MULT108-0814: Advanced Animal Hospice
The lectures for this course will be presented in a predominantly audio format.
Please come prepared to listen.

Enrollment is closed.

INSTRUCTOR(S): Kathleen Cooney, DVM, MS
COURSE OPEN: August 4-August 28, 2014
REAL TIME SESSIONS (RTS): Mondays, August 11 and 18, 2014; 9:30-11:30 pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Practice Sessions: In order to prepare you for a successful experience in your CE course, we request you attend a Practice Session prior to the first Real Time Session. Please arrive promptly at the start time; each Practice Session is up to 1 hour in length. For more information, please visit the CE Practice Area.

*The instructors for this course will be using audio which will require you to have a headset or speakers to listen. If you have any concerns regarding your computer's audio capabilities, please be sure to attend one of the Practice Sessions.

Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate course will be open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians actively interested in hospice and end-of-life care. It is recommended for those already offering animal hospice services.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians. This course has been submitted for RACE approval for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is RACE Provider #22.

Course Description:
This course is designed to help veterinarians and veterinary staff to better understand the hospice philosophy and gain tools to implement directly into their hospice services. Course attendees will learn about the initial hospice consultation, the stages of dying, comfort care protocols, and case examples. Until certification exists for animal hospice providers, presentations like this can help guide providers on hospice best practices.

This course consists of two (2) 2-hour Real Time Session, supplemental library materials, interactive message board discussions, and a mandatory end-of-course test. Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

*The lecture portion of this course will be an audio presentation, please be prepared to listen.
*To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to

• define animal hospice.
• list the stages of dying and better recognize when death is approaching.
• provide basic comfort care to the dying patient.
• determine when euthanasia should be considered.
• describe the current plans for animal hospice certification.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.

Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.
Recommended Textbook(s):

• Shearer TS (Editor).
  Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care.
  Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. May 2011; 41(3).
  http://www.vetsmall.theclinics.com/issues?issue_key=S0195-5616(11)X0003-7

About the Instructors:
Dr. Kathleen Cooney is founder and president of Home to Heaven, P.C., a mobile pet hospice and euthanasia service based in northern Colorado. Along with her mobile work, Dr. Cooney operates the nation's first pet euthanasia center on her farm in Loveland Colorado. She was a member of the AVMA's 2013 euthanasia guideline panel and in May 2011, completed writing her first e-book for veterinarians regarding the many facets of in-home euthanasia. As of July 2012, Dr. Cooney completed a second book on euthanasia technique training along with four other authors. This book has the potential to become the world's first euthanasia textbook for use in veterinary colleges. She is the current Vice President and Conference Coordinator for the International Association of Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC). She is a strong advocate for education and teaches in-home pet hospice and euthanasia techniques, along with client communication, to junior veterinary students in Colorado State University's veterinary medical program. Dr. Cooney presents on animal hospice and euthanasia all over the U.S. and is currently working on bringing the mission of care abroad. Due to her accomplishments and dedication to education, client support, and the advancement of animal hospice care, she was awarded the 2011 Rising Star Veterinarian Award by the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association.

Course Outline:
Week 1 (Real Time Session August 11): Advanced Animal Hospice Part 1
Content:

• Brief history of animal hospice
• Update on the IAAHPC Animal Hospice Guidelines
• Stages of dying
• Establishing care through the initial consultation
• Defining levels of care and communication needs
  • Palliative care
  • Early hospice care
  • Advanced hospice care

Week 2 (Real Time Session August 18): Advanced Animal Hospice Part 2
Content:

• Basic comfort care protocols
  • Anxiety
  • Vomiting and diarrhea
  • Respiratory distress
  • Pain
  • Incontinence
• Case examples

CE CREDITS: 4

Tuition: Member $84($76 early bird special if enrolled by July 21, 2014)
Non-Member $157 ($141 early bird special if enrolled by July 21, 2014)

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5 pm ET on August 11, 2014 or when the maximum number of participants is reached.
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

TO ENROLL:
Enrollment is closed.

1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
4. For further assistance call 1-800-700-INFO (4636) or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

*Note: "This course is submitted for approval for 4 continuing education credits in jurisdictions which 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." Call VSPN/VIN CE at 1-800-700-4636 for further information. (Attendees are encouraged to check with their licensing jurisdiction(s) for information regarding recognition by their board).

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN/VSPN office 1-800-700-INFO (4636) to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN/VSPN office at 1-800-700-INFO (4636).

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

The CE team:

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Coordinator

VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01452226154

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800.700.4636  |  CEonVIN@vin.com  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035 777 West Covell Blvd, Davis, CA 95616 Copyright 2002, Veterinary Information Network, Inc.