VIN PHAR205-2019: Effective Decontamination Techniques for Toxicant Exposures Non-Interactive

This course is a self-paced, non-interactive course.

Enrollment is closed.
Presenter: Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, DVM, DABVT, DABT, PhD
Course Open: September 10-December 31, 2019

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in effective management of patients exposed to potentially toxic agents.
VIN CE Course: Open to VIN and VSPN members only. This non-interactive course is approved by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 22-38248)

Course Description:
Acute exposures of veterinary patients to potential toxicants requires immediate attention to determine the risk of toxicosis developing and to take appropriate measures to minimize harm from the toxicant. Decontamination should only be performed when the risk from the toxicant is greater than the risks inherent in the decontamination technique being performed. This course will present rational approaches to patient decontamination including risk assessment, indications and contraindications of decontamination, and explanation of various decontamination techniques to employ depending on individual circumstances.

This course will consist of 1 non-interactive module in the form of videos to be watched and poll quiz questions to answer. Modules will include handouts to be read. At the end of module there is an end-of-course test.

To earn a certificate of completion, the participant must attain a score of 80% for the module poll quiz questions and for the end-of-course test. Completion of the entire module (videos, reading handouts, poll quiz questions, and end-of-course test) will take a minimum of 87 minutes to complete. Participants must complete the participation requirements by December 31, 2019 to be eligible for a certificate.

Course Outline: Module 1: Effective Decontamination Techniques for Toxicant Exposures
Total Time: 87 minutes
Video: 57 minutes
Handouts: 15 minutes
End of Course Test: 15 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • understand the considerations that should be made prior to implementation of decontamination techniques, including indications and contraindications for each technique.
  • understand the rationale for implementing various decontamination techniques such as dilution, gastrointestinal emptying measures, dermal decontamination, and ocular decontamination.
  • successfully perform the various decontamination techniques described.
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.

Course Materials: Course materials in the form of handouts and additional educational online activities will be available in the course library.

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

About the Presenter:
Sharon Gwaltney-Brant received her DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University and her PhD in veterinary pathology at Kansas State University. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology and the American Board of Toxicology. Formerly Vice President/Medical Director of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, Dr. Gwaltney-Brant is a consultant in veterinary toxicology and veterinary forensic toxicology and pathology. She has been a toxicology consultant on VIN since 2000, and she also holds adjunct faculty status at the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois and University of Florida. Dr. Gwaltney-Brant has spoken widely at international, national, state and regional veterinary conferences and teaches an online course in veterinary forensic toxicology offered by the University of Florida. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on toxicology, pathology and veterinary forensic science.

Total CE Credit: 1.5

Tuition: $35
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*Enrollment will close on December 1, 2019 at 5 pm ET (USA).
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN 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 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

"This program (22-38248) is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 1.5 CE Credits, with a maximum of 1.5 CE Credits being available to any individual veterinarian or veterinary technician/technologist. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Medical, using the delivery method of Non-Interactive-Distance: (Online, Correspondence, Journal, or Other Self-Study). This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements."

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 office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

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

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

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357