Clinics

 

 

 

 

 

Clinical Researchjkjk

As a clinician scientist and large animal internal medicine specialist, Dr. Katie Sheats is interested in clinical research that can help diagnose, treat and prevent disease in horses. Her current clinical interest is to identify new biomarkers of intestinal ischemia in horses with colic. The goal of this research is to develop a diagnostic tool that could one day help veterinarians accurately identify which horses with colic have intestinal strangulation.

 

Clinical Education

NC State College of Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Sheats implemented the innovative Equine Primary Care (EPC) fourth year clinical rotation that is a hybrid model of campus- and community-based clinical training. This four week program provides students with an initial one week of intensive clinical experience in equine primary care training focused on technical and communication skills and a three-week-long community-based clinical training with a NCSU CVM approved equine primary care practice. Students get the opportunity to see a variety of primary care cases from CVM staff and faculty owned horses, state owned horses, and horses from non-profit organizations including; vaccinations, physical examinations, dentistry, lameness, imaging, nasogastric intubation, pre-purchase examinations, and field surgery. This program provides students with outcome assessments and real-time objective feedback from Dr. Sheats as well as from the veterinarian at their equine primary care practice. During the final three weeks, students are exposed to a general equine primary care practice where they learn to examine cases, discuss differentials, provide treatment plans, perform treatments, and provide client communication.

As part of this program Dr. Sheats has formed partnerships with over ten regional equine practices that serve as clinical community-based learning sites. As coordinator of the Equine Primary Care Program, Dr. Sheats has been working with these equine private practice veterinarians to establish “best practices” for training equine focused veterinary students through a university-private practice partnership. Dr. Sheats conducts educational studies relevant to veterinary student communication training and competency tracking during distributive preceptorships. She has surveyed students on various aspects of their rotation experience with these practices.  Please view the poster links below for more information.

Student Perspectives on a Newly Implemented Community-Based Model of Clinical Training in Equine Primary Care

Development of a Capstone Assessment Instrument for Evaluation of Fourth Year Veterinary Student History and Physical Examination Skills

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