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Unit of Study VETS2013 - Veterinary Professionalism and Communication 2 (2026)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    BVetTech Students: must have completed all units in Year 2 AND VTWIL-2 (4 weeks) before enrolling in this unit. BVetMed Students: must have completed all units in Year 2 and AHWIL-2 (8 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 or veterinary technologist. For units with practicals and other learning activities that directly relate to developing AVBC day one competencies that are required for veterinary accreditation, additionally VNCA day one competencies required for AVNAT registration, attendance is required. These will be identified within each unit and attendance requirements clearly communicated to students.

Unit description

This unit builds on foundational veterinary professionalism, communication, and ethics, advancing students’ understanding of the legislative and regulatory frameworks essential for veterinary practice. Students will explore the development of a professional ethical identity and the application of these principles within veterinary business and leadership contexts. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and workshops, students will examine the legislative requirements for veterinary public health, regulated diseases, and the professional standards that guide veterinarians’ responsibilities. Key topics include interpreting and implementing veterinary laws, ethical decision-making, leadership in veterinary practice, and the integration of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM) into clinical practice. Students will be introduced to the principles of veterinary business, focusing on management, financial sustainability, and the ethical considerations of practice ownership. Assessment tasks will require students to critically analyse cases that involve ethical dilemmas, regulatory compliance, and leadership challenges. A reflective task will enable students to assess their professional development, while a group presentation will explore veterinary business solutions. The final exam will assess students’ understanding of regulatory frameworks and leadership principles. By the end of this unit, students will be able to demonstrate professional and ethical work practices, apply regulatory requirements, and communicate effectively in perse professional contexts, preparing them for leadership roles in the veterinary field.

Unit content

  1. Evidence based veterinary medicine 2
  2. Veterinary leadership and professional ethical identity
  3. Sustainable veterinary business management and financial management
  4. Legislation and regulation (module 1)
  5. Legislation and regulation (module 2)
  6. Introduction to practitioner roles in EAD management

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:

synthesise evidence from a range of peer-reviewed sources, clinical guidelines, and case-specific factors to support clinical reasoning for management of veterinary cases through critical evaluation of the applicability and quality of the evidence while justifying decisions with clear, logical reasoning

explore principles of veterinary leadership, sustainable veterinary business and personal finances, including a basic understanding organisational systems, human and physical resource management, performance indicators, occupational health and safety, knowledge management and quality control

discuss legislative requirements, regulations, government mandated protocols and guidelines and industry best practice guidelines as they relate to veterinary practice, animal welfare, animal management, biosecurity, EAD management, WHS, racing integrity, anti-discrimination, environmental protection and fair trading

demonstrate professional, ethical, inclusive and reflective work practices, leadership, teamwork, communication and critical thinking skills relevant to veterinarians and veterinary technologists.