NC State CVM Students Attend 2015 Fish Med Selective at CMAST

NC State College of Veterinary Medicine students completed an intensive course of clinical work and lectures at the week-long Advanced Fish Medicine Selective at CMAST this month.

The course was the first time the majority of these students had ever had hands-on clinical experience with marine life. Selectives are courses CVM students take to familiarize themselves with various areas of specialization of veterinary medicine.

A surgery and anesthesia lab allowed students to conduct surgery on a group of eels, all of which continue to do well in recovery. This lab was a collaborative effort with CMAST Ph.D student Paul Rudershausen, Dept. of Applied Ecology, who implants and recaptures tags to gather data on eels in the field.

Students studied gill and skin biopsies of various fish for a diagnostics and parasitology lab, and examined actual specimens of marine life for their comparative anatomy lab.
In cooperation with The NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, students learned about water quality and life support.

The selective was co-conducted by Drs. Craig Harms and Greg Lewbart, both of CMAST. The selective was previously held on NC State’s Raleigh campus, but this session marked the second year the class has been held at CMAST, allowing students a week at the coast in order get right to the source of marine life.