IVAS Certification Course In Veterinary Acupuncture

Course overview

The Certification Course in Veterinary Acupuncture taught by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) has been setting the global standard in veterinary acupuncture since 1974. The curriculum of the course integrates a background of the fundamentals and application of the scientific basis for acupuncture, as well as a background in the fundamentals and applications of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture. The educational program provides acupuncture study and clinical applications for small animal, large animal, avian and exotic species. The program prepares the veterinarian for integration of acupuncture into clinical practice. The curriculum of the course is not limited to the study of TCM theory. The curriculum incorporates current scientific acupuncture theory and biomedical science in its application and approach to patient assessment and treatment. A variety of methods of patient examination and treatment are taught and demonstrated. Students are reminded to always perform a Western medical examination first and obtain all necessary diagnostics prior to integrating acupuncture. The IVAS certification process requires successful completion of all four sessions of the IVAS Course; attendance of the Mentored Internship; passage of the written exam and either one or two practical examinations depending on their area of focus; submission of a log book documenting 10 cases and a peer-reviewed written case report. Graduates of the IVAS Certification Course in Veterinary Acupuncture will be certified in either Small Animal, Equine or both. Classroom lecture begin with the anatomic, physiologic, and historical aspects of acupuncture. As the course progresses, patient assessment and diagnosis from both a clinically western scientific perspective and TCM theory approach are introduced. With a solid background in the varied integration of evidence based and TCM acupuncture theory, assessment and treatment methods, the curriculum provides clinically useful ways to integrate the different approaches of acupuncture into veterinary practice. Laboratories teach hands-on palpation skills and acupoint location as well as exposure to different methods of patient assessment and treatment by experienced clinicians with live patients. The course consists of the IVAS online classroom, three onsite session 4-day consecutive sessions, a 16 hour mentored internship followed by the certification exams.