Compulsory Equipment

No personal belongings are permitted in the dissection rooms or labs and therefore you must have a locker in order to store belongings.

These are available to purchase online from the VTO shop ahead of your first day. 

Required for some practical anatomy classes. If you already have a dissection kit, feel free to bring that (most will be fine for our purposes).

GEP Students - a dissection kit will be provided on arrival, you don't need to buy one. 

5 year Students - please purchase a dissection kit. If buying one, we would recommend you get it from the VTO shop as they have been put together with the instruments you will require.  You can delay making the payment for the kit until you are with us. 

For anatomy classes. Further information on how to borrow a bone box using your University library card will be made available at the appropriate time on your course. 

You do not need to do anything before you arrive.

We know some students receive a stethoscope from family members before commencing studies and if that's the case - then great.  There is no need to rush out and buy a stethoscope until you are physically on campus though.  The text below is simply to give you an idea of what you eventually need your stethoscope for.

• Dog clinical exam practicals.
• Large animal practicals.

A good quality multipurpose stethoscope is the Littmann Classic II or III.  R(D)SVS staff will discuss and demonstrate stethoscopes with all students in the clinical skills classes during your first year.  Students on the 5 year programme need their own stethoscope by the start of year 2 of the programme. GEP students should ideally get one during their first year. Note: there are always stethoscopes available to borrow so there is no immediate rush to get your own. 

Initially any student can borrow a stethoscope, and it is fine to buy a cheaper model to get you started, but if you want to invest in a stethoscope that will last you well into your professional life, then the Littman Classic III is a good all-purpose stethoscope for use with most species.

Please note: it is advised that students label their stethoscopes. Shops provide dedicated name tags for purchase, or you can get your name engraved on the bell. Please note for biosecurity reasons, textiles, fabrics, etc. cannot be used to label or decorate stethoscopes.