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Good Surgical Practice - GSP
Module 2 - Master companion animal surgery with good surgical practice for better outcomes and pain management.
This course is a part of
Companion Animal SURGERY - Core course - Module 2
The purpose of this course is to provide the students with theoretical and practical tools to perform rational diagnostic work-up and clinical decision-making, and to extend the participants knowledge, personal skills and competences within the discipline of companion animal surgery.
The course will provide the students with theoretical and practical competences within the fundamentals of good surgical practice as it relates to first opinion companion animal practice – in particular Halsted’s principles of surgery, atraumatic tissue handling, aseptic preparation of patient and team, and the problem-oriented and evidence-based background for decision making in companion animal surgical procedures.
The course provides the student with a set of tools to assess the outcome of surgeries in general and to establish, perform and develop a continuous quality-assurance program in particular.
As part of the responsibilities of the companion animal surgeon the course emphasizes the importance of a systematic approach to, and management of, emergency surgical patients, animal pain perception, and individually-tailored anaesthetic and analgesic management.
This course is only available for students enrolled on the Surgery specialisation track.
For more details about the course, please refer to the course curriculum.
Read more about the specialization tracks and the Master's programme on the main page:
Course Directors on Good Surgical Practice - GSP
James Edward MilesProfessor MSO |
Thomas EriksenAssociate Professor |
Course details on Good Surgical Practice - GSP
Dates and examination
Course dates
27 April - 2 May 2026
The course is available every second year.
Examination
Please find dates and details about the exam in the exam schedule.
Learning outcomes
Having completed the course, the student must be able to:
Knowledge
- Understand the possibilities and limitations of surgical intervention primarily in first opinion companion animal practice clinical situations.
- Understand the importance of application of good surgical practice (GSP) including Halsted’s principles in companion animal surgery.
- Explain and discuss the key principles that are mandatory prior to initiating and for the follow-up of surgery in companion animal patients including challenging wounds and wound healing.
- Explain and discuss emergency assessment and clinical decision making in the acute surgical patient
- Assess the limitations and contraindications related to surgeries in companion animal patients.
- Define and identify key surgically-relevant anatomical structures.
Skills
- Apply the physiological response to pain and tissue trauma in companion animals in a surgical situation including soft-tissue, orthopaedic and trauma patients.
- Interpret signs of companion animal pain and administer appropriate pain alleviation and anaesthesia.
- Perform fundamental surgical techniques including induction of anaesthesia, haemostasis, life-saving emergency techniques, simple skin grafting and flap approaches applied in tumor extirpation, surgical biopsy methods, common ophthalmic surgeries, and oro-dental surgery.
- Perform oral presentations for both specialist and non-specialist colleagues and clients.
- Find evidence-based information and approaches in surgical patients including the use of searchable medical databases such as Medline.
Competences
- Plan, decide and evaluate a diagnostic work-up for patients with both simple and more complex histories within companion animal surgery.
- Independently obtain, evaluate and elaborate on evidence based new knowledge within companion animal surgery.
- Collaborate and communicate within and between specialist, dedicated companion animal and mixed practice peers, veterinary technicians and lay persons involved in companion animal surgical patient management.
Admission criteria
This course is only available for students enrolled in the Surgery specialisation of Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science.
Visit the Surgery page.
You must meet the following criteria to be admitted to this course:
- Hold a degree in Veterinary Medicine
- Have a minimum of 2 years of relevant job experience from companion animal practice
- Be proficient in English
- Have completed the previous courses at the Companion Animal Surgery specialisation.
Read more about admission on the main page of Master of Companion Animal Clinical Science.
Tuition fees
EU/EEA citizens*
33,500 DKK
Non-EU/EEA citizens
38,800 DKK
Tuition fees include course materials and lunch/coffee. Books are not included in the tuition fees and must be purchased by the participants.
*Citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland is entitled to a subsidised tuition fee, due to EU legislation, hence the difference in price.
Location
University of Copenhagen
University Hospital for Companion Animals
Dyrlægevej 16
1958 Frederiksberg
Denmark
Contact
Christine Gulstad
Study Administration Officer
Tel.: +45 35 32 12 73
Thomas Eriksen
Associate Professor
DVM, PhD
Professor Thomas Eriksen, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Section for Surgery, Neurology and Cardiology, University of Copenhagen is one of the Course Directors at the Surgery module in the compulsory course and the specialisation course. He contributes to the programme with his expert knowledge in companion animal surgery with a special interest in soft tissue surgery.
James Edward Miles
Professor MSO
DVM, PhD, GPCert SAS
I qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 1995. I have been employed at the small animal hospital at the Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences) since 2006, where my responsibilities include teaching and provision of surgical services.
In 2011 I completed a PhD at Copenhagen University based on research into objective diagnostic criteria relating to medial patellar luxation. Current research interests include identifying and assessing new objective criteria, and aspects of biomechanics relating to hind limb function, especially in regard to patellar luxation.