Residency Program Policy

Activities of Residents

Duties of successful applicants include clinical assignments (which will include case responsibilities and participation in clinical teaching of third and fourth year veterinary students), a limited number of lectures, some participation in laboratory and continuing education courses and participation in resident rounds. Residents will be required to do night and weekend emergency duty in the hospital and ambulatory service where applicable. Equine residents are strongly encouraged to become licensed and accredited in the State of Colorado because of the necessity of signing Health Certificates, Coggins Forms, etc. Residents are not permitted to practice veterinary medicine outside the jurisdiction of Colorado State University under the provisions of the Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Guidelines.

Advising and Graduate Committee

Advisor for Graduate Studies

A temporary faculty advisor will be assigned to each resident upon arrival to supervise clinical activities. This individual may or may not be the resident's permanent advisor for graduate studies. However, the same faculty member may serve as the advisor for both the clinical training and graduate studies for any given resident. A permanent advisor for graduate studies (if different than the advisor for clinical activities) should be named as soon as possible but must be named by the resident/graduate student before the start of the fourth regular semester registration. The temporary and permanent advisors for graduate studies must themselves be a qualified graduate faculty member as described by the Faculty Requirements for Resident/Graduate Student Advising.

Duties of the resident advisor for graduate studies

The resident advisor for graduate studies must counsel and advise the resident on a regular basis throughout the residency/graduate program.

His/Her duties include:

1. Ensure that faculty members that provide support or major advising for the resident's research projects or manuscripts are included on the resident's committee and publications where appropriate.
2. Assist the resident in choosing graduate committee members that will properly mentor and help the resident during the program.
3. Ensure that the resident fulfills all graduate school and departmental requirements by the deadline dates and that evidence of this is submitted to the Department Head or designee prior to approval for graduation.
4. Assure that all examination dates are announced and that all department and College faculty are invited at least one week prior to the examination.
5. Ensure that a departmental representative is present at the resident's final examination.
6. Assist in fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of the resident's graduate committee as listed below.
7. The resident's graduate and clinical advisor(s) is/are responsible for prompt 6- monthly evaluations of the resident's academic and clinical performance throughout the three year program. The evaluations must to be reviewed with the student and signed by the advisor and the student. A copy must be submitted to the resident/graduate coordinator in the departmental office to be included in the student's file and one copy given to the resident. Resident and House Officer Evaluation Form
8. Ensure that the quality of the graduate program is maintained
9. Assist the student in selecting a graduate committee and submitting the required GS-6 program of study form before the start of the fourth regular semester registration. However, the department recommends that the GS-6 be submitted during the third semester of study.

Advisor for Clinical Activities

A temporary faculty advisor will be assigned to each resident upon arrival to supervise clinical activities (usually the section head). A permanent advisor for clinical training should be determined as soon as possible within the first few months. This individual may or may not be the resident's permanent advisor for graduate studies. However, the same faculty member may serve as the advisor for both the clinical training and graduate studies for any given resident. The temporary and permanent advisors for clinical activities must themselves be a qualified graduate faculty member as described by the Faculty Requirements for Resident/Graduate Student Advising.

The resident advisor for clinical activities must counsel and advise the resident on a regular basis throughout the residency program.

His/Her duties include:

1. Ensure that all requirements are met for board certification within the resident's area of specialty training. This will involve proper scheduling of training weeks within the primary specialty and requirements in other specialty areas.
2. Assist the resident in choosing outside training rotations that may be required by the specialty board or that will benefit the clinical training of the resident.
3. In most situations the advisor for clinical training will also serve as a member of the resident's graduate committee (see duties of graduate committee members below).
4. Ensure that all clinical responsibilities and expectations of the resident are explained to the student early in the program.
5. The resident's advisor for clinical training is responsible for prompt 6 –monthly evaluations of the resident's academic and clinical performance throughout the three year program. This will be in conjunction with the resident's graduate studies advisor if they are different faculty members. The evaluations must to be reviewed with the student and signed by the advisor and the student. A copy must be submitted to the resident/graduate coordinator in the departmental office to be included in the student's file and one copy given to the resident

Graduate Committee

The resident together with his/her advisor will select a graduate committee and submit the required GS-6 program of study form before the start of the fourth regular semester registration. However, the department recommends that this be performed during the third semester of study. The committee must consist of 3 or more members, one of whom is the advisor. It is required that one member of the committee be from another department within CSU.

Per the Graduate and Professional Bulletin, a faculty member with a rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor can serve as an outside committee member on a graduate committee as long as he/she holds a regular, special, transitional, joint, or emeritus/emerita faculty appointment.

• A faculty member cannot hold one of the above appointments in the same department as the student and advisor. As an example, if there is a faculty member who is a professor in the Physics Department but holds a joint appointment as a professor in the Mathematics Department, this faculty member may not serve as an outside committee member for a graduate student in either the Physics or Mathematics Departments.
• A faculty member who holds only a temporary or faculty affiliate appointment cannot serve as an outside committee member.

These changes will take effect on April 1, 2008 for all newly-created graduate student committees and for changes of committees.

Faculty involved in supporting or doing major advising of the student on a research project, scientific paper or report should be included on the committee. Individuals who are not academic faculty but who have special expertise may serve on committees in addition to the prescribed members, but they may not vote at the final examination. While the graduate student's advisor is directly responsible for his/her work, committee members are expected to have an active interest in the student's progress and contribute to the successful completion of the program. The committee members must devote time to counseling and advising the student throughout the graduate program. Further guidelines regarding advisor and committee selection are provided in the CSU Graduate and Professional Bulletin.

Duties of the Graduate Committee

1. Assist in the selection of academic courses to fulfill graduate school requirements and to best train the student in their area of interest.
2. Provide guidance relative to the selection of an appropriate research project or paper, including project design and execution.
3. Help administer and evaluate the advanced degree examination required by the Graduate School and the Department of Clinical Sciences.
4. Ensure that the quality of the graduate program is maintained.
5. Ensure that the graduate student understands academic rules regarding ownership of data and authorship of publications.
6. Meet with the student at least once per year.
7. Minutes of each committee meeting should be kept by the resident/graduate student, reviewed and signed by the resident’s advisor, and a copy submitted to the resident/graduate student coordinator in the department.
8. The graduate committee is not responsible for reminding students of published deadlines or for monitoring procedural details. Such matters should be managed independently by the student.

General Requirements

Residents are required to enroll in graduate school during the course of their residency program. Both plan A (thesis) and plan B (non-thesis) MS degrees are offered in the Department of Clinical Sciences. Residents in training programs pursuing an MS degree are required to enroll in a plan B program and are to meet the minimum 30 credit hour requirement listed below. Should an individual begin the combined residency/MS program and decide not to complete the residency, 30 credit hours would still be required to fulfill the MS (Plan B) requirements.

Course Requirements

It is the responsibility of the resident to see that all the following requirements are met on time. Failure to meet requirements will result in delay of graduation approval.

1. Each resident must prepare a "Program of Study" (GS Form 6), which lists all courses to be taken in pursuit of the degree. The advisor and the committee should be involved in the development of the program of study, and they must indicate approval by signature. The GS Form 6 is due in the Graduate School before the start of the fourth regular semester registration. However, the department recommends that this be performed during the third semester of study.
2. Up to 25% of the resident's time may be allowed for course work. Whenever possible, course work should be scheduled so that it does not interfere with the primary clinical responsibility of the resident. Beginning the first semester after starting the residency program, residents must register for academic course work according to the following minimum and maximum credit hours each calendar year. It is advisable to distribute graduate course work over each semester so as not to interfere with their clinical responsibilities.

3. The minimum number of credits hours required for completion of a Plan B MS program is 30. At least 24 credit hours must be in regular, didactic, graded course work of which 12 must be in 500 or higher level. Regular coursework is defined as courses other than independent or group studies, thesis/dissertation credits, supervised college teaching, unique title courses offered through the Division of Continuing Education and any courses graded pass/fail. Students may take up to a maximum of 36 credits over the 3 year period. At least 3 of the additional 6 credits should be in didactic regular coursework. Coursework exceeding the 36 credit maximum limit will be paid for by the student, advisor, or some other fund.

   Certain courses are required in some residency programs and may only be offered on an every two- or three- year basis. Resident advisors in their respective areas will make the students aware of these courses. A number of courses are highly recommended, see the curriculum web page.

   Prior educational credit may be transferred to a graduate program at CSU from another institution with approval of the advisor, graduate committee and the Graduate School. Each case is assessed individually and accepted or rejected on its own merits. The number of credits that may be transferred is limited. Requests to transfer graduate credit must be accompanied by official transcripts. Courses accepted for transfer must be at the equivalent of the 500 level or above. Arrangements for transfer of credit are made when the GS Form 6 is submitted. Credits earned at institutions not accredited by one of the major regional accrediting agencies or at foreign universities are not acceptable for transfer. Courses to be applied toward fulfilling the requirements for a Masters degree must have been registered for and completed within the ten years immediately preceding the date of completion of requirements for the Masters degree.

4. Required courses - All residents/graduate students are required to take 3 credits of a 500 level or above statistics/experimental design/epidemiology course. Two options for most residents will be either VS 662 (Applied Research – Planning/Design/Analysis) or ST 511. Residents are also required to take VS 580 (Physiology and Pathophysiology) which is offered every fall semester. It is recommended that these courses be taken early in the training period (during the first year).

   All residents are also required to register for and attend a once weekly graduate seminar (VS 792) during 4 of the 6 semesters of their 3-year program. In order to receive credit the student must not only register for the course but must also meet the specific course requirements (i.e. grade based on attendance). They are required to participate with an oral presentation twice during their program. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule their two seminar presentations through the administrative assistant within the departmental office during the semester they wish to present.

5. A minimum cumulative grade point average of "B" must be maintained in all course work, exclusive of grades earned in research, special studies and seminar courses. No credit will be given in courses in which a "C" is received. Any course in which a "C", "D", "F" or "U" is received will result in the resident being placed on probation by the graduate school. A similar grade in two or more courses will result in dismissal from the graduate school. In such cases a graduate student may reapply for admission to the graduate school provided they retake and adequately pass (B grade) the course and/or take a make-up examination.

Research Requirements

The resident is encouraged to pursue research in an area of interest compatible with programs at Colorado State University. The resident's advisor and graduate committee must review research project proposals. Application for any research money must be made to the appropriate funding agency through a faculty member who assumes responsibility for performance of the work. All data and products of the research conducted by the resident during the course of their residency program is the property of Colorado State University.

Publication Requirements

The student should submit a first author manuscript that is suitable for publication in a refereed journal to the advisor and graduate committee by the end of the second year. An additional first author paper suitable for publication will be required by the end of the third year. These papers should be publishable in the scientific literature or considered acceptable by the student's graduate committee. The publications must be approved by the resident's advisor before submission for publication. All publications must have a departmental faculty member, as a senior co-author.

Resident Evaluation

The primary responsibility for resident evaluation lies with the resident's advisor, graduate committee, and section head. Residents are encouraged to meet with their advisor frequently to ensure that they are making satisfactory progress toward completing their program. The resident's graduate and clinical advisor(s) is/are responsible for prompt 6-monthly evaluations of the resident's academic and clinical performance throughout the three year program. A copy must be submitted to the resident/graduate coordinator in the departmental office to be included in the student's file and one copy given to the resident. Resident and House Officer Evaluation Form

Residents should meet with their entire graduate committee at least annually. Minutes of the meeting should be submitted to the graduate coordinator in the departmental office for inclusion in the student's file. If problems arise with a resident's program that cannot be resolved by the student's advisor, then the departmental Resident Graduate Committee in conjunction with the Assistant Department Head will serve as the next level of arbitration. It is highly recommended that the resident/graduate student maintain an updated Graduate Requirements Checklist. Each requirement on the checklist should be signed by the student's advisor upon completion.

Final Examination

An oral examination will be given during the last semester of the program (prior to the end of the eleventh week of the graduation term for fall or spring semester or by the end of the 5th week of the 8 week summer term). At least one week before the final examination, the advisor must inform the resident and the committee members of the nature and scope of the examination. The advisor is responsible for ensuring that the oral examination date is announced and that all departmental faculty are invited at least one week prior to the examination.

The examination committee will consist of the resident's advisor (chairperson), all members of the resident's graduate committee, and the departmental faculty member "representative" appointed by the departmental graduate program coordinator or the Assistant Department Head. All members of the graduate committee must be in attendance for the examination. The chairperson will begin by outlining the format of the examination to the audience. The chairperson will provide Guidelines to those in attendance (committee versus audience) who will be allowed to ask questions. Audience questions are usually encouraged immediately following the presentation. The committee question period usually follows this. It is suggested the first hour of the examination be devoted to the resident's presentation of their research project results and/or from the content of their publications. It is recommended that another hour be devoted to questions directed to the resident. Approximately 50% of the questions should address research or publications and the other 50% should address course work and clinical training.

Voting at all final oral examinations shall be limited to the members of the resident's graduate committee. A majority vote by the committee is required for passage of the examination by the student. A tie vote is interpreted as a failure to pass the examination. Committee members who are not academic faculty do not have a vote on the final examination. Providing the student's graduate committee approves, a candidate who fails the final examination may be re-examined once, and prior to the re-examination may be required to complete further work. The re- examination must be held not earlier than two months and no later than 12 months after the first examination. The retake examination should be attended by a Departmental representative faculty member appointed by the Assistant Department Head that has not been involved with training the student to ensure that fair and due process is followed.

The resident is responsible for returning the Report of the Final Examination (GS Form 24), completed and signed, to the Graduate School office within two working days after the results of the final examination are known.

Program Completion

The GS form 25/25A (Application for Graduation) is due to the Graduate School by the end of week 2 of the graduation semester (spring or fall) of before end of week 1 (summer). GS Form 24, Report of Final Examination and is due in the Graduate School Office before the end of week 11 of the graduation semester (spring or fall) or before the end of week 8 (summer semester) that graduation will occur. GS Form 25B (Departmental Requirements Clearance Form) is due to the Graduate School no later than the last day of the semester in which the student is graduating. It is the responsibility of the resident that these forms are completed and submitted. Students must be enrolled in classes or registered for continuous registration (CR) during the semester in which they wish to graduate.

A Certificate of Residency will only be awarded following satisfactory completion of the three- year program, which includes all requirements for the Plan B MS.

Tuition and Fees

State funded residents need to register for at least 5 credits each semester (Fall and Spring) or be enrolled in continuous registration throughout the residency program in order to be classified as a half-time student and avoid having retirement benefits deducted from their monthly salary. Continuous registration (CR) is used to remain a graduate student while not taking coursework in any given semester. The College will cover the cost of in-state tuition for up to 6 credits each semester or 36 total credits and the cost of CR when used. Enrolled residents will receive tuition assistantships to cover out of state tuition costs during the first year of the residency program. Thereafter, residents who have established Colorado Resident status will continue to have in-state tuition costs covered by the College. It is, therefore, very important that a resident establish Colorado residency status during the first year of their residency to avoid paying out of state tuition costs in the second and third years of the residency program. The resident should initiate the process of establishing state residency immediately after arrival in the program. Claiming to have lived in Colorado for 1⁄2 of your first year of your residency on your income tax is critical to establish Colorado in-state status. International students, since they cannot establish Colorado residency, will therefore be responsible for the difference between in state and out of state tuition costs each semester.

** Residency positions that are not "core" positions funded through the college (e.g.: specifically funded through grants, development, outside sources, etc) do not receive any tuition scholarships and will be required to pay all out-of-state tuition and fees during the entire 3-year program.

Salary

Base stipend is established according to university policy for each resident at the time of admittance to the program. The stipend will commence July 14th the first year of the residency, and will end July 15th of the final year of a three year residency.

Fringe Benefits

1. Vacation - Residents are allowed 12 working days of vacation per year to be taken at times arranged with their section chief and advisor. A maximum of 24 days of vacation can be accumulated. Vacation time may not be taken as terminal vacation at the end of the 3 year residency program, or utilized to end the residency early. Advisors are encouraged to schedule vacation time for their residents annually so as to avoid creating scheduling problems and loss of vacation days.
2. Meetings - Residents will usually be permitted to attend one specialty or national meeting each year during their program with approval of the section chief. At this time residents are eligible for $1000 in travel money during their 3-year program Expenses of residents presenting papers at national or specialty meetings will be funded when possible at the recommendation of the Department Head and will receive priority over attendance alone. Please contact the Departmental office regarding amount and sources of travel funding.
3. Externship - Depending on the residency program, residents may be allowed to take up to three months of their three year program in some other job-related position relevant to their training program. Leave is to be arranged at the discretion of the section chief and with departmental concurrence. Reciprocal exchange is encouraged. All expenses except salary are to be met by the resident. Performance will be evaluated by the sponsor.
4. Insurance - Residents are covered by workmen's compensation and liability insurance. Health insurance is not provided. Student health services are available to all residents through Colorado State University at the Hartshorn Health Center.
5. Miscellaneous - Work attire is provided by many sections in the hospital and is laundered by the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Colorado State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or sex. The University complies with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, related Executive Orders 11246 and 11375, and all Civil Rights Laws of the State of Colorado. Accordingly, equal opportunity for employment admission shall be extended to all persons and the University shall promote equal opportunity and treatment through a positive and continuing affirmative action program.