Kristin M. Canga, RVT
Veterinary Clinical Pathology (VTHT 2323)
kmcanga@yahoo.com and Kmcanga.yolasite.com
Course Description
This course is designed to familiarize the student with diagnostic laboratory procedures
commonly performed in the veterinary field and interpretation of collected data. Discussion
includes veterinary pathophysiology, hematology, immunology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis,
cytology, and microbiology. In addition, sample collection and handling are covered along with
instrumentation and equipment maintenance.
Grading
Homework, Assignments, Labs, Quizzes and Tests: 90%
Final Project: 5%
Professionalism: 5%
The following scale will be used:
A:
B:
C:
Unacceptable
F:
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
Below 60
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
Lab assignments require active participation, and cannot be made up if missed. Record of skill
completion becomes part of the student’s academic record at VTI. Certain skills must be
accomplished in order to receive credit for completing Clinical Pathology and to graduate;
therefore good attendance and lab participation is critical in this course. It is students’
responsibility to arrange with the instructor to make up any missed labs on their own time. The
instructor will make sure the student has necessary supplies, but may not be available to assist
with the lab.
Attendance/Makeup Policy
Attendance will be recorded daily and will be factored into final grade per school policy.
Remember that Engrade does not allow us to deduct from grades for attendance; it must be
manually factored in at the end of the semester.
A tardy will be recorded for students absent for fifteen minutes or less of any class period.
Students absent for more than fifteen minutes will be considered absent for that class period.
Note: three times tardy = one absence.
In the event of an absence REGARDLESS OF THE REASON, the student must notify the
instructor PRIOR to the absence in order to be eligible to make up a test. Any absence that results
from a documented medical emergency, jury duty, or court hearing, or when a student has three or
more consecutive absences that constitute “extenuating circumstances” (per VTI Attendance
policy), missed tests can be made up at instructor’s discretion. With any other absence,
students will not be permitted to make-up missed tests. However, they may write an essay
(according to guidelines set forth by the instructor) to earn up to 50% of the point value of the
original test. Other assignments must be completed and turned in on time to receive credit. In the
event of a documented, excused absence, homework will be accepted at a 5% deduction per day
late. Quizzes (announced or unannounced) cannot be made up – NO EXCEPTIONS!!
Required Textbooks
Laboratory Procedures for Veterinary Technicians by Sirois & Hendrix,
Clinical Anatomy & Physiology for Veterinary Technicians by Colville & Bassert.
Occasionally, required reading assignments will be provided to the student either online or in
handout format.
Engrade
All students are required to register in Engrade and utilize it as a tool to communicate with your
instructors. Some required assignments could be given solely through Engrade.
Professionalism
Since professionalism is an important aspect of the veterinary medical field, here at VTI, you will
be held to a high professional standard throughout your veterinary technology educational
experience. In Clinical Pathology, a professionalism grade of 5% will be instituted throughout the
course based on your professional conduct. Points may be added or deducted at the instructor’s
discretion. Students who are disrespectful to the instructor or their classmates, those who are
chronically absent, sleep, text or talk in class to one another during lecture or who show
unprofessional behavior of any other sort as determined by the instructor are all subject to losing
professionalism points in 5 point increments.
 Professionalism grade will be affected on the second warning if wearing facial piercing,
texting/using phone in class, or sleeping in class. Dismissal from class may occur at the
instructor’s discretion.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity goes hand in hand with professionalism. Any student who participates in
plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, or any other form of cheating is subject to receiving a zero
on the said assignment with no opportunity to make it up, losing 10 points from their final
professionalism grade, and possible suspension or expulsion from VTI. Please see additional
handout on Academic Dishonesty and Unauthorized Collaboration for clarification of what is
considered cheating.
Class Expectations
What you can expect from me
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I will do my best to protect our ‘sacred learning environment’.
I will give you the necessary tools you will need to be successful, but you must use them.
I will be available to help you but you must let me know that you need help.
If you don’t turn in assignment, I will not ask you for it, I will assume that you are content
with a zero for the assignment.
I will follow and enforce VTI policy on academic dishonesty and unauthorized
collaboration.
I will do my best to help you to be successful in this course but I cannot learn FOR you.
What I expect from you
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I expect that you want to be here, know the workload required, and will spend an
appropriate amount of time studying DAILY exclusively for Clinical Pathology.
You will observe basic classroom courtesy (turn off cell phone, stay awake, refrain from
whispering, talking, or writing notes to your classmates during class)
You will do the required reading and you realize that you may need to read it more than
once in order to fully understand the material.
You will take notes over class discussion and you understand that you will be tested over
both written and spoken material.
I expect that if you miss class, you will obtain notes from classmates on your own and you
will contact me prior to your absences in order to arrange to turn in any missed
assignments or discuss make-up eligibility.
Study Tips for Success
Students learn in a variety of different ways. It is my goal to incorporate as many of these
methods as possible into Clinical Pathology. Additionally, the following tips will help you to be
successful in this course:
1. Spread out the time when practicing recall. Doing a recall exercise for 15 minutes a day for 4
consecutive days produces a greater degree of retention and recall than doing 1 hour on one
day. Same amount of invested time, very different results. Carry flash cards with you
everywhere you go, and if you have 10 minutes before class, are waiting for a bus, have a few
minutes before your favorite television show comes on.... pull out the cards and go through a
couple of dozen of them.
2. Remove the source of information when doing the recall exercise. Students who practice
recalling while they still have the book in front of them perform less well on retention and
recall than the student who puts the material away and attempts to recall without any cues
from the original material from which they created their flashcards, self-questions, etc. If you
cannot recall something, then go back to the original content, re-study that particular material,
perhaps create another flash card or review question, then test yourself again.
3. The magic number seems to be three. Being able to recall a fact on a flashcard or in a selfquestion 3 times successfully probably means the info is encoded in your brain well enough
and further intensive recall practice isn’t likely to improve the odds of being able to recall it
on an exam. However, the question or flashcard should still be reviewed every couple of days
to prevent information-fade. Remember 80% of what is learned today in class is gone by next
week. So once a flashcard set is successfully mastered, it still needs to be briefly reviewed
every couple of days to keep it in working memory and enhance the odds of being able to
recall the information.
4. Create cues. Research has showed that if a student makes little cues to remember facts
(drawings, word play, rhymes, colors, other mnemonic devices, etc.) and creates those cues on
a separate sheet while reading, these cues can facilitate retention and retrieval of new
information. In running through the recall exercise (flashcard drill, self-questions, etc.) keep a
page of “cues” that you created out so you can refer to them. Many times the cues that you
create come from concepts that are already in your memory and can be used to link new
information. Eventually you can get to the point without relying on the written cues and your
link to the new information is firmly tied.