MULT106-0816: Understanding Hospice and Palliative Care
The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format.

Enrollment is closed.

Presenter: Kathleen Cooney, DVM, MS
Course Open: August 11-September 4, 2016
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Thursdays, August 18 and 25, 2016; 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 presenter 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.

This intermediate course will be open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in hospice and end-of-life care.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. This course is approved by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 22-25255)

Course Information:
This course is designed to help veterinarians and veterinary staff to understand the hospice philosophy and how it has become an important part of today's health care system. Course attendees will learn different service models, various definitions of care, current trends, and what the future holds for animal hospice.

The purpose of hospice is to provide support and care for people in the final phase of a terminal disease, so they can live as fully and comfortably as possible. As the field of animal hospice continues to develop, it is important to understand where it came from, why it's needed, and how leaders in the field are defining it today. Veterinary professionals will do well to promote animal hospice in a collective, cohesive manner so that caregivers will be well supported throughout their pet's dying process.

During the first real time session we will discuss hospice and palliative care as it pertains to human medicine. Topics covered will include:

• Brief history of hospice and palliative care
• Hospice philosophy
• Hospice eligibility and criteria
• Rights of the terminally ill
• Hospice team:
  • physician, nursing staff, home health aides, MSW, spiritual coordinator, bereavement coordinator, and volunteers
• Different levels of care:
  • Routine, general inpatient, and crisis care
• Symptom control:
  • Pain, SOB, anxiety, agitation, nausea, vomiting, constipation
• Caregiver support and education
• Advanced directives
• Dying process
• Stages of grief
• Bereavement services

The second real time session will cover animal hospice and will include:

• Brief history of animal hospice
• Refresher on the AVMA Veterinary Hospice Guidelines
• Philosophy behind the care
• Defining suffering
• Conventional end-of-life care
• Differences between "End-of-life Care" vs. "Animal Hospice"
• Categories of care:
  • palliation, natural death, euthanasia, pet loss support, and body care
• Business service models
  • Veterinary managed: clinic-based practice
  • Veterinary managed: specializing mobile practice
  • Caseworker managed: mobile based
  • Caseworker managed: sanctuary
• Building the team:
  • Veterinarians and technicians, caseworkers, specialty home care providers, spiritual support, grief counselors, and more
• Challenges we face
• Current educational opportunities
• Where are we headed?

Week 1 (Real Time Session August 18, 2016): Understanding Hospice and Palliative Care in Human Medicine
Presenter: Kathleen Cooney, DVM, MS
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

• Understand the dying process at it pertains to the patient and their family
• Understand the hospice program and philosophy
• Determine when the patient and family will benefit from its use

Week 2 (Real Time Session August 25, 2016): Understanding Animal Hospice
Presenter: Kathleen Cooney, DVM, MS
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to

• Learn the current definitions of animal hospice
• Understand various service models in practice today
• Recognize what it take to offer hospice care and ways to support caregivers

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 CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

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.

About the Presenter:
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. In April 2011, she became the Education Chairperson 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. 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.

Total CE Credit: 4

Tuition: Member $84 ($76 early bird special if enrolled by July 28, 2016)
Non-Member $157 ($141 early bird special if enrolled by July 28, 2016)
All prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on August 18, 2016 at 5 pm ET (USA) 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 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

"This program (22-25255) is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 4 CE Credits, with a maximum of 4 CE Credits being available to any individual veterinarian or veterinary technician/technologist. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Scientific, using the delivery method of Interactive-Distance: (Web-based, Teleconference or Audio-Conference). 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.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN office at 800-846-0028 ext. 797.

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

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: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357

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