The clinical year of the LMU-CVM veterinary program includes semesters 7 and 8 of the curriculum with 48 weeks of clinical experience. These 48 weeks are comprised of 20 weeks of Foundation rotations, and 28 weeks of elective rotations. Additionally, there are 3 weeks allotted to the NAVLE® Block .and 4 weeks allotted to aNAVLE Prep block. The final week of the clinical year is Commencement Week that is held on the LMU campus prior to commencement.
Clinical courses are classified as delivering Foundation or elective curriculum. Foundation curriculum courses are required and assigned by the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach and cannot be changed by the student. Clinical year core curriculum is provided at Foundation Instructional Sites where LMU-CVM faculty oversee students (CVM 773/774 & CVM 778/779). In addition, clinical year foundation curriculum is provided at Foundation Instructional Sites (FIS) by trained clinical site personnel with additional support and oversight by LMU-CVM employees (Hub Liaisons, Course Mentors and the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach). FISs deliver foundation curriculum in small animal general practice and specialty/referral rotations (CVM 770 & CVM 771 and CVM 770E & CVM771E when these sites are electives). A list of clinical affiliate locations delivering foundation curriculum is found in Medtrics and designated as “FIS” in the site title.
Clinical year elective courses total 28 weeks. Elective rotations must be either 4 weeks, except for externships. Students may schedule two 2-week externships into one 4-week block. Longer rotations are possible with approval by the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach. Students are NOT permitted to schedule more than 4 weeks at any one general practice location (CVM770). Dates for elective rotations proposed by students must align with the LMU-CVM clinical year calendar.
Syllabi for clinical year courses are available on The clinical year of the LMU-CVM veterinary program includes semesters 7 and 8 of the curriculum with 48weeks of clinical experience. These 48 weeks are comprised of 20 weeks of Foundation rotations, and 28 weeks of elective rotations. Additionally, there are 3 weeks allotted to the NAVLE® Block .and 4 weeks allotted to a NAVLE Prep block. The final week of the clinical year is Commencement Week that is held on the LMU campus prior to commencement.
Clinical courses are classified as delivering Foundation or elective curriculum. Foundation curriculum courses are required and assigned by the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach and cannot be changed by the student. Clinical year core curriculum is provided at Foundation Instructional Sites where LMU-CVM faculty oversee students (CVM 773/774 & CVM 778/779). In addition, clinical year foundation curriculum is provided at Foundation Instructional Sites (FIS) by trained clinical site personnel with additional support and oversight by LMU-CVM employees (Hub Liaisons, Course Mentors and the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach). FISs deliver foundation curriculum in small animal general practice and specialty/referral rotations (CVM 770 & CVM 771 and CVM 770E & CVM771E when these sites are electives). A list of clinical affiliate locations delivering foundation curriculum is found in Medtrics and designated as “FIS” in the site title.
Clinical year elective courses total 28 weeks. Elective rotations must be either 4 weeks, except for externships. Students may schedule two 2-week externships into one 4-week block. Longer rotations are possible with approval by the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach. Students are NOT permitted to schedule more than 4 weeks at any one general practice location (CVM770). Dates for elective rotations proposed by students must align with the LMU-CVM clinical year calendar.
SUMMARY – 52-week year
48 weeks of evaluated clinical year experiences
Clinical Year Curriculum:
Foundation Curriculum – all students take
Foundation Instructional Sites – LMU-CVM faculty supervise students (12 weeks)
- CVM 773 – Diagnostic Medicine | Pathology | Foundations (2 weeks) *
- CVM 774 – Large Animal | LMU-CVM DVTC | Foundations (2 weeks)*
- CVM 778 – Diagnostic Medicine | Radiology (Virtual) | Foundations (2 weeks)**
- CVM 779 – Diagnostic Medicine | Clinical Pathology (Virtual) | Foundations (2 weeks)**
- CVM 776 – NAVLE Preparation Rotation – Mandatory for all students (4 weeks)
*CVM 773 and CVM 774 are taken together to fulfill one 4-week block.
**CVM 778 and CVM 779 are taken together to fulfill one 4 week block.
Foundation Instructional Sites – LMU-CVM Clinical Sites visited and trained locations (8 weeks)
- CVM 770 - Small Animal General Practice Foundations (4 weeks)
- CVM 771 – Small Animal Specialty/Referral Practice Foundations (4 weeks)
NAVLE® block (3 weeks)
CVM 776 NAVLE® Administration (3 weeks)
Launch Week (1 week)
CVM 777 Clinical Year Assessment (1 week)
ELECTIVES
Electives (28 Weeks)
CVM 780 – Elective Clinical Rotation (4 weeks)
CVM 770E – Elective General Practice Rotation taken at an FIS site (4 weeks)
CVM 771E – Elective Specialty Practice Rotation taken at an FIS site (4 weeks)
CVM 781SPE – Student Proposed Elective Clinical Rotation (2 weeks)
CVM 780SPE – Student Proposed Elective Clinical Rotation (4 weeks)
Externships
Up to two 2-week externships may be taken in place of one four-week clinical year elective. Externships dates must align with the LMU-CVM clinical block schedule in order to be considered as a possible clinical year experience for students.
Elective Rotation and Externship Proposal Process
Elective course sites may be proposed in any discipline, in any facility, which meets LMU-CVM clinical site criteria. A list of pre-approved elective course sites are found in Medtrics™. Students are encouraged to schedule elective clinical courses in a variety of sites to further explore career opportunities and to further build confidence in areas of professional interest. If an elective course site is not pre-approved (not found in Medtrics™), the elective course site may be submitted to the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach (OCRO) by the student for approval. The procedure to have an elective course site approved by LMU-CVM is described elsewhere. A minimum of 90 days is required prior to scheduling for students to have an elective course site approved by the OCRO. Students should seek permission from elective course site for multiple clinical year blocks to be approved in order to increase the likelihood of the student being scheduled at the site during the scheduling process. Numerous veterinary facilities are listed on Medtrics™ that have been previously approved, but that require students to apply directly to the site. These are designated in Medtrics™ by “Student Must Apply.”
Options for elective distributive clinical courses include:
- Elective clinical course sites - These rotations may include experiences in zoo medicine, wildlife, oncology, nutrition, behavior, avian/exotics, cardiology, dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, rehabilitation, theriogenology, nuclear medicine, additional core clinical courses, chiropractic, holistic, porcine, poultry, small ruminant, camelids, equine surgery, corporate practice back office, marine aquarium, fish, government roles, animal law, regulatory, public health, research, association leadership, or other subject that meets the student’s career objectives,
- International Rotations - Students in good standing may, with the permission of the Associate Dean of Clinical Relations and Outreach, schedule elective distributive international clinical courses for up to 8 weeks. The supervising veterinarian must be licensed and in good standing within the host country. Students are solely responsible for obtaining appropriate visa and immunizations or other requirements, including, but not limited to, veterinary liability insurance and personal health insurance. International clinical courses must be approved by the Office of Clinical Relations and Outreach at least 60 days in advance,
- Research Elective Course- Students will conduct scholarly research under the supervision of a faculty member. Projects may be related to the basic sciences, clinical sciences, or to an environmental health issue involving veterinary medicine. Multiple 4-week elective blocks may be scheduled for research. The course must be approved by the Associate Dean of Clinical Relations and Outreach.
- Competitive application electives – Students may refer to the LMU-CVM Clinical Site menu or other references for competitive opportunities through such organizations as the USDA, Smithsonian, various zoos, AVMA, and others. Approval by the Associate Dean of Clinical Relations and Outreach is required prior to submitting applications. Because curricular requirements must be met in order to graduate, meeting curricular requirements takes precedence during the scheduling process.
Capstone Project
A minimum of two (2) of the student’s clinical year rotations take place at foundation instructional sites, each one being 4 weeks in duration. These two rotations will require the completion of a Capstone Project.* The Capstone topics are varied and can include subjects such as a detailed case report, an analysis of data collected on a particular set of cases, etc., (refer to the Capstone Examples list at the end of this section, as well as the specific core course syllabi, for further information). It may be verbal (such as a presentation, with or without handouts or a PowerPoint) or written. A rubric for evaluating the Capstone is available for students to review on Medtrics.