ONgoing CE Opportunities
Ongoing CE Opportunities
The postings are categorized and sorted alphabetically for your convenience; they are not displayed in any order of priority or preference by OAVT. New postings are added regularly.
Table of Contents
College Programs/ Certificates/ Diplomas
This program will teach students the importance of providing an appropriate environment for a wide range of animals in both short and long term rehabilitation situations from an ecological viewpoint. The program will give students a solid foundation on wildlife rehabilitation knowledge, diagnostic and nursing skills gained through practical experience. Graduates will be able to explore a wide range of career opportunities in both the private and public sectors, including employment in natural resources, zoos, and wildlife parks, avian rehabilitation centers, natural bird sanctuaries, orphanage programs and any small or large animal veterinary clinic that receives injured wild animals. Worth 20 CE credits upon completion of program.
A graduate one-year certificate program for RVTs in response to emerging animal health care needs. Worth 20 CE credits upon completion of program
This micro-credential was designed by Dr. Ray Reynan (past President of the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners and Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners) and Wayne Shewfelt (past President of Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners) and former winner of the prestigious American Association of Bovine Practitioners Dairy Veterinary of the Year Award.
Successful candidates will be able to function independently and confidently as part of a veterinary service delivery team.
These micro-credentials are offered online with farm school assessments in Haileybury, Ontario or other locations. Micro-credentials are an ideal option for achieving badges of completion for professional development that can also be placed in LinkedIn accounts.
MICRO-CREDENTIALS ARE OFFERED AT YOUR OWN PACE, SEMESTER BASED, AND CONTINUOUS INTAKE
Modules include:
Stockmanship
Learn about herd and animal behavior, handle cattle with personal safety,and in a way that minimizes animal stress.
Dairy Industry
This module will introduce the structure of the supply management system for dairy production, including an introduction to how milk checks are calculated and managed by producers.
Life of a Diary Cow
Review the life cycle of a dairy cow from birth to herd removal. Particular focus on the impacts and assessment of the cow environment, from stall design to ventilation.
Udder Health/Milk Quality and Mastitis
Gain techniques to troubleshoot milk quality issues from the collection of farm data, cleanliness, and aseptic samples.
Reproduction/Manipulation of Cycles and Breeding
This unit explores the reproductive physiology of the modern dairy cow, including breeding synchronization protocols, use of computer software in tracking herd reproductive performance, and the role of technicians in both data entry and report preparation for dairy veterinarians.
Nutrition
This module explores shaker boxes, audits, evaluating feed samples, and reading a feed tag.
Transition Cow Management
Learn to use various computer software and monitoring programs in detection of transition cow disorders. Formally capture
herd data such as body condition scoring and BHB sampling to assist in in this capacity.
Dairy Software
Learn to run Dairycomp software. Prepare and interpret reports on milk production, reproduction, and health events.
Dairy Medications
Review basic protocols, reporting requirements, and safety procedures to administer treatments and vaccination programs at a herd level.
Health Management
Learn about common issues encountered in Canadian dairies, and the role of the technician in data collection, treatment, and monitoring for pathogens.
Hoof Health and Lameness
Develop skill in lameness evaluation and recording, as well as assessment of current farm hoof health protocols. Environmental and nutritional contributions will also be discussed.
Cost: $1895
To Register: NCMicro@northern.on.ca
Book a seminar/Lunch & Learn or in-person course
Online Opportunities
Legislative and regulatory status of cannabis in Canada; a brief look back at the history of cannabis prohibition and legalization, followed by a more comprehensive look at our current legislation and how that impacts veterinary clients, patients and veterinary professionals. Note: RVTs who have attended either the OAVT 2019 Conference cannabis sessions, or this session at the Canadian Symposium in Veterinary Cannabinoid Medicine in June 2019 (Ajax), may not claim CE credit for listening to this webinar, if both webinar participation and conference attendance fall within the same collection period. Per the OAVT CE Policy – “Repeated participation in identical CE activities will receive credit once per collection period.”
The legalization and growing acceptance of both medical and adult-use cannabis has led many pet families to explore the use of cannabis-based therapies for their pets. It is important for them to understand, however, that there are risks associated with the inappropriate use of these products. Harm reduction and education focuses on information and strategies to help clients who choose to use cannabis products for their pets, to administer it in the safest and most appropriate manner.
Changing the narrative: Tools for reducing inappropriate use of antimicrobials for GI conditions in companion animals
While antibiotics can certainly be beneficial or even lifesaving for some pets with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disease, for others these drugs are unnecessary and may even be harmful.
Recent data has revealed both the lack of evidence to support antimicrobial efficacy and the negative impact of short and long-term use of antimicrobial drugs on the microbiome, which plays an important role in health and immunity. In addition, antibiotic overuse may lead to the rapid development of resistant strains in the GI tract; and cross-resistance to other antimicrobial agents can also occur.
Recent findings indicate that other alternatives (such as synbiotics, fibre supplementation, and provision of dietary modification) are positively associated with the resolution of GI signs and can replace antimicrobial use in these patients. As well, tools for educating both clients and veterinarians about reducing antimicrobial use in GI disease in companion animals are widely available. These include specific guidance for veterinarians through consensus statements, phone apps such as the SAVI/CVMA Firstline tool, and tools for clinic staff to provide to clients.
This panel discussion includes updated Recommendations for the Management of Chronic Enteropathy (including inflammatory bowel disease) and Large Bowel Diarrhea (colitis). They will be presented by board-certified internal medicine specialists with vast clinical experience in gastroenterology and infectious diseases.
OAVT CE Credits – 1
In this second webcast, Drs. Serge Chalhoub and Soren Boysen discuss the treatment of CKD in evidence-based medicine, and the evolution of treatments being applied to early stages of kidney disease, which might even allow prevention. This discussion will focus on CKD treatments and how to apply them in the everyday clinical management of CKD patients.
Presented by Dr. Nicole Sheehan.
Elevated liver enzymes can be indicative of hepatic disease, inflammation, or other underlying health issues. However, reaching a definitive diagnosis can be a challenge. There are often specific dosing regimens for liver support supplements to ensure their effectiveness. Supplements that require fasting or fat sources to improve absorption are limiting factors that may reduce compliance.
During this webcast, Dr. Nicole Sheehan will simplify the complex organ that is the liver and provide solutions that support liver wellness without the need to fast, which can improve owner compliance and clinical outcomes. She will review the research of clinically proven active ingredients that play a critical role in reducing elevated liver enzymes and how these ingredients can simplify the management of canine liver problems for pet owners and your practice.
This webcast will be available for on-demand viewing as of September 10. https://www.communivet.com/en/ca/education/webinars
Summary: In this free webinar, Dr. Raj Naik will discuss the benefits of specific nutrients for brain development and brain aging.
Objectives: Targeted nutrition can help support brain function, but nutrition for brain health is often overlooked. The objective of this presentation is to provide the audience with an overview of the benefits of specific nutrients for brain development and brain aging, specifically addressing conditions such as cognitive decline and cognitive dysfunction syndrome. The presentation will also discuss the role of the gut–brain axis in brain health as a growing area of research and pathway for dietary invention.
This is a 60-minute webinar which will be available as of October 7, 2021.
With veterinary hospitals functioning at maximum capacity and often short-staffed, emotions are running high, and everyone is feeling stressed. At times like these, it is easy to snap at a colleague or become disgruntled with a co-worker, especially during disagreements over case management or scheduling. Research suggests that teams who can effectively communicate and resolve conflict provide better patient care and have higher job satisfaction than teams who avoid conflict or, worse, talk behind each other’s backs.
During this webcast, veterinary wellness advocate and Thrive! collaborator, Dr. Marie Holowaychuk, will discuss strategies for:
– effective team communication, including proactive problem solving and conflict resolution;
– addressing inappropriate behaviour.
Creating a cat-friendly experience with feline synthetic pheromones
Presented by Dr. Kelly St. Denis
Reducing stressors and promoting positive emotions can help put our feline patients at ease during visits to the veterinary clinic. In this webcast, Dr. Kelly St. Denis will discuss how to create a cat-friendly environment, both at home and in the hospital. She will share simple tips and tricks to help alleviate the stress associated with clinic visits and to improve the cat’s experience. She will explain how synthetic feline pheromones can foster a sense of familiarity and security, setting the conditions for a successful visit.
OAVT CE – 1 credit
Join us as two renowned experts in pet nutrition, Dr. Julie Churchill, DVM, PhD, DACVN, and Dr. Sarah Abood, DVM, PhD share a comprehensive overview on why having nutrition conversations with clients is important and how veterinary health care teams can include nutrition conversations in their daily clinical practice. This fun and interactive presentation promises to help give teams practical tips and tricks that these experts have learned over their careers.
Objectives:
- Participants will understand that there’s a framework to each nutritional conversation: assessment, recommendation, follow‐up to evaluate & record outcome
- Participants will review key communication skills for addressing potentially difficult nutrition conversations
- Participants will appreciate specific scenarios to apply their communication skills to address nutrition‐related questions
New from Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets, the Daily Nutrition Matters online portal features a series of nutrition modules. To register for a free account, visit their website.
- Nutrition 101 – 3.5 CE Credits (No prerequisite
necessary) - Nutrition 201 – 2.5 CE Credits
- Nutrition 301 – 6 CE Credits
- Nutrition: Canine and Neurological and Cognitive Health – 2 CE Credits
- Nutrition: Weight Management – 1.5 CE Credits
- Nutrition: Myths & Facts – 2 CE Credits
- Nutrition: Are you a Nutrition Champion? – 0.5 CE Credits (No prerequisite necessary)
Dairy cows are increasingly being dried off at higher milk production levels, raising concerns about their health and welfare during the dry period. This elevated production can result in problems such as udder engorgement and milk leakage, thereby increasing the risk of new clinical mastitis cases as cows transition into the dry-off phase.
This is a 75-minute webcast, which is available for on demand viewing as of February 18, 2022.
Join us for a panel discussion that will feature the new osteoarthritis (OA) treatment guidelines, and provide insights into the way experts choose an OA treatment plan. OA affects many dogs’ quality of life, and the information provided will be invaluable in helping you better manage chronic cases.
The Canadian Osteoarthritis Treatment Guidelines were created by a Canadian Advisory Board composed of nine OA experts. Their goal was to develop clinically practical and evidence‐based treatment guidelines and considerations Canadian veterinary practitioners can use to treat and discuss canine OA. The guidelines offer treatment recommendations for the various OA stages, according to the Canine OsteoArthritis Staging Tool (COAST).
This panel discussion features members of the Canadian Advisory Board Dr. Conny Mosley, Dr. Laura Romano and Dr. Terri Schiller; hear how they approach OA treatment by leveraging the new Canadian OA Treatment Guidelines.
Link to watch on-demand version: https://www.communivet.com/en/ca/education/webcasts/osteoarthritis-treatment-options
When used according to the therapeutic decision cascade for animal and public safety, compounded medications can provide effective treatments for veterinary patients.
In this presentation, our two speakers will share valuable information regarding the judicious use of compounding. They will also discuss the benefits that these products can provide if approved veterinary drugs are not available or if their format is not appropriate for patients.
Hosted by Dr. Craig Mosley, National Medical Director of Specialty Medicine at VCA Canada, this webcast will feature:
· a 15-minute presentation by Dr. Danny Joffe, Vice President of Medical Operations at VCA Canada;
· a 15-minute presentation by Sebastian Denison, Pharmacist at PPCA;
· a 30-minute open Q/A discussion.
Dr. Lana Bissett B.Sc Hons, DVM (Practice Limited to Veterinary Dentistry)
Join this online CE and learn how the importance of good dental radiography techniques and assessments that can eliminate bigger issues with your patients.
Basic best practices can start with your wellness exams and communication around dental hygiene, and the need for full mouth radiographs as a standard.
Dr. Bissett will review radiography positioning tips and tricks, anatomy, breed pre-dispositions, and recognizing pathology and cases.
Registration to this CE course includes 3 months access.
$159
Dental Radiography Best Practices – Improving the outcomes of our Patients
Dental Radiography Positioning Tips and Tricks with Amy Birchall RVT
Join Amy Birchall as she takes you through her tips and tricks for taking diagnostic full mouth dental radiographs in this recorded presentation.
$159
Speaker: Jangi Bajwa, BVSc and AH, Dipl. ACVD. What is the diagnostic process for dogs presenting with a suspected skin disorder? In addition to performing a physical examination, what other steps are required before reaching a final diagnosis of canine atopic dermatitis? What management approach is recommended in case of canine atopic dermatitis? Find out the answers to these questions during this comprehensive discussion on the diagnostic workup of canine atopic dermatitis in dogs.
The Canadian Academy of Veterinary Dermatology contributed in the development of this learning activity. What role does telemedicine play in your practice? Does this technology have its place in the management of patients with dermatological issues? Now is your chance to get answers to these and other questions about the use of telemedicine in dermatology from a panel of veterinary specialists!
Dermatopicals: Why to incorporate a topical recommendation for every derm patient and tips and tricks on improving owner compliance and success
Dermatology cases present both a challenge and an opportunity to approach case management collaboratively with clients. The goal is to empower clients to make a difference in managing their pets’ skin concerns. Often this starts with making a topical recommendation to help them care for their pet’s largest organ when it needs our help. Dr. Cox will discuss how the skin’s barrier functions become disrupted during disease states, and how to approach managing this problem with the use of topical therapies to mitigate frustrating chronic relapse cycles.
Having success with your derm cases all hinges on those pet parents executing your prepared treatment protocol. Things can get a little dicey with multimodal treatments (a dermatology staple) and one of the first things to get derailed is topical treatments. Jennie Tait will share a few pearls of wisdom with you after working in a dermatology referral practice for the past 22 years. Tune in to get a few insights on how to communicate to owners the importance of topicals and how to improve compliance.
If you’re new to selecting topical treatments for dermatology cases, hopefully you will leave this discussion seeing the value of dermatopicals for patients & clients alike.
Link to watch on-demand version: https://www.communivet.com/en/ca/education/webcasts/dermatopicals
Learn more on diagnosing chronic enteropathy. Vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal signs are among the most common reasons for a dog to require a visit to the veterinarian. Ascertaining the cause of these signs is often a time‐consuming task for clinicians and a frustrating and expensive process for pet owners, especially in the case of a complex condition like chronic enteropathy, more commonly know as inflammatory bowel disease. In this session, we will discuss how the Canine CE‐IBD Assay can help better diagnose and monitor patients with chronic enteropathy with a simple and affordable blood test.
DITCH THE CHILL PILL! Pet parents are seeking non-prescription ways to support behaviour concerns in dogs and cats
Presented by Dr. Collen Wilson
More and more, pet parents are seeking solutions to common problems that are safe, have fewer side effects, and can cost less than prescription medications. The pet population is aging, and clients are looking for ways to ensure their pets maintain the highest quality of life. Clients themselves are having success using supplements and that interest is transferred to their pet’s health. Though pet parents can access supplements from several sources, using natural supplements to help manage a pet’s behaviour should be guided by the veterinary team. This will optimize the best outcome.
During this webcast, Dr. Colleen Wilson will review research-backed ingredients to help your pet parents choose natural solutions that can help support common behaviour concerns like stress and anxiety. She will cover the subtle signs of anxiety in dogs and cats that pet parents often miss or underreport to the veterinary team. She will identify where, when, and how to choose a natural supplement and why early intervention is key when it comes to managing pet behaviour. When we identify anxiety early, we can eliminate more severe behaviour issues that lead to owners choosing relinquishment or euthanasia.
OAVT CE: 1 credit
Enhance your skills and elevate your confidence in the field of dentistry.
During this webcast, Dr. Roseline Lorrain will delve into the intricacies of identifying teeth that require extraction, assessing the difficulty level of an upcoming procedure, and acquiring essential tricks to achieve success. She will also share her knowledge on managing root fractures and retrieving root fragments effectively.
Malnutrition is much more common in veterinary patients than you may realize. Drs. Bersenas and Parr will discuss why early enteral nutrition, using feeding tubes, should be a priority for critically ill cats and dogs. They will also talk about key nutrients for recovery and provide dietary examples. Lastly, they will utilize common case examples to demonstrate appropriate feeding strategies when using feeding tubes.
This program includes weekly sessions for 8 weeks. Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an evidence-based program that offers participants the possibility of developing a different relationship to stress through mindfulness movement and meditation. The majority of MBSR participants report lasting decreases in psychological and physical symptoms exacerbated by chronic stress (such as chronic pain, sleep disturbances, and anxiety).. Completing the full program has been approved for 2 credits with the OAVT, under Category 3.
Otitis externa is defined as inflammation of the external ear canal and can lead to pain, pruritus, and lesions within the external ear canal. Chronic otitis externa can be a challenging condition to manage and can lead to high levels of frustration for both clients and their pets. In this lecture, we will review all factors contributing to otitis development and ways to better manage those difficult otitis cases in the clinic.
During this webcast, learn from veterinary dermatologist, Dr. Charlie Pye, as she presents:
• an overview of the ear canal;
• inflammation and lesions in the external ear canal;
• signs and symptoms of otitis externa;
• factors contributing to otitis externa and how to mitigate and manage them;
• a case study with tips on how to manage canine otitis externa.