As you move through your university experience and into the 'clinical years', you'll go from general concepts ("this is how the kidney works and these are some things that could go wrong") to more specific situations that need diagnosis and treatment.
In rotations, you'll be challenged to work up cases on your own. On clinical EMS placements, you might have to do drug calculations. And when it comes to exams, you need to know what's out there to revise from. That's what this list is for. It's my go-to resources that I recommend you bookmark, download, and save now - so whether it's your first night shift as a new graduate or a tricky case on rotations, you've got some handy, evidence-based resources you can trust.
The Improve Veterinary Education Clinical Library is designed for vets and nurses in clinical practice, but that makes it useful for students too: it contains free articles, webinars, case studies and downloadable pocket guides that focus on real-world clinical problems rather than abstract lists of facts. It's great for following up on cases you saw in practice or revising before your finals!
From practical dental and surgical basics to feline-friendly handling tips, this comprehensive package of free video learning resources includes over 16 hours of content designed to boost your confidence in the key skills and knowledge areas you’ll use in everyday veterinary practice. Use it for revising before a rotation or CEMS placement so you can hit the ground running.
The MSD Veterinary Manual is one of the most useful broad veterinary references to have bookmarked. It covers a wide range of species and topics, and is helpful when you need a quick overview of a disease, clinical sign, diagnostic approach or treatment principle before moving into more detailed resources.
For species-specific refreshers, I’d also bookmark a few extra resources rather than trying to make one website do everything:
These are not resources to sit down and read from beginning to end. They are resources to know exist, so that when you are told tomorrow’s discussion is on equine colic, calf pneumonia or a parrot with respiratory signs, you have somewhere sensible to start.
Although we do have cases on the Improve Clinical Library, they might be a bit too advanced for veterinary students. You're welcome to give them a go, but there are some other great, student-aimed resources like:
CasePALs is a collection of real-life clinical case scenarios from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, selected for veterinary students by final-year students. It’s a useful way to practise the shift from “what facts do I know?” to “what would I do next?”, without the pressure of a live case discussion.
Wait until you get handed a ream of paper from a biochemistry machine and you need to try to interpret it. Whether that's happening at uni, on rotations, or as a new grad vet, we all need a helping hand at times...
eClinPath is my go-to online clinical pathology resource. It’s particularly useful for haematology, biochemistry, urinalysis, cytology and blood smear interpretation. For students and new grads, my favourite section is the biochemistry quick analysis, which explains the relevance of increases and decreases for biochemistry values.
For diagnostic imaging, the International Veterinary Radiology Association’s Open Education Resources are worth bookmarking. They include free radiology teaching materials and case examples, which are useful when you want more practice looking at images without the added pressure of a live case discussion.
I don't remember covering these much at uni, but getting to grips with drug calculations was a huge part of student rotations and definitely new grad-hood. These are very helpful...
For UK and ROI veterinary students, free BSAVA student membership gives access to the BSAVA App, including the Small Animal Formulary Parts A and B, the Guide to Procedures in Small Animal Practice and the Guide to the Use of Veterinary Medicines. It’s especially useful for small animal and exotic pet rotations, and for getting into the habit of checking drugs properly.
The NOAH Compendium is an important resource for veterinary medicines, containing datasheets for many UK-authorised veterinary products. It’s useful for checking product information, species indications, contraindications, warnings and withdrawal periods, particularly when you’re trying to understand responsible medicines use in practice.
DVMCalc is a veterinary calculator resource for drug doses, fluid therapy, CRIs, toxicology, emergency care and other clinical calculations. It’s useful for checking your maths, but it should still be used alongside local protocols, formularies and the clinician’s plan. Most of the calculators are free, but there are some 'pro' ones you'll need to pay to use.
You've probably come across these during your studies already, but just in case you haven't... these are perfect for when you hear one thing on rotations and something else in practice!
Veterinary Evidence, from RCVS Knowledge, publishes Knowledge Summaries that answer focused clinical questions by appraising the best available evidence. They’re useful when you want to know whether a common clinical claim is actually supported, and they’re a good introduction to how evidence-based veterinary medicine works in real cases.
BestBETs for Vets summarises evidence around practical clinical questions and is linked to the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine. It’s helpful for learning how to ask better questions, weigh up evidence, and recognise where the evidence base is limited.
Where would we be without an app? We've mentioned the BSAVA App above, but I'd also recommend downloading these before rotations and EMS...
VetPain is a free app that supports pain assessment in cats, dogs, rabbits, mice, and rats using validated pain scales. It’s useful for students because it gives structure to something that can otherwise feel quite subjective, especially when species, temperament and fear all affect behaviour.
The RECOVER CPR Coach app is designed to support veterinary teams during CPR in dogs and cats. It does not replace CPR training, but it is worth knowing about before emergency rotations or night shifts, as a prompt and support tool for organised resuscitation.
Veterinary podcasts are a great way to cram extra revision in while driving or walking the dog. Here are some of my favourites...
The RVC Veterinary Clinical Podcasts are a useful option when you want clinical learning without sitting in front of another screen. They’re particularly good for building context and hearing how clinicians talk through common problems.
BCVA’s CattleCast covers farm vet experiences, clinical topics, research, news and professional themes. It’s useful even if you’re not planning a farm animal career, because it helps keep farm animal practice and herd-health thinking familiar during the clinical years.
BEVA pod covers equine veterinary topics, professional issues and the wider equine community. It’s a helpful way to make equine practice feel a little more familiar, particularly if the horse world is not your natural habitat.
Hopefully, you'll have discovered some new resources that will be helpful to you as you head into rotations and finals. Good luck! If you're done with finals and you're trying to get ready for your first vet job, check out our other new graduate resources in our CPD hub - there's something for everyone!