INTRODUCTION

The Certificate of Advanced Studies in Veterinary Medicine / Laboratory Diagnostics is based on the well-known residential courses of the ESAVS in this discipline, examinations of these courses and keeping a case log which promotes application of newly learned methods and skills in daily practice at home and throughout the whole program.

PROGRAM

The Lab Diagnostics Certificate program comprises:

(I) Courses
(II) Case Log
(III) Examinations

(I) COURSES

To obtain the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Veterinary Medicine / Laboratory Diagnostics, a minimum of 25 ECTS credits (5 weeks of course attendance) need to be acquired.

20 ECTS credits minimum have to be collected in the major subject: Lab Diagnostics
The remaining ECTS credits can be collected either in the other remaining major subjects Lab Diagnostics or in other disciplines (minor subjects).

Please see the course curriculum at the bottom of the page for detailed information about possible course combinations.

(II) CASE LOG (5 ECTS credits)

During enrolment in the Certificate Program, candidates are expected to apply the new knowledge and skills acquired in the courses to the activity in daily practice. Candidates are required to accumulate 100 well-documented cases in the form of a case log. The case log shall be compiled mostly in the second half of the program. The candidate must be the primary responsible clinician for the diagnosis and work-up / the primary surgeon in the surgical disciplines, for all logged cases. Each case inserted in the case log must be supported by detailed documentation. The evaluator may randomly request the documentation for some cases which the candidate must then immediately upload on the Certificate platform.

Further instructions regarding the case spread are available for download at the bottom of this page, a case log excel template will be provided after enrolment. The case log is evaluated and graded by the examination board. A passing grade has to be obtained.

(III) EXAMINATIONS

An exam must be passed for each course. Examinations are conducted online at the end of each semester. Exams can be taken at any of the bi-annual examination sessions offered during enrolment in the program. They may be spread over several sessions or taken together at one single session. The exams consist of multiple choice questions, examination of appropriate clinical cases or pictures related to the subject(s) covered in that course. A passing grade of 50 % has to be obtained.

DURATION OF THE PROGRAM

The minimum time requirement for the Certificate program is 2 years. Though a prolongation is possible under certain conditions, the maximum time should not exceed 4 years. An applicant can enter the program immediately after graduating from veterinary school, but the Certificate can only be obtained when the applicant has been practicing small animal veterinary medicine for at least 2 years since obtaining her/his veterinary degree.

Please follow the link to learn more about ADMISSION, REGISTRATION, FEES