Veterinary CPD specialist Improve International will launch a distance learning version of one of its most popular postgraduate certificate (PgC) programmes, Small Animal Medicine, in January 2019.
The company says that the comprehensive 20-module medicine programme, covering all the major body systems of cats and dogs, combines the latest thinking in small animal medicine with its world-class learning resources to ensure that delegates’ learning experiences online give the same high quality learning as the attendance programme.
It aims to offer a route for vets who don’t have the time to participate in an attendance programme or who work in countries where this type of training is not available to study for a recognised postgraduate qualification.
One of the world’s leading veterinary training companies, Improve International was founded by a team of UK vets and has since trained more than 20,000 veterinary professionals in 20 countries around the world. In the delivery of its programmes, Improve International works closely with its assessment partner, the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS), and with Harper Adams University, which provides the higher education body quality assurance.
Delegates signing up for Improve’s distance learning Small Animal Medicine programme will benefit from a module tutor – an RCVS or ECVIM/ACVIM Small Animal Internal Medicine Diploma holder – and a dedicated programme tutor, who works with individual delegates to ensure they are supported throughout the programme. High quality learning support is embedded in the programme with delegates receiving:
- Interactive and engaging modules to enable them to absorb the learning materials in an online environment
- Real-life case studies to support relating learning back to practice
- Presentations, written notes, interactive quizzes and exercises to test knowledge
- The opportunity to extend knowledge or progress to achieving a recognised qualification: a general practitioner certificate (GPCert) or a postgraduate certificate (PgC)
Commenting on the launch, Alison Babington, MRCVS, said: “The pressures on veterinary professionals today have never been more intense and many of us struggle to find the work-life balance, which is so important for our well-being. Unfortunately, these pressures often preclude many vets from undertaking the type of postgraduate training which could give them additional job satisfaction and enhance both their career prospects and the profitability of their practice.
“It has been our ambition for some time to offer some of our flagship programmes online and, in creating the distance learning Small Animal Medicine programme, we drew on the experience of the latest online platforms.”
Alison added: “This new distance learning programme offers a high quality interactive, engaging small animal medicine learning experience which will be fun to study and a far cry from the days of simply reading text online. It will be accessible to vets working anywhere in the world and we’re very proud to be able to offer a high level programme via this learning route.
“We have pioneered veterinary postgraduate education for the last 20 years and, while our range of face-to-face programmes and short courses will continue to expand, our distance learning Small Animal Medicine programme is the first step in helping us to increase the accessibility of our training.”
