Program Modules
Curriculum
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.
Topics include:
- Overview of the certification program
- Introduction to Animal Hospice & Palliative Care
- The Interdisciplinary Team in Hospice Care
- Ethical Considerations and Decision-Making
- Legal and Safety Concerns
- Basic Steps in Establishing a Hospice and Palliative Care Business
- And much more!
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: Module 2
One of the most important pieces to the sensitive nature of the animal hospice and end of life field is communication. The Communication Module consists of ten (10) hours of on-demand education content, followed by a live communication workshop event.
This workshop is presented in conjunction with our biennial in-person conference and/or virtually, depending on the conference year. This popular module is continually changing and growing to fit our students’ needs. Your program administrator will be able to provide up-to-date details on this module at various times throughout the year.
Completion of the 10 hours of recorded content AND participation in the live workshop are required for credit towards the certification program.
Topics include:
- Foundational Communication Skills
- Non-Verbal Communication Skills
- End-of-Life Decision-Making
- And much more!
Tuition for Module 2 includes the recorded content AND the live workshop.
Advanced Animal Hospice and Palliative Care: Module 3
The Advanced Animal Hospice and Palliative Care module will take a deep dive into specific medical conditions and nursing care required during end-of-life.
Topics include:
- Advanced Medical Care
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Cognitive Dysfunction
- Neurological Conditions
- Respiratory Diseases
- Overview of Cancer for End-of-Life Patients
- Gastrointestinal Conditions
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Heart Failure
- Advanced Nursing Care
- The Nursing Role in Hospice and Palliative Care
- And much more!
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. 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
- Pain Assessment
- Adaptive & Maladaptive Pain
- And much more!
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
This 10-hour virtual course covers various methods of euthanasia techniques along with the physiology of death, the pharmacology of drugs and normal and abnormal post-mortem reactions, materials necessary for the procedure, and proper record keeping. Students of the IAAHPC certification program will also be able to join module instructor Dr. Kathleen Cooney for an in-person euthanasia workshop at the bi-annual IAAHPC conference.
Topics include:
- Physiology of death
- Pharmacology
- Normal and abnormal post-mortem reactions
- Proper record keeping
- And much more!
This course meets the requirements for 10 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.
Continuing Education Requirements
Students need to obtain 20 hours of relevant continuing education (in addition to completing the CHPV/CHPT Program Modules). The easiest way to obtain these additional hours is by attending the annual IAAHPC conference, whether the conference is in-person or virtual.
Approved CE Examples:
- Attendance at any IAAHPC conference
- Review of past IAAHPC conference recordings
- IAAHPC continuing education
- Attendance at veterinary conferences
- Other program certification completion (TCVM, CVPM, CVPP, etc)
- Publication of articles, books, or chapters related to veterinary medicine
- Presentation of lectures related to veterinary medicine
*Please note that any submitted CE is subject to the approval of the certification committee and may or may not be approved.
Case Report & Final Examination
Final Examination: The 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 consists of a mix of multiple-choice and true/false questions.