The School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) at Texas A&M University (http://vetmed.tamu.edu/) invites applications for an 11-month, full-time, clinical-track faculty position at the rank of assistant, associate, or full professor to serve as an equine veterinary clinical educator in the DVM 2 2 program at the Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach (VERO) center at West Texas A&M University campus in Canyon, Texas (https://vetmed.tamu.edu/vero/employment-opportunities/). The anticapated start date is Spring 2024. VERO is located in Canyon, Texas, in the Texas Panhandle. Nearby is Palo Duro Canyon State Park, home to the second largest canyon in the country which provides scenic hiking, biking, camping and horseback riding. Winter skiing in Taos, NM is within driving distance.
The successful candidate will have a primary instructional role and will participate in instruction of the integrated and highly experiential DVM curriculum at the VERO campus. As a clinician educator, this unique position includes a primary role in the two preclinical years of the DVM curriculum with an emphasis on equine individual and herd health. Equine veterinarians with an interest in teaching a small cohort of eighteen veterinary students using a combination of didactic, small group teaching, and active learning sessions are encouraged to apply. The individual will collaboratively instruct pre-clinical course content including clinical skills, professional skills, and critical thinking as it pertains to equine clinical practice which is contiguous through the first six semesters of the curriculum. In these courses students gain clinical skills in the simulation laboratory, professional skills, including communication, ethical decision-making, personal and professional finance, and critical thinking skills through problem-based instruction. Faculty in the DVM 2 2 program “cross-over” and teach in multiple courses to reinforce content related to their subject matter interest across the 2 2 program.
In addition to preclinical teaching in the DVM program, the position also includes support for 4th year clinical rotations at VERO, which include equine rotations centered around preventive care and wellness of working horses (e.g., the numerous working horses at surrounding feed lots and the horses stationed on the WTAMU campus). Opportunities for equine clinical teaching exist in the local community as well as the TAMU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station for candidates interested in additional clinical work. The equine veterinary educator is expected to devote 80-85% effort to teaching and 15-20% effort to service. The VERO 2 2 DVM program offers an exciting opportunity to work within a collaborative academic culture and to serve as a role model and mentor for a small cohort of veterinary students. Applicants with a desire to change career paths, disconnect from the pace of clinical practice, or dedicate a larger portion of their career to teaching are encouraged to apply.
The successful candidate will have a VMBS academic home in the Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences department and will work collaboratively with VERO-based faculty, members of other disciplines, as well as faculty members located on the College Station campus to administer the 2 2 veterinary curriculum.
Developed as part of the Texas commitment to animals and agriculture, VERO represents a dynamic partnership between the Texas A&M VMBS and West Texas A&M University and is set in the heart of one of the most productive animal agricultural regions in the world. The Texas Panhandle and Plains area is home to the highest density of cattle in the USA with approximately 30% of the nation’s beef cattle fed or finished in the region, another 2.5 million beef cattle in the area, and over 300,000 dairy cattle at any given time. In addition, Texas is home to nearly 900,000 horses. The WTAMU campus supports the highly competitive women’s equestrian team and the WTAMU Horse Center includes a teaching and research herd of 50 horses.