STAF141-0411: Wellness Programs for the Small Animal Practice

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INSTRUCTOR(S): Heather Howell, RVT, LVT, MBA

COURSE OPEN: April 4-28, 2011

REAL TIME SESSIONS: Mondays, April 11 and 18, 2011; 9:30pm-11:00pm 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 RTS. Times and dates will be listed in your course confirmation email. Expect to spend up to 1 hour at one of the 2-4 practice sessions held prior to the first RTS.

Level and Prerequisites: All members of the veterinary staff may benefit from the course and its discussions, however those who have the authority to implement wellness programs (office managers, practice administrators, supervisors and veterinarians may find it most pertinent). VSPN CE course open to all VIN members and VSPN members. This course has been submitted for RACE approval and VHMA for CVPM credits for veterinary technicians and veterinarians.

Course Description:
Preventative medicine is vitally important for pet health and client satisfaction. Incorporating Wellness Programs into practice can maximize client education and interaction with the pets. Programs can be customized for your region and clientele. Implementation of these programs; however, may require the veterinarians and team members to understand and be able to follow the schedules of the program. Marketing of such programs can make or break their success and value to your practice as well as the clientele.

This intermediate level course consists of two (2) Real Time Sessions of ninety (90) minutes each covering library course materials, discussion of situations and cases, interactive message boards to discuss the Real Time Sessions, as well as a mandatory end-of-course exam. Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of course-exam is required to be considered for the certificate of completion.

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

• distinguish and discuss the importance of wellness programs for patient care
• plan wellness programs based on the necessary elements of such programs
• plan and implement staff training for wellness programs
• plan and implement internal and external marketing for wellness programs

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

About the Instructors: Heather Howell has been a speaker both online and onsite for practice management and for basic veterinary assisting and veterinary technology courses since 1999. As a practice management consultant her primary focus has been with communication of the team as well as intra- and interpersonal relations.

Course Outline:
Week 1 (Real Time Session April 11): Common Wellness Programs (vaccinations, dentistry, geriatrics, veterinary visits, etc.)
Content: This lecture will discuss common elements of practice wellness programs; patient need, expectation set, client education, and system in place. We will discuss common wellness programs found in hospitals. We will also cover why wellness programs are important for patient care.

Week 2 (Real Time Session April 18): Staff Training and Establishing Wellness Programs
Content: This lecture will discuss planning and scheduling wellness programs. We will also discuss gaining "staff buy-in" and establishing staff training programs prior to implementing wellness programs. This session will also cover marketing wellness programs internally and to clients.

CE HOURS: 3

Tuition: $60 ($54 early bird special if enrolled by March 21, 2011).
*Students currently enrolled in and taking at least 2 classes or 5 units at an AVMA accredited or CAAHT approved Veterinary Technician Program may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the regular rate for this course (upon verification of student status). You must include the following information in the comments section of the CE enrollment form in order to be eligible for this discount: your program director's name and contact information (email/phone) and school name.

** To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close when the maximum number of participants is reached or at 5pm ET the day of the first Real Time Session unless otherwise noted. If the first Real Time Session is on a weekend, course will close on the Friday before the first Real Time Session.

**For more on how online CE works see the VSPN Participant's Resource Center

TO ENROLL:
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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 (VIN CE) CEonVIN@vin.com or (VSPN CE) VSPNCE@vspn.org). Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

Note: "This course has been submitted for approval for 3 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 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).

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COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND REFUND POLICY: Withdrawal prior to the listed start date of a course entitles the registrant to a complete refund or a credit toward a future VIN CE course, whichever is preferred. Withdrawal within 1 week after the listed start date (i.e. including no more than one real-time session) entitles the registrant to a credit toward any future VIN CE course. (Refund policy does not apply to courses with only one real-time session.) After the first real-time session, a registrant may withdraw due to special circumstances and receive prorated credit towards a future VIN course. These requests will be handled on an individual basis. The amount of the prorated credit will be determined based on 65% of the time remaining in the course at the time of withdrawal. It is not possible to withdraw retroactively.
Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN office at 1-800-700-INFO (4636).

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** For More Information on VSPN's upcoming CE Courses, check out http://www.VSPN.org/CE

Nanette R. Walker Smith, M.Ed., RVT, CVT, LVT
VSPN Content Director & VSPN CE Director

VSPN CE Services: VSPNCE@vspn.org
1-800-846-0028 or 1-530-756-4881 or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01452226154
Charlotte Waack (Charlotte@vspn.org), ext 193
Chris Upchurch (Chris@vspn.org); ext 197
Darci Palmer (Darci@vspn.org); ext 179
Debbie Bess (DBess@vspn.org); ext 178
Mary Mould (Mary@vspn.org); ext 159
Nanette Walker Smith (Nanette@vspn.org); ext 187

[ CE MAIN | COURSE CATALOG | RACE/GETTING CREDITS | ONLINE CE HOW TO | SUGGEST A COURSE | VIN MAIN ]

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