University of Liverpool Faculty of Veterinary Science
Encyclopedia
The University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science was the first veterinary school
in the United Kingdom
to be incorporated into a University. The school's teaching, treatment and research facilities on the main campus and at Leahurst on the Wirral Peninsula
, approximately 12 miles outside Liverpool, are amongst the most advanced and innovative in the country.
(not to be confused with the Royal (Dick) Vet School
, with which it was in competition), was invited to transfer his institution to Liverpool. The emerging science of veterinary medicine was of particular relevance both to the busy port city itself, which depended upon heavy horses to drive its docks and associated industry, and to the economy of the surrounding countryside, which at the time boasted the highest stocking density of cattle in the UK.
Initially, there was considerable resistance to the idea of a vet school operating within the confines of a civic University, as this seemingly endorsed a 'one-portal' entry system to the profession, thereby cementing the authority of the RCVS
and its diploma
. There was also opposition from the Royal College itself, as the new school was initially incorporated in to the University's medical faculty and, controversially, students received some instruction from medical staff.
In spite of this early scepticism, the incorporation of the school into the newly inaugurated university was a turning point in the history of veterinary education in the UK; by demonstrating the advantages of university affiliation, aggressively pursuing reform of the curriculum and providing innovative qualification structures, the faculty has done much to shape the modern veterinary landscape.
The hospital has particular expertise in the areas of gastroenterology
, oncology
, orthopaedics and neurology
and is fully equipped to undertake laparoscopic
investigations of the equine abdomen (e.g. for recurrent or chronic colic
) and to perform operative procedures via laparoscopy, e.g. ovariectomy.
Digital imaging technology available at the hospital includes digital X-ray
/computed radiology
, gamma scintigraphy
and ultrasonography
. The University's Veterinary Development Campaign is currently in the midst of fund raising to support the installation of the first veterinary MRI
Unit in the North of England and a new Radiotherapy Unit.
There are also facilities for iridium wire therapy
, laser treatment
and there is a treadmill
for clinical assessment of horses which are not achieving their athletic expectations.
The hospital is named for Philip William Bryce Lever, the 3rd Viscount Leverhulme
in recognition of his support for the school and university (see the Leverhulme Trust
).
for detailed investigation and intensive care treatment.
.
degree course.
The school has a strong portfolio of research degrees in infectious diseases, epidemiology, musculoskeletal systems, animal behaviour and protein function.
and in 2005 was cited as 'the University with the most satisfied students' by the British Veterinary Association
and the Association of Veterinary Students.
Veterinary school
A veterinary school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, which is involved in the education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian one must first complete a veterinary degree A veterinary school should not be confused with a department of animal science...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to be incorporated into a University. The school's teaching, treatment and research facilities on the main campus and at Leahurst on the Wirral Peninsula
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, approximately 12 miles outside Liverpool, are amongst the most advanced and innovative in the country.
Foundation
The foundations for the vet school at Liverpool were laid in the early 1900s when William Owen Williams, principal of the now-defunct New Veterinary College in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(not to be confused with the Royal (Dick) Vet School
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
The Royal School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.Professor Elaine Watson has been head of the school since 1 August, 2003 .-History:...
, with which it was in competition), was invited to transfer his institution to Liverpool. The emerging science of veterinary medicine was of particular relevance both to the busy port city itself, which depended upon heavy horses to drive its docks and associated industry, and to the economy of the surrounding countryside, which at the time boasted the highest stocking density of cattle in the UK.
Initially, there was considerable resistance to the idea of a vet school operating within the confines of a civic University, as this seemingly endorsed a 'one-portal' entry system to the profession, thereby cementing the authority of the RCVS
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom. Established in 1844 by Royal Charter, its statutory duties are laid out in the 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act.-Role:...
and its diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
. There was also opposition from the Royal College itself, as the new school was initially incorporated in to the University's medical faculty and, controversially, students received some instruction from medical staff.
In spite of this early scepticism, the incorporation of the school into the newly inaugurated university was a turning point in the history of veterinary education in the UK; by demonstrating the advantages of university affiliation, aggressively pursuing reform of the curriculum and providing innovative qualification structures, the faculty has done much to shape the modern veterinary landscape.
Leahurst
The UK's first veterinary field station was established at Leahurst in 1941. Today, most of the school's clinical facilities are located at this site, including the three main referral hospitals and many of the research facilities.Veterinary Surgeons Act
The 1948 Veterinary Surgeons Act made a university degree a registrable qualification for veterinary practice. Two years later, the school was the first in the UK to receive an Order in Council allowing those obtaining the BVSc qualification to practice veterinary medicine.Internal structure
In 1952, the school was formally accorded faculty status. In 2009 following an internal restructure of the University, the faculty was demoted back to school status under the stewardship of the new faculty of health and life sciences.Facilities
The trend towards increased specialisation and the subsequent expansion in clinical training has led to the development of Liverpool's three main teaching hospitals:Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital
Built in the late 1990s at a cost of £1.4 million, the equine hospital (also known as the Philip Leverhulme Large Animal Hospital or PLLAH) is one of the busiest and most successful equine referral hospitals in the UK, treating over 2,000 patients per year with an annual turnover in excess of £1.2 million.The hospital has particular expertise in the areas of gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
, orthopaedics and neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
and is fully equipped to undertake laparoscopic
Laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimally invasive surgery , bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions as opposed to the larger incisions needed in laparotomy.Keyhole surgery makes use of images...
investigations of the equine abdomen (e.g. for recurrent or chronic colic
Horse colic
Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis. The term colic can encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. The most common forms of colic...
) and to perform operative procedures via laparoscopy, e.g. ovariectomy.
Digital imaging technology available at the hospital includes digital X-ray
Digital X-ray
Digital radiography is a form of x-ray imaging, where digital X-ray sensors are used instead of traditional photographic film. Advantages include time efficiency through bypassing chemical processing and the ability to digitally transfer and enhance images...
/computed radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, gamma scintigraphy
Nuclear medicine
In nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
and ultrasonography
Medical ultrasonography
Diagnostic sonography is an ultrasound-based diagnostic imaging technique used for visualizing subcutaneous body structures including tendons, muscles, joints, vessels and internal organs for possible pathology or lesions...
. The University's Veterinary Development Campaign is currently in the midst of fund raising to support the installation of the first veterinary MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
Unit in the North of England and a new Radiotherapy Unit.
There are also facilities for iridium wire therapy
Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy , also known as internal radiotherapy, sealed source radiotherapy, curietherapy or endocurietherapy, is a form of radiotherapy where a radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment...
, laser treatment
Laser scalpel
A laser scalpel is a scalpel for surgery, cutting or ablating living biological tissue by the energy of laser light. In soft tissue laser surgery, a laser beam ablates or vaporizes the soft tissue with high water content....
and there is a treadmill
Treadmill
A treadmill is an exercise machine for running or walking while staying in one place. The word treadmill traditionally refers to a type of mill which was operated by a person or animal treading steps of a wheel to grind grain...
for clinical assessment of horses which are not achieving their athletic expectations.
The hospital is named for Philip William Bryce Lever, the 3rd Viscount Leverhulme
Viscount Leverhulme
Viscount Leverhulme, of the Western Isles in the Counties of Inverness and Ross and Cromarty, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1922 for the industrialist and philanthropist William Lever, 1st Baron Leverhulme...
in recognition of his support for the school and university (see the Leverhulme Trust
Leverhulme Trust
The Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the will of the First Viscount Leverhulme, William Hesketh Lever, with the instruction that its resources should be used to support "scholarships for the purposes of research and education."...
).
Small Animal Hospital
The small animal unit, established in 1977 on the Liverpool campus, has recently joined the other teaching hospitals at Leahurst with the construction of a brand new, state of the art £9.6 million facility. It currently treats over 5,500 patients per year with a turnover in excess of £2.5 million.Farm Animal Hospital
The farm animal unit, which opened in 1996, takes cases from throughout North West England and North WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
for detailed investigation and intensive care treatment.
Liverpool University Veterinary Society
Liverpool University Veterinary Society (LUVS) is the official student body of the veterinary school at Liverpool. They organise many sporting, social, theatrical and charitable events throughout the year.Organisation
The School provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in veterinary medicineVeterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...
.
Undergraduate
In 2006 there were 559 undergraduate students enrolled on the BVSc course and 84 on the Bioveterinary Science BScBSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
degree course.
Postgraduate
The school offers three Masters degrees: Veterinary Parasitology, Animal Reproduction and Veterinary Infection and Disease Control. The Diploma in Bovine Reproduction is available to MRCVS qualified candidates.The school has a strong portfolio of research degrees in infectious diseases, epidemiology, musculoskeletal systems, animal behaviour and protein function.
Awards
In 2006 the school was voted no. 1 UK vet school in The Times Good University Guide 2006, awarded 24/24 by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher EducationQuality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
Established in 1997, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education works to ensure that higher education qualifications in the United Kingdom are of a sound standard. It protects the public interest by checking how universities and colleges maintain their academic standards and quality...
and in 2005 was cited as 'the University with the most satisfied students' by the British Veterinary Association
British Veterinary Association
The British Veterinary Association is the national body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom and is a not-for-profit organisation. Its purpose is that of knowledge dissemination, and not professional validation or academic competence...
and the Association of Veterinary Students.