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Unit of Study VBIO1004 - Anatomy and Physiology 4 (2026)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    Students must have completed all units in Year 1 AND AHWIL-1 (2 weeks) before enrolling in this unit. 1. To pass the unit, students must submit all assessment tasks. 2. Attendance: It is important to recognise the relationship between attendance, participation, student success and retention. Please take advantage of all classes and engagement activities as it will increase your opportunity for learning, progression in the course, and success as a veterinarian. For units with practicals and other learning activities that directly relate to developing AVBC day one competencies that are required for veterinary accreditation, attendance is required. These will be identified within each unit and attendance requirements clearly communicated to students.

Unit description

This unit provides students with core training in the structure and function of animals’ centralised body control systems. Students will develop an understanding of the architecture of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, individually and as an integrated neurological control system. Neurophysiology training will help them understand how nerves conduct signals and how these are used by the animal for coordinated control. Similarly, this unit will describe the various endocrine organs, and how they interact with each other and the nervous system through the action of hormones to effect body control. Students will also become familiar with the anatomy of special sensory organs, particularly the eye and ear, and how form and function combine to create sensory inputs for the animal. The unit will also define the physical components of the immune system, focussing on the lymphatics network, to complement training in immunology in other units.

Unit content

  1. Introduction to control systems
  2. Central nervous systems
  3. Peripheral and autonomic nervous systems
  4. Special senses
  5. Endocrine system
  6. Immune system

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2026

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

identify and describe the core components of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, and explain the neurophysiological processes that conduct signals as a process of centralised nervous control

identify and describe the core components of the endocrine system, and explain how hormonal signalling is used as a process of centralised endocrine control

identify and describe the anatomical components of the immune system, and explain how these work together to effect immunological protection of animals' bodies

reflect on how each of the components of each of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems work together towards homeostasis and normal functionality in animals.