Education is key to improving animal welfare internationally.
In some areas where the need for animals is greatest, the skills and knowledge of veterinary professionals can be lacking. At our International Training Centres in India and Thailand, we offer local students and professionals, along with those from overseas, the chance to participate in surgical training courses and learn best practice in animal welfare through expert hands-on tuition.
Like many education facilities worldwide, the COVID-19 outbreak has created obstacles for our surgical courses. In recent months, many participants have been unable to reach our training centres due to bans on interstate and international travel. To ensure participants can continue their professional development, and we can keep upskilling those on the frontline, we developed a distance learning module. The same course content and expert training, but partly delivered online.
Virtual Learning
The module covers all of the theoretical aspects of our Animal Birth Control (ABC) Surgery Course, delivered through a series of videos and video calls, including lectures, demonstrations and discussions. It covers everything from shaving and scrubbing the patient to completing postoperative wound scoring and the use of autoclave and anaesthesia troubleshooting.
Hands-On Learning
Once participants have completed the theory component, it’s time for the practical. In the veterinary world, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience. So, participants head to the nearest WVS base that they can travel to. This is either one of our International Training Centres, an outreach clinic conducted by WVS, or alongside a senior veterinarian associated with WVS at their clinic. This enables them to complete the practical course and be properly assessed.
When participants finish the course, they all receive a certificate, a scrub suit and a hard copy of our course manual to make them an official part of the WVS family.
To learn more about the courses we offer and how you can get involved, click here.