Each farm placement should provide students with the following experiences:

- hands-on experience while conducting routine husbandry chores with food producing animals and horses,
- experiences of the key elements of the main production systems at farm level, such as stocking rates, housing requirements, grazing management, winter feeding, breeding policy, welfare, disease prevention and principles of good husbandry for optimum health, welfare and productivity of animals.

Students that are lacking experience with companion animals will be required to obtain experience for two weeks at a small animal hospital/clinic. Here the student is permitted to:

- handle, feed, clean, exercise and carry out routine chores on dogs, cats and other companion animals.
- learn how to approach, handle, restrain, and examine companion animals in a competent professional manner. This experience will give the students, who have limited experience with companion animals, the ability to carry out routine procedures such as lifting, restraining, nail clipping, ear cleaning, tablet administration, with confidence before entering their clinical years.

It is important to note that this companion animal handling experience does not constitute any part of Clinical EMS and, for the benefit of the student, the emphasis should be on routine basic animal care and husbandry as opposed to veterinary clinical care.

How do I organise pre-clincal EMS placements?

- Students self-source their own placements and make their own arrangements with the enterprise they wish to attend. Pre-clinical EMS experience can be undertaken outside Ireland, although it is recommended that a % be undertaken within Ireland.
- EMS placements must be approved by the student’s EMS Supervisor at least 30 days in advance of the commencement of the placement. Approval is submitted via ‘My Placements’ on SISWeb.
- Students identify and record the learning objectives for each placement for review by their EMS Supervisor. Students should discuss these learning objectives with their placement host at the start of their placement.
- Feedback from the placement host on a student's performance must be submitted at the end of each placement by completing the applicable Myprogress feedback form.

Students are required to become proficient in the handling and management of a variety of animal species through completing a minimum of 12 weeks of farm and companion animal experience. The module is open to all MVB and Grad Entry students from the Christmas break of Stage 1 but contributes to the completion of the Stage 2 of the MVB/Grad Entry programme only.

MVB/Grad Entry students are expected to have completed their 12 weeks of placements by 30th April of Stage 2. The completion of this requirement to the satisfaction of the student's EMS supervisor is a pre-requisite for progression into Stage 3 of the MVB degree programme. These credits are GPA neutral.

If a student has sufficient prior experience in one or more species, the student may apply for exemption in some of the pre-clinical EMS requirements in that species. This will be considered by their EMS supervisor. Evidence must be presented to the EMS supervisor to determine if the exemption is granted. Exemption applications are carried out through “My Placements'' via SISWeb.

Students must ensure that they submit the relevant Myprogress feedback form each placement within 30 days from the last day of the placement to verify their attendance.

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

Students will receive feedback from each of their placement hosts via their Myprogress feedback form. If they have not completed the required number of hours, the number of weeks/types of placements, the student will be able to remediate any incomplete components by completing the necessary placement weeks. Students are welcome to discuss any feedback that they receive from their placement host with their EMS Supervisor.