Preceptorship

The preceptorship program is the next step in our continuing effort to further educate students and technicians in the area of pain management. Our goal is to provide information whereby veterinarians with a special interest in pain management will mentor students/technicians with similar interests for 1-2 weeks. In this fashion students/technicians will be able to see pain management principles in various working environments. With this program we hope to encourage the exchange of information, techniques, ideas, and methodology between students, schools, and practices around the world.

Interested students and technicians will soon be able to search from a list of available veterinarians. Veterinarians who would like to be a part of this program can find a blank form in the link below that can be filled out and emailed to the IVAPM at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If you have questions about the program, please email the IVAPM (email above) . We look forward to hearing from you!

Clinics offering Preceptorships

1. Lakeside Veterinary Center, LLC

8693 Cherry Lane
Laurel MD 20707

Contact persons: Dr. Jeffrey Rhody or Amy East, RVT
301-498-8387

Practice type: Small Practice 70%, Exotic 30%
Number of veterinarians: 1

Approximate number of cases per month (pain management related):
Small animal: 15-20
Exotic: 10-12

Maximum length of externship: 2-3 weeks

Is lodging provided: No

Jrs., Srs. and technicians accepted

Please contact Dr. Rhody or Amy East by phone and provide a letter with resume.

2. TLC Animal Hospital

545 W South Boulder Rd #180
Lafayette CO 80026

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Practice type: Small Practice 100%
Number of veterinarians: 1

Approximate number of cases per month:
Small animal: 80

Maximum length of externship: 2-3 weeks

Is lodging provided: No

Jrs., Srs. and technicians accepted

Please contact Dr. Landry by phone and/or email.

3. Veterinary Pain Management Sante Fe NM

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Practice type: Referral practice dealing almost exclusively with long-standing persistent pain patients. Techniques and services provided to clients: consultations, musculo-skeletal ultrasonograhpy, therapeutic ultrasound, acupuncture, interventional regional pain techniques, prolotherapy, advanced pharmacologic protocols.
Mostly small animal with 2-3 horses per month.
Number of veterinarians: 1

Is lodging provided: Dr. Tomasic has 2 guest bedrooms, students are welcome to stay at his house. Dr. Tomasic needs at least 4 weeks advance notice. He can take 2 students at a time. Students can expect to be actively engaged in cases.

Juniors and Seniors accepted

Please contact Dr. Tomasic by email.

4. Windsor Veterinary Clinic, PC

415 Main St
PO Box 460
Windsor CO 80550

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Practice type: Small Animal: 95% Exotic: 5%
Number of veterinarians: 2

Number of cases per month: 100+

Maximum length of externship: 1 month

Is lodging provided: if needed

Freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors and technicians accepted. Will except externs over spring and Christmas breaks and during the summer.

Please contact Dr. Downing by phone or email or mail.

Student Case Study of the Month

This is designed for students with an interest in pain management to present an interesting, unusual, or difficult case in the area of pain management. Cases should be submitted by the 10th of each month to qualify for the next month. Please submit your case to Whitney Mays at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If there is a low level of submitted cases one month, cases from previous months may be considered. The first author of the case that is chosen for a particular month will receive a $100 honorarium. Listed below are the criteria for accepting a case report.

Introduction
Is the rationale for reporting the case adequately explained?
Is the rationale for reporting the case adequately substantiated by references?

Case Description
Is the case described adequately?
Is the case described briefly?
Is the case described clearly?
Are the results of investigations described adequately?
Are the results of less common laboratory investigations accompanied by normal values?

Discussion, Comments
Is the evidence to support the authors' diagnosis presented adequately?
Is the evidence to support the authors' recommendations presented adequately?
Are other plausible explanations considered and refuted?
Do authors indicate directions for future investigation or management of similar cases?

The introduction should be brief, tell why the case is important and why it is being reported (for example, because it adds to the understanding of a clinical problem). For the sake of brevity, you should cite a few recent review articles when possible rather than many individual studies.

The purpose of the case description is to let the reader understand the case, making clear all the pertinent findings. The case description is usually told in chronological order. Categories of information often covered in this section are

For legal and ethical reasons, a patient should not be referred to by his or her name. Use "Patient A" or some other designator that does not hint at the patient's identity. Do not use case when referring to a patient—a case is an instance of disease, a patient is an animal.

Provide the results of only the relevant examinations and laboratory tests, usually only those with positive results. A few journals, however, want the results of all tests and procedures presented, so that the reader can follow along in detective fashion, eliminating unlikely diagnoses and "solving" the case at the end of the report with the author.

List the laboratory's ranges of normal values for any unusual tests performed.

The purpose of the discussion is to explain the major findings and anything that isn't clear in the case description and to offer interpretations of findings. Make clear any important point that isn't explained in the case descriptions. For example, if you reported that liver enzymes were elevated but no significant liver dysfunction was found, tell the reader in the discussion section why the enzymes were elevated.

Refer to information in the literature that bears on the case. Indicate if this case suggests alternative or novel ways to manage patients with similar signs. Point out what questions deserve further research. If you say that you found no other cases in the literature, the reader would like to know how you did the literature search. For example, how far back in time did your search go, and did you limit your search to reports only in Japanese or English?

Copyright ©2004 Robert L. Iles

For further information on medical writing see http://www.medwriting.com/1a.html .

If you have any questions, please contact Whitney May at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Case studies that are selected will be posted on the web site.

The IVAPM currently has student chapters at the following institutions:

Colorado State University

Tufts University

Université de Montréal

North Carolina State University

University of Pennsylvania

Ross University

Michigan State University

Western College of Veterinary Medicine (Saskatoon)

Royal Veterinary College

University of California, Davis

University of Wisconsin

Did you know that the IVAPM has an established Student Case of the Month Award? For more details, see our Case Study of the Month page. You could win $100.00 US!

Did you know that the IVAPM can help veterinary and technician students find pain related student preceptorships? For more details, see our Student Preceptorship page.