Feedback from vets in the certification program

I live in Ottawa, Canada. I started the IVAS herbal course in February and finished it in October. I am currently waiting for final approval of two case reports submitted in the final module to get my certification. I have been practicing small and exotic animal medicine for 15 yrs and have recently opened my own clinic. My partner practices western as well as homotoxicology. 

I am so thankful I came across the IVAS course. It was an intense, however, extremely rewarding endeavor. I had not anticipated the breadth of the learning involved at the beginning but  I was amazed at the completeness of the course content. The presentation format (study guides, notes, lecture DVDs and forums) were extremely well prepared and presented that it made learning TCVM and Herbal basics as well as disease implications a natural flowing process and provided an easy to follow format, that allowed for ease of integration of starting herbal formulas soon after starting the course.  I started prescribing herbal formulas within the first two months of the course and to date have had many rewarding results. My clients were extremely open to an integrative modality to treating their pets.

I addition to the course, the support from my tutors, Barbara as well as Steve was, and still is incredible. Their dedication to furthering integrative vet medicine is awe inspiring. 

I set a goal from the start that I wanted to complete the course within 1 year. It was important for me to dedicate as much time as i could to the course that I felt guilty if i didn't do any studying at least every other day. The great thing with the at home study is that you can pace yourself to suit your lifestyle and time allowances. If you lag a little someone is there to help nudge you along or make sure things are going ok. However that once the course got going i was looking forward to subsequent modules to see how to apply my knowledge as I went along.  

I would HIGHLY recommend the entire course for anyone interested in integrating TCVM in their practice. Ive  enjoyed it so much and have had such great support that I will be doing the acupuncture course next October.  I have met some wonderful people both online and in person after starting the course.  

In a word, the course is INDISPENSABLE to my practice and services I can now offer my clients.

Daren Auger, Canada

"I would say that the herbal course is very well set out and clearly explains TCM concepts. It explains things in a different and for me much clearer aspect than ever before. I would recommend it to anyone wishing to even expand on their own clinical observational skills."

John Katakasi, Australia

I've noticed a significant improvement in my treatment results since starting the course - and I've only really concentrated on the first module! I think I must have gotten myself into a bit of a rut. I'm working slowly through the material and often listening to the CDs over and over again. I seem to pick up more each time. I'm also finding the information is side tracking me to outside resources (usually internet based) that make the course incredibly interesting. I can only imagine what the next modules will bring --- Thanks again!

Debbie Boyd, USA

"I am thoroughly enjoying this course and am extremely happy I enrolled. It is fantastic to be able to do the learning online- in the comfort of our own homes or hospitals. It is so convenient not to have to leave our practices to travel to a distant city to take classes. The time and money we would have had to spend on travel and accommodation can be used instead for learning and purchasing course textbooks and investing in our herbal pharmacy. The use of College website is excellent because of the forums. The ability to communicate with our classmates and instructors via email and the forums is very efficient. The DVDs are also excellent, flexible ways of learning- being able to start, stop and replay class lectures feels like such a luxury. One of the best parts of the course is that you can do the learning at your own pace, which works well if you are also working full time. It is amazing how easily the learning can fit into your current lifestyle. For example, you can watch the DVDs while you are jogging on your treadmill, or listen to them on your mp3 player while you're walking your dog, or read the articles while you're in a dentist's waiting room, or access the forums and articles online in between appointments at work. Another highlight of the course is that we were sent a very thorough set of individual herbs so that we can taste, touch and see them which facilitates our understanding of the complex formulas. Online learning like this is the way of the future.

 Julie Schell, Canada

As a graduate of the 2005-2006 IVAS acupuncture course, I jumped at the chance to take the IVAS College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies course. I am passionate about TCVM, and am at a point where I needed to get serious about learning about herbal medicine in depth. The distance learning format fit in wonderfully with working full-time, starting my own herbal medicine practice and being a single mom. I would not be able to go to a remote location to more of a classroom setting at this time like I was able to do for the acupuncture course. I received a wonderfully piquant bag of herb samples, DVD's with corresponding notes for lectures by Dr. Steve Marsden, and a course study guide which integrates and outlines all of the course material. In addition, there is a huge amount of reading material from research articles and lectures, which at times is overwhelming. The material is all very current and provides some evidence-based facts to support the course material. Correspondence with my personal mentor is through a College website. At times I find it difficult to find recent forums posts and seem to have difficulties uploading my assignments, but then I am a veterinarian, not a computer wizard. It is great to have a personal mentor and support of other clinicians and students to post questions about cases, and that facet has been a valuable part of my learning experience.

I am officially half way through the eight modules. The first module, a review of TCVM theory, was a good refresher for me. There are always nuances of TCVM theory that I seem to find new every time. The second module was all about herbal safety, manufacturing, purity, interactions, and chemistry. Although some of the articles were very esoteric and hard for me to understand (a biochemist I am not), I have been able to use the material when I talk with clients about, say, herb-drug interactions, herb-herb interactions, and timing of administration. For example, I now know not to give herbs and pharmaceuticals at the same time as they interact in the gastric environment which alters their pharmacology. Additionally, I now know more detail about manufacturing practices and quality control to help me determine the quality of the medications I use.

Module Three was all about the individual herbs. This reminded me a great deal of veterinary school, as I paged through the Chen and Chen pharmacology text, over and over, memorizing herbs and their category of action and what they do. It is daunting, especially when in Module Four, the beginning of the systems topics, Dr. Marsden describes the formulas and the role each individual herb plays. So many herbs, so little time. For each system, current research papers and articles about the herbal formulas continue to be provided. It has been interesting so far. It seems that just after I write the case report for a section, the next week three more cases will walk through the clinic door. And I'm prepared.

This course has provided an exceptional resource to expand the formulas I think of to treat the cases in my clinic. I am able to look at a formula now and figure out the action of that formula based on the herbs that are in it. I can compare formulas and tell what their differences are, which would be more appropriate to use, without having to look them up in a formulary. It has provided me with facts from journals, current literature, internet sites and books which I have used to explain to clients more accurately and with greater confidence what the advantages and differences of TCVM compared to traditional medicine, and to be able to integrate the two more successfully in practice.

It is exciting to think that diseases like progressive retinal atrophy and vision loss can be treated and perhaps reversed. It is exciting to think that, if you can recognize the pattern early, you might be able to prevent the development of feline hyperthyroidism. It is exciting to be able to allow a cancer patient to be able to live with their disease with a good quality of life. It is exciting to be a student through CIVT.

Jodi Van Tine, MA, DVM, CVA USA