Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has a rich history of advancing veterinary education by blending new technologies, cutting-edge research and hands-on experience.

Originally founded in 1883, the program has grown into one of the nation’s top-ranked veterinary schools, now sitting at No. 2 in the nation according to the 2023 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The program’s continued innovation and commitment to the future of veterinary medicine reflects its legacy of excellence and defines its contribution to the veterinary profession.

“We have such a good, robust program, and we place so much emphasis on research that a lot of the content we do learn is keeping up with the field,” said Téa Ned, doctor of veterinary medicine student and president of CSU’s Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “Even though the curriculum has stayed relatively the same, the content of the curriculum is still in tune with how rapidly progressing the profession is.”

One thing that sets CSU apart from other veterinary programs is the timeline in which students can begin clinical work and apply their knowledge to the real world.

“Something that I loved about CSU was that you start hands-on clinical work your third year, whereas in a lot of programs, you don’t get in the clinics until your fourth year,” DVM student Rebecca Williamson said.

In addition to early hands-on learning opportunities, an important piece of CSU’s veterinary program is its innovative technological training and advanced research methods, from virtual reality anesthesia programs to virtual anatomy tools.

“They introduced a new VR program to us, … and that was super interesting because it really is an exact replica of what we’re going to be doing in real life,” Ned said. “They have an entire virtual anatomy program that was really helpful during my first year. … I use it even to this day.”

While the current curriculum is incorporating new technology, the College of VMBS is working on completely rebuilding its curriculum to cater to the changing needs of the veterinary field.

“We are probably the first vet school in a long, long time that has been able to completely reinvent our curriculum, and not only reinvent the curriculum, but build a facility to house everything new that we want to do,” said Matthew Johnston, veterinary medicine professor and co-chair of the DVM curriculum renewal committee.

In addition to renewing its curriculum, the College of VMBS is building a brand-new facility to expand its services, implement newer practices and technology and increase class sizes to address the veterinary shortage in the U.S.

“We are all really, really excited about (the new facility),” Williamson said. “I give tours at the teaching hospital, and whether it’s prospective students or donors or just people in the area, they’re all asking about it, and it’s going to be really amazing. And for all of the vet student years to be in the same building, I think we’re all really excited about that.”

Beyond technology, CSU’s program prioritizes communication in veterinary medicine and implements it into the core curriculum — a skill that is often overlooked in the field.

“I feel that CSU is one of the only schools that has a really robust communications section of the curriculum, and that’s definitely something that I think the field is really lacking,” Ned said. “I feel that CSU has done a really good job of trying to prepare us for those scenarios and also trying to give us that leeway to understand how we want to practice and how we want to conduct ourselves as clinicians.”

CSU’s veterinary medicine program remains at the forefront of the future of veterinary medicine, with a focus on hands-on learning and advanced technology to prepare students to navigate a rapidly evolving field.

“Looking back, I credit the three degrees that I obtained from CVMBS with providing me the foundations to explore a variety of career paths, all of which have been extremely fulfilling,” said Dr. Wayne Jensen, CSU professor and alumnus. “I also believe that the quality and impact of all the CVMBS educational programs is greater than ever before.”

Reach Laila Shekarchian at science@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.