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Clinical Year

Clinical Year Overview

At the Lincoln Memorial University-College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park our pre-clinical students are carefully taught the science behind the practice of veterinary medicine, which supplies the knowledge base they need to succeed. 

We challenge our students to apply their knowledge, and they learn by doing. It is the cornerstone of our hybrid workplace-based model, involving predominantly one-on-one education for each of our final year students at high-quality clinical site veterinary practices. We continually witness our students obtaining the real-world, hands-on experiences not afforded to the average student in standard, brick-and-mortar veterinary teaching hospitals. 

The goal of this approach to learning is that it allows for a mutually beneficial collaborative partnership between the veterinary college and community professionals. The students observe, assist, and perform (under supervision) veterinary procedures, which they will see regularly once they have graduated and have joined the profession. In essence, they will have learned to identify commonly seen conditions and have the means to approach and treat them uncommonly well. 

The LMU-OPCVM has created an exciting veterinary medical education program that graduates confident and competent career-ready veterinarians. Leaders in our profession, including the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC), have called for an innovative, collaborative, and sustainable model for the delivering 21st-century veterinary education. By building on the success of the institutions that came before us and incorporating innovations from across other disciplines in medical higher education, the LMU-OPCVM is committed to preparing the next generation of veterinarians to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving society.

Clinical Year Curriculum

LMU-OPCVM applies a hybrid workplace-based model involving one-on-one education for each student entering their clinical year. Our well-prepared final year veterinary students obtain real-world learning experiences from highly qualified veterinary professionals in the practice of Veterinary Medicine in various types of veterinary practices across multiple geographies in the United States.

The typical clinical year consists of 42 weeks of hands-on immersive clinical experiences in a variety of practice types as well as a four-week block for preparation and administration of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination(NAVLE). These clinical rotations are divided into Foundation Courses, Elective Courses, and Required Experiences as described below.