Veterinary Certification
The IAAHPC Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Certification Program is the first of its kind, certifying veterinary professionals all around the world to be able to better serve the families and pets that deserve such elevated care. Our instructors are at the top of their fields, specializing in neurology, cardiology, end-of-life, and pain management, just to name a few. This is an educational experience that you’ll only receive here at the IAAHPC.
The Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Certification program is an approximately 100-hour RACE approved continuing education program which elevates veterinarians and veterinary technicians and nurses in all aspects of animal hospice and palliative care. The program begins with an overview of fundamental concepts in animal end-of-life care and progresses to cover the unique challenges of veterinary medical, nursing, and caregiver care as related to the animal hospice model.
Graduates of the certification program will be designated the credentials, Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Veterinarian (CHPV®) or Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Technician (CHPT®). These credentials add to YOUR success in providing exceptional end-of-life care and support to pets and the families who love them.
The AHPC Certification program is presented in five (5) modules. This flexible format is designed to allow students to create a curriculum timeline which best fits their busy schedule. Online modules are composed of streaming lectures and activities designed for students to complete and submit at their own pace.Every other year, an in-person communication workshop and advanced euthanasia techniques lab are held in conjunction with the biennial in-person IAAHPC conference.
For more information about the program, please contact our Program Administrator at ahpcprogram@iaahpc.org.
Who can enroll?
Program enrollment is limited to:
- Licensed veterinarians with a minimum 2 years of clinical experience
- Credentialed veterinary technicians and nurses with a minimum 2 years of clinical experience
- Must provide proof of current license
- Must submit current CV/resume with objective of why this program is desired
- Applicants must be IAAHPC members in good standing
Introduction to Animal Hospice and Palliative Care: Module 1
The Introduction to Animal Hospice and Palliative Care module will provide a foundation for the understanding of this emerging field and includes:
- The history of hospice
- Overview of the IAAHPC program
- Introduction to Animal Hospice &
- Palliative Care
- The Interdisciplinary Team in Hospice Care
- Ethical Considerations and Decision Making
- End of Life Communication
- Legal and Safety Concerns
- Basic Steps in Establishing a Hospice and Palliative Care Business
This course meets the requirements for 21.5 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however, participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education.
Communication Workshop: Module 2
Advanced Animal Hospice and Palliative Care: Module 3
- Advanced Medical Care
- Prevalence of Conditions Seen in Hospice
- Practice Balancing Efficacy of Care
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Cognitive Dysfunction
- Neurological Conditions
- Respiratory Diseases
- Overview of Cancer for End of Life Patients
- Gastrointestinal Conditions
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Heart Failure
- Pharmacology Interventions for Symptom Management
- Physical Medicine
- Complementary and Integrative Medicine
- Interpreting Behavior to Guide End of Life
- Care and Decisions
- Assessing Animal Quality of Life
- Comfort Care During Active Dying
- Ethical Decision-making
- Advanced Nursing Care
- The Nursing Role in Hospice and Palliative Care
- The Home Environment Assessment
- Pain Management
- The Nursing Role in Symptom Management and Client Relationship
This course meets the requirements for 20 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however, participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education.
Advanced Pain Management: Module 4
This module embraces the multimodal treatment of pain management and provides an evidence-based approach to treatment options. It focuses on the neurobiology of pain mechanisms so as to understand the basis for mechanism-based treatments. Further, this module embraces the team approach to pain management, recognizing the valuable roles of the veterinarian, veterinary technician, and family in managing each case. In particular, veterinary technicians play a major role in managing these patients for their lifetime and interact with veterinarians and families to be certain that patients are receiving optimal treatment. It’s also important for families to be informed and educated about the treatment options for their pets and receive appropriate follow-up care.
After completion of this module, students will understand the basic neurobiology of pain in companion animals and be able to apply the information in the selection of treatment modalities.
Topics include:
- Osteoarthritis & Pain
- Multimodal Management of Canine Osteoarthritis
- NSAIDs
- Pain Management in the Cat
- Neurobiology of Pain – Parts 1 and 2
- Opioids & Alpha-2 Agonists
- Pain Assessment
- Animal Health Technicians in Pain Management
- Tricyclics & Anticonvulsants
- Pain States
- Adaptive & Maladaptive Pain
- Visceral Pain
This course meets the requirements for 20 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however, participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education.
Advanced Euthanasia Techniques: Module 5
Attendance at the annual IAAHPC conference is strongly encouraged, whether the conference is in-person or virtual. Students need to obtain 20 hours of relevant animal hospice and palliative care continuing education (other than the AHPC Program Module CE) credits. If conference attendance is not possible, students may be approved to purchase the immediate past year’s IAAHPC conference proceedings; please note this is determined on a case-by-case basis only.
Continuing Education/Conference Attendance
Attendance at the annual IAAHPC conference is strongly encouraged, whether that is in-person or online. Students need to obtain 20 hours of relevant animal hospice and palliative care continuing education (other than the AHPC Program Module CE) credits. This can be easily earned by attending the annual IAAHPC conference, whether in person or virtually. If conference attendance is not possible, students may be approved to purchase the immediate past year’s IAAHPC conference proceedings; please note this is determined on a case-by-case basis only.
Peer Reviewed Case Report & Final Examination
The AHPC certification final exam is designed to test a well-defined body of knowledge representative of the current professional practice in animal hospice and palliative care. The online exam covers the breadth of current knowledge concerning animal hospice and palliative care and consists of a mix of multiple-choice and True/ False questions.
Cost of Tuition
Licensed Veterinarian:
- M1: Introduction to Animal Hospice & Palliative Care: $1000
- M2: Communication Workshop: $600
- M3: Advanced Animal Hospice & Palliative Care: $1,000
- M4: Advanced Pain Management: $800
- M5: Advanced Euthanasia Techniques: $300
- Annual IAAHPC Conference: Varies
- Case Report Review and Final Exam: $295
TOTAL COST OF TUITION: $3,995**
*Cost will depend on whether you purchase early bird pricing for the conference, and if the conference and communication workshop is in-person or virtual. This total does NOT include conference or communication workshop fees!**
Licensed/Registered Veterinary Technician/Nurse:
- M1: Introduction to Animal Hospice & Palliative Care: $800
- M2: Communication Workshop: $600
- M3: Advanced Animal Hospice & Palliative Care: $800
- M4: Advanced Pain Management: $640
- M5: Advanced Euthanasia Techniques: $240
- Annual IAAHPC Conference: Varies
- Case Report Review and Final Exam: $295
TOTAL COST OF TUITION: $3,375**
**Cost will depend on whether you purchase early bird pricing for the conference, and if the conference and communication workshop is in-person or virtual. This total does NOT include conference or communication workshop fees!**
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