The new veterinary health and education complex is expected to open in 2026 (Image provided by Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences)
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Colorado State University’s (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences announced construction will begin by the end of September 2023. The $230 million state-of-the-art upgrade and expansion will expand veterinary medicine and teaching facilities on CSU’s South Campus. .
According to a press release from the organization,1 The CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital will be the centerpiece of all planned improvements, such as a primary care clinic to help CSU train veterinarians while giving the community better access to veterinary care. Other additions include a new livestock veterinary hospital to provide outpatient, medical and surgical facilities and adjoins the Johnson Family Equine Hospital. The livestock veterinary hospital is expected to open in early 2025.
“This is a truly transformative implementation,” Sue VandeWoude, DVM, DACLAM, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, expressed in the release.1 “We’re going to add capabilities that we didn’t have before, which will really improve what we can do every day.”
The Veterinary Health and Education Complex (VHEC) will double the size of the already existing teaching hospital, allowing the school to admit 30 additional students into its DVM program each year, bringing the class size to approximately 170 students.1 We also hope that more veterinary students developing into veterinary professionals will alleviate the veterinary shortage, with the number of employed clinical veterinarians expected to increase by almost 20% over the next 10 years.2
The school also plans to update its curriculum to provide students with more hands-on training. The program will provide students with a minimum of 16 weeks in primary care and will perform 4 times the current number of basic surgical techniques. Students will also learn through a method called team learning, which consists of small, interactive groups with 40% of the program using this method.
“The new clinic will allow our students to gain more confidence in the types of procedures and interactions they will be asked to perform most often in private practice,” VandeWoude said.1
Reference
- Construction begins on a new state-of-the-art veterinary complex. Press release. Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. September 18, 2023. Accessed September 25, 2023. https://cvmbs.source.colostate.edu/construction-to-begin-on-veterinary-complex/
- Handbook of professional, veterinary perspectives. Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States Department of Labor. September 6, 2023. Accessed September 26, 2023. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinarians.htm