate between heart disease and left/right congestive heart failure.
• Make clinical decisions, arrive at a diagnosis and consider evidence based scientific approaches in order to plan and administer further appropriate diagnostics, patient therapy and management.
• Communicate effectively in writing and pass on results to relevant parties.

 
Competences

• Evaluate companion animal diseases within clinical cardiology.
• Educate owners of chronic cardiovascular patients concerning long-term medical treatment.
• Work independently, take responsibility for, predict, prognosticate and make decisions within clinical cardiology at an advanced basic level.
• Independently evaluate and structure own learning processes and continuously obtain new knowledge at a specialty level within clinical cardiology.
• Use relevant scientific literature in the field.
• Evaluate different patient types combining the above achieved skills.

You must meet the following criteria to be admitted to this course: 

• Hold a degree in Veterinary Medicine.
• Hold one of the following certifications:
  • DVA Certificate in Small Animal Diseases (equivalent to the 4 compulsory courses of the Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science).
  • Swedish / Norwegian / Finnish specialist in diseases of dogs and cats.
  • Equivalent competences.
• Have a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience from companion animal practice.
• Be proficient in English.

Find detailed information about the formal requirements for this course.

The course responsible at the specialisation track in Companion Animal Cardiology is:

Associate Professor Jørgen Koch, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Section for Surgery, Neurology and Cardiology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.