Veterinary Cardiology Online
When I look back on my time as a veterinary student and intern, many things come to mind. First I think of the incredible people I met and then quickly remember the long nights studying with them. I’ve come to realize that what made those nights longer and more challenging than needed was the constant search for high-quality and accessible resources.
Yet there was one online resource I turned to more than any other: VetGo. In many ways, the challenge of finding those resources and the accessibility of VetGo was an inspiration for what we are trying to build with Obi Veterinary Education.
Which is why I am so excited to share that VetGo Cardiology is joining the Obi course library. Whenever I had a case with a murmur, needed a list of differentials or wanted to remind myself of pathophysiology before quizzing students, I turned to VetGo. This online cardiology resource, which has most recently been maintained and updated by Dr. Lynne O’Sullivan at veterinarycardiology.org was started in 2001 as the brainchild of Dr. Mike O’Grady. Thanks to the internet archive I was able to dive into the past to look at its iterations.
History of VetGo and Veterinary Cardiology Online
To start, the only content online was a placeholder, building the anticipation of students and veterinarians everywhere.
By 2002 the first iteration of the resource was available. The website housed a series of written resources and cardiac related case materials such as radiographs and ECGs. Looking back now, it has the look and feel of an early 2000s website, but design aesthetics aside, it was an invaluable resource. At a time when most trusted educational content lived behind expensive paywalls, Dr. O’Grady created one of the first free and open access veterinary medical education resources.
With Dr. O’Grady’s retirement in 2011, the site was taken over by Dr. Lynne O’Sullivan, who had been contributing to its content since Fall 2003. In 2015, the site got a makeover and migrated shortly thereafter to vetcardiology.org. Dr. O’Sullivan has maintained the site as a faculty member at the Ontario Veterinary College and now as a Professor of Cardiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College.
Veterinary Cardiology on Obi
Adding this resource to our growing course library is not only exciting for our members, but it’s a personal milestone for me. It was there for me when I needed a refresher; it was accessible at a time when most content was not; and it made a similar impact on many of my fellow students and vets.
When I created Obi, I wanted to use the same concept to build a trusted and accessible radiology resource. When I reached out to Dr. O’Sullivan about joining forces, I could not have been happier that she was interested in revising and re-releasing the veterinary cardiology resource on Obi. The great thing about these resources is they fit together like puzzle pieces. You can access the written cardiology resources and simultaneously take RACE-approved radiology courses on cardiovascular radiology.
And as we grow our course library, we will be taking care to ensure the content continues to integrate seamlessly. Our free case-based radiology series, The Reading Room, will be returning for a second season and focused on cardiology cases – using many of the radiographs from the original VetGo cardiology resource. In this way we hope to build the best cardiology resource around, absolutely free.
I hope members will use it at their own pace and for their own learning purposes, whether it be for sequential building of Cardiology knowledge or searching out specific targeted concepts. Most importantly, I hope it makes Cardiology understandable and exciting!
This resource will continue to be free for all, even without a membership. However, by making a free account you will be able to track your progress, earn points and badges, access RACE-approved radiology, be notified when new content is released and connect with fellow vets.
Get started with Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology
Get started with the Cardiovascular Radiograph Tutorial
Responses