Entrance Orientation

The initiative includes hosting small groups of students during the periods October-December and February-May.

Activities take place in the morning, from 9:00 to 13:00, at the Pisa Location in Viale delle Piagge, and include:

1. an orientation interview with a professor or student tutor from the Department;

2. participation in practical activities in some of the department’s laboratories and facilities, such as the Anatomical Museum, Physiology/Ethology, Microbiology, Food Chemistry, or Animal Infectious Diseases.

For orientation internships at the DSV Pisa location, please contact Professor Alessandra Rota.

The student will complete his or her training at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the University of Pisa, participating in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit for small animals (dogs and cats). Activities include both clinical duties and management, cleaning, and organisational tasks, in collaboration with the students of the Degree Program. When possible, activities may also extend to the stables (horses and donkeys).

Objectives: to enter a healthcare work environment, carry out nursing-type activities, interact with ODV staff and university students, and learn the correct methods of approaching and handling animals.

Number of students that can be hosted: 2/3 at a time throughout the year, except for August and holiday periods.

Duration: from a minimum of 25 to a maximum of 75 hours, to be completed daily or twice/three times a week, including afternoons, depending on the ODV’s activities and subject to prior agreement with the teachers in charge. Two/three times a week attendance is only possible during the school year to ensure regular class attendance.

For activities at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the contact person is Professor Simonetta Citi.

Please note: the San Piero a Grado Location can be reached by suburban buses or by private transport.

The project includes an initial theoretical phase, with classroom lessons, at the Department of Veterinary Sciences, at Viale delle Piagge, 2 in Pisa, and a practical part, at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, in San Piero a Grado.

The theoretical part will be activated with a number of students equal to or greater than 15 and will have a maximum of 50 enrolled.
Subsequently, the practical part of the active internship involves two 5-hour shifts for each student, with two students per shift. The practical activity, open to a maximum of 20 students, will take place from February 16th to March 27th, with morning or afternoon shifts to be agreed upon at the end of the lessons.

Aims:

• Knowledge in the field of pet ethology, from welfare to the prevention of the most common behavioral problems;
• General knowledge of the veterinary profession, bureaucracy, laws and ethics;
• Raising awareness of treatment and the methodology applied, learning basic medical language;
• Developing collaborative relationships with clinic staff and clients, respecting the healthcare organization, and fostering sharing and accountability.

Project Phases:
1. In-person meetings led by specialists from the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pisa on topics such as: basic knowledge of pet behaviour, how to handle “challenging” animals, basic rules for pet owners, basic rules for raising pets, basic knowledge of veterinary professional ethics and relationships with patient owners, etc.
Five 2-hour meetings are scheduled, held weekly.
2. In-person active internship to be completed at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (ODV) in San Piero a Grado: high school students will attend the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit of the ODV and perform support tasks as directed by the attending physician (communication with pet owners, support for veterinarians as needed, data collection and/or archiving, etc.). The Active Internship program includes two 5-hour shifts for each student, with two students attending at a time; the shifts will be agreed upon at the start of the internship.

Calendar of lessons:

For the Project on Human-Animal Coexistence, the contact is Professor Simonetta Citi.