Develop a logical approach to disease investigation and management of a range of complex dermatological cases, particularly immune-mediated and systemic diseases

Behaviour problem or problem behaviour? Learn to differentiate and maximise treatment success. Improve your ability to help your clients better understand their pets’ behaviour and learn to best manage anxiety, aggression and other common behavioural problems. Discover the latest updates in behavioural pharmacology – the when, why, how and which of psychotropic medications. A knowledge of behaviour is integral in maximising patient welfare. A positive experience in your practice for both patient and client will enhance satisfaction for pet, vet and the owner!

Make the most of in-house clinical pathology and achieve accurate, rapid diagnoses. Do you want to maximise the benefits of your bench-top analyser and in-house pathology? Achieve rapid, cost-effective diagnoses with increased confidence? Ensure that your bench-top analyser is providing accurate information? This course will expand and refine your diagnostic skills across a range of modalities including biochemistry, haematology, acid-base balance, urinalysis, endocrinology, blood smear evaluation, urine sediment evaluation and cytology. You will be guided through a range of practical techniques that will grow your confidence and ensure you are getting the best out of your in-house machines, as well as from external pathology services.

Develop your capacity to treat small animal emergency and critical care cases confidently and maximise your patient outcomes. This course aims to develop your practical skills and techniques for the treatment and monitoring of critically ill animals. Triage, fluid therapy, analgesia, acute abdomen, respiratory distress and multisystem trauma are all covered with an emphasis on case-based problem solving.

Perennially popular tutors Jill Maddison and Sue Bennett present this course where the learning begins the way it does in the clinic: with a focus on the presenting problem. This 8-module course will advance your problem-solving skills to develop a rational, pathophysiologically-based approach to diagnosing and managing internal medicine cases. An emphasis on reflection and self-analysis of the way you process and work up cases will challenge you and help you to improve your approach in practice. In this way you will be able to develop a logical problem-solving framework that will carry through into more successful and rewarding management of your patients. The workshops will provide an opportunity to interrogate your methodology and discuss approaches with your peers and tutors. If you are interested in sitting the small animal medicine membership examinations for the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (ANZCVS), this is a wonderful preparation for you.

Unlike heart disease, chronic renal insufficiency and arthritis, cancer is potentially curable. Advances in chemotherapy and other treatment options have increased the options for palliative care, so that animals can have a prolonged life rather than a prolonged death. This course provides an overview of cancer biology, common chemotherapeutics, other therapies including surgery and radiation, paraneoplastic syndromes, lymphoma, sarcomas, round cell tumours and the complete approach to the cancer patient. Develop the skills to obtain a tissue diagnosis without compromising the patient, tailor  treatment plans for patients with co-morbidities and curate comprehensive palliative care protocols where the emphasis is on quality of life. Know that you are offering your patients – and their people – the most contemporary options and maximising the patient’s welfare.

Are you over-referring? Complete this course to improve your confidence in dealing with those tricky neurological cases that are often referred to a specialist. Neurological cases are probably some of the scariest to deal with and quickest to get referred. This course aims to demystify the process of localisation and help you gain the confidence to workup these often-tricky cases. Starting with the basics of clinical neurology and an introduction to neuroanatomical localization, the aim is for you to develop a logical stepwise approach to neurological presentations. Each module will deal with a major clinical presentation such as seizures, paralysis and head tilt, taking from the responsible anatomy, through the neurological exam and differentials to the work up and management using video footage where applicable. Your learning will be enhanced by videos, photos and diagrams and expert feedback as you refine the skills to diagnose and manage common brain, spinal and neuromuscular diseases and adopt practical tips to apply in general practice.

Provide better outcomes for all your surgical patients and boost your confidence to approach more complex surgeries. This course aims to present an overview of surgery and assist you to improve your approach to diagnosis and management of surgical diseases. The modules will cover key principles, practical applications and procedures. Each module will be supplemented with a tutorial to give you immediate feedback as well as the opportunity to discuss key concepts and approaches with your tutor.

In this course, participants will apply their foundational knowledge in anaesthesia to planning and administering anaesthesia and analgesia in patients presenting with comorbidities such as impaired renal and cardiac function, diabetes, as well as patients presenting with conditions requiring emergency surgery. Learners will be encouraged to utilize a problem-based approach to create individualized protocols that reduce complications and improve outcomes. Prerequisite: participants are assumed to have a sound knowledge of anaesthesia foundational principles (including drug physiology and anaesthesia equipment).