What is the duration of the Veterinary Acupuncture course?
The Australian IVAS Veterinary Acupuncture course runs every two years. It starts in January and finishes with the final examination in December of the same year. You have 6 months of the second year to complete case reports.
What is the workload for Veterinary Acupuncture course?
We recommend that you put aside 6-8 hours per week for the duration of the course. There are 2 hours of on-line lectures, with 5-6 hours of revision questions and tutorial work during the week. The lectures are on-line and become available for review one week prior to the scheduled Chat Room for that lecture.
When and where is the final examination held?
We hold the final exams in December in various locations, depending on where the students are from.
What is the structure of the examination?
The written paper is a multiple choice paper with 150 questions and you have 4 hours to complete the examination. Most students take between 3-4 hours. The written examination is held in the morning followed by a lunch break and the practical examinations are in the afternoon. For these you will be required to find 10 points on a dog and 10 points on a horse and give 2 functions of each of the points.
Do we need access to animals to use for cases and how many?
You are required to make a diagnosis and treat at least 10 cases in your clinic. If you are a small animal practitioner you need only treat small animals, equine or large animal practitioners need only treat horses or large animals.
How soon can I start doing acupuncture after starting the course?
You will be able to use acupuncture to treat your patients after the first residential workshop. Please be aware of the AVA position paper regarding use of acupuncture in veterinary patients https://www.ava.com.au/policy-advocacy/policies/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/acupuncture/.
I am not a veterinarian – can I register for Distance Education?
No, the course is only open to qualified veterinarians with a minimum of 2 years clinical experience, as there is an expected level of anatomy and veterinary medical knowledge required to undertake the course.
What pre-requisites are needed to enrol in course?
2 years or more as practicing veterinarian.
What is a 'super early bird' or 'early bird' discount?
Exclusive to CVE members, early bird discounts apply when a participant registers and pays in full for a course by the specific early bird date. Please check the course registration page for exact cut off date.
Do I lose my deposit if I register for the Acupuncture course and then change my mind?
Yes. The deposit is non-refundable. Please consult our DE cancellation terms for more details.
What are the course requirements for successful completion?
- Attend all lectures and workshops
- Complete all quizzes and assignments
- Case log book of 10 clinical cases. You will need 3 cases in the first term to make a Traditional Chinese Medical Diagnosis and then in the second and third term you will be required to provide case logs for 10 cases and 2 case reports.
- Pass both a written and practical examination
- Two detailed case reports to be completed after the examination
How much of the course is Equine related?
Approximately 1/3 of the course is TCM theory, for the remainder, horses make up approximately 50% of the clinical aspects and of the practical sessions in second and third workshops.
Do we need to have both large and small animal cases?
You can treat the animals that come to your clinic. This can be either small animals or large animals or a mixture depending on the cases that you normally treat.
Are there any contraindications for acupuncture?
There are only a few contraindications for using acupuncture, the primary one is not having either a western or TCM diagnosis. In pregnancy there are points that are contraindicated depending on the stage of pregnancy. Corticosteroids are known to increase the time it takes for a patient to respond to acupuncture. Please refer to the AVA’s position statement on the use of acupuncture https://www.ava.com.au/policy-advocacy/policies/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/acupuncture/.
Why do you need the course qualification to practise acupuncture in the clinic?
Acupuncture is based on a completely different system of medicine to the normal veterinary medicine. It is important to understand the Traditional Chinese Medicine system to be able to apply it effectively in practice.
Can you combine acupuncture with western medications?
Acupuncture can be combined with western medicines. Corticosteroids are the only drugs that are known to reduce the effect of acupuncture and therefore the patient may need extra treatments and take longer to recover.