Large Animal Emergency Relief Services-A Model for University Engagement With Private Practitioners and Development of Practice Readiness for Veterinary Students.
Authors: Graves Meggan T, Anderson David E, DeNovo Robert C
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Large Animal Emergency Relief Services as a Teaching Model University large animal teaching hospitals face persistent challenges in maintaining adequate clinical caseloads due to seasonal fluctuations, economic pressures, and improved hospitalisation capacity within private practices, whilst rural and mixed practices struggle with emergency cover provision and clinician burnout. The University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine implemented a novel service model in late 2013 whereby the teaching hospital provided on-farm emergency relief to area practitioners, effectively creating a shared emergency response network that addressed both the academic need for consistent student exposure to emergency cases and the professional need for sustainable emergency duty rosters. This integrated approach expanded the overall caseload available for teaching purposes, increased the diversity and frequency of emergency presentations encountered by veterinary students, and simultaneously improved work-life balance for local practitioners by distributing emergency call responsibilities. The model demonstrates that positioning university facilities as professional support services—rather than competing clinical entities—creates a mutually beneficial arrangement: students gain robust, practice-relevant emergency training across varied presentations, whilst private practitioners retain valued clients and reduce occupational stress. For equine and large animal professionals, this framework suggests potential for regional collaboration on emergency services that could improve both educational outcomes for the next generation of practitioners and sustainability of independent practice operations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Consider establishing formal emergency relief partnerships between teaching hospitals and private practices to share call duties and reduce burnout
- •On-farm emergency services increase both student learning opportunities and accessibility of emergency care for practitioners in underserved areas
- •Collaborative service models can address the dual challenge of inconsistent academic caseloads and practitioner fatigue
Key Findings
- •A university-based on-farm emergency relief service model increased teaching caseload and student exposure to emergency cases
- •The service improved work-life balance for area large animal practitioners by providing shared emergency coverage
- •Academic-private practice collaboration enhanced both student preparedness and regional veterinary service capacity