RCVS Statutory Membership Examination Rotating Internship & Entrepreneurship Training: practice questions

1 · Posting: Veterinary Clinical Complex of the home college · easy

In a SOAP progress note, which entry belongs under 'O'?

1. Suspected traumatic reticuloperitonitis, improving since admission
2. Rectal temperature 40.2 °C; heart rate 96/min
3. Repeat haematology tomorrow and start the agreed treatment plan
4. Owner reports the cow has eaten less since yesterday evening

2 · Posting: Veterinary Clinical Complex in another state · hard

An intern takes over a ward from another team at shift change. Which handover approach best prevents errors?

1. A structured handover covering who the patient is, what is wrong, what has been done and what is due next
2. Waiting for the owner to visit and explain the case, because owners know their animal best
3. Relying on the ward attendant's memory of treatments, since attendants are present all day long
4. Reading only the last line of each record, because the earlier entries are already out of date

3 · Posting: zoo or wildlife unit · medium

A tiger in a zoo spends much of the day pacing the same route along its enclosure fence. How should the intern interpret this?

1. As normal territorial patrolling that shows the enclosure is working exactly as planned
2. As an early sign of rabies that requires the animal to be destroyed without delay
3. As evidence of overfeeding that should be corrected by halving the meat ration
4. As a stereotypy suggesting the environment does not meet the animal's behavioural needs

4 · Posting: zoo or wildlife unit · easy

Which zoonosis is a particular hazard for staff handling macaques?

1. Bovine viral diarrhoea
2. Feline panleukopenia
3. Marek's disease
4. Herpes B virus

5 · Posting: abattoir · medium

After captive-bolt stunning of a bovine, which finding indicates an ineffective stun needing an immediate back-up stun?

1. A fixed, glassy stare with no corneal reflex
2. Rhythmic breathing and an attempt to raise the head
3. Immediate collapse followed by no rhythmic breathing at all
4. Brief involuntary kicking of the hind limbs

6 · Posting: abattoir · hard

An intern doing post-mortem inspection in an abattoir cuts their glove and finger while incising lymph nodes of a carcass with caseous lesions. What should happen first, after first aid?

1. Report the injury, record it, and seek medical assessment because tuberculosis is a possibility
2. Continue the shift and say nothing, as injuries from knives are routine in meat inspection
3. Treat the cut with disinfectant only, because zoonoses cannot be acquired through skin wounds
4. Ask the abattoir worker to finish the inspection and change the glove the following day

7 · Posting: field veterinary hospital · medium

A field veterinarian has four visits planned: a healthy calf-rearing unit, a herd with suspected foot-and-mouth disease, a dairy farm for pregnancy diagnosis, and a sheep flock for routine vaccination. In what order should the visits be made?

1. Pregnancy diagnosis, suspected foot-and-mouth herd, calf-rearing unit, sheep vaccination
2. Sheep vaccination, suspected foot-and-mouth herd, calf-rearing unit, pregnancy diagnosis
3. Suspected foot-and-mouth herd first, then pregnancy diagnosis, sheep vaccination, calves
4. Calf-rearing unit, sheep vaccination, pregnancy diagnosis, suspected foot-and-mouth herd

8 · Posting: field veterinary hospital · medium

During a village mass vaccination campaign, why must a fresh needle be used for each animal?

1. Reusing needles is allowed only for live vaccines, which are self-sterilising
2. Reusing needles is permitted if the needle is wiped with a dry cotton swab
3. Reusing needles transmits blood-borne infections such as anaplasmosis and bovine leukosis
4. Reusing needles changes the vaccine dose because each needle retains half a dose

9 · Posting: field veterinary hospital · hard

A field intern is about to assist a calving of an aborted, autolysed foetus on a farm with a history of abortions. Which precaution matters most for the intern's own health?

1. A cotton apron and bare hands, so that the uterus can be felt more accurately
2. Washing hands only after finishing the farm visit, to save water on the farm
3. Long gloves and eye protection, and safe disposal of the foetus and membranes
4. Feeding the membranes to farm dogs, so that the material is removed quickly

10 · Posting: animal welfare organisation · medium

Which pair of diseases is the main reason shelters design dog kennels and cleaning to stop environmental transmission?

1. Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia in puppies
2. Diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism
3. Otitis externa and dental tartar
4. Canine parvovirus and canine distemper