Department of Pathology

Clinical Pathology Laboratory

On this page:

Hours of Operation | Resources | Clerkship

Welcome to the Clinical Pathology Laboratory web site at The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. The Clinical Pathology Laboratory offers a wide variety of clinical testing for The University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and both in-house and contract researchers.

« Hours of Operation

Our hours of operation are from 7:30 A.M. until 5:30 P.M. on Monday through Friday. Limited laboratory testing also is available on Saturday mornings from 9:00 A.M until 10:00 A.M. In addition, around-the-clock emergency service is offered to improve patient care.

« Resources

Our staff of Medical Technologists consists of six full-time employees and one part-time employee and we perform more than 300,000 tests annually, including approximately 11,000 complete blood cell counts (CBCs), 10,000 biochemical profiles, 3,000 cytologic specimens, 4,000 urinalyses, 600 coagulation profiles, and 1,500 endocrinology tests. We also offer a variety of unusual or non-routine analyses that are performed by subcontract in other specialized clinical laboratories throughout the country. Major instrumentation in our laboratory includes a Bayer-Advia 120 hematology analyzer, Hitachi P-module biochemical analyzer, Abaxis Vetscan biochemical analyzer, Immulite 1000 for hormone assays, and a Nova Critical Care Xpress for blood gas, acid-base, and electrolyte determinations.

« Clinical Pathology Clerkship

The purpose of the Clinical Pathology Clerkship Project is to meet the objectives below:

• Understand all aspects of cytology submission, including sample selection, handling, staining, and processing
• Understand the value of clinical pathology testing and the limitations of such tests
• Have a well-understood approach to interpretation of biochemical findings
• Synthesize and communicate pathologic findings in a written and visual format

For this project, the students will be asked to pick one case each week in which evaluation of a cytologic specimen or peripheral blood smear was helpful in making a clinical diagnosis. With the help of the resident and/or pathologist on duty, photograph a representative field on a slide from the case after which the student will write-up the case and submit it to the pathologist for review.