Award in Veterinary Physiotherapy

Course is currently awaiting schedule. Applicants submitting payments in favour of courses without a schedule are encouraged to review the Terms & Conditions whilst checking out from the online shop.

N.B. Kindly note that applicants will be requested to register for their attendance on Classter. Failure to achieve the full enrolment will entitle the lecturer to exclude student from classes and no certification can be issued. A minimum attendance of 70% is required for certification attainment.

Institute Coordinators:

Mr. Claude Ebejer E: [email protected] 

Course Description

Generic Unit Description

The course is aimed at veterinary professionals with a solid understanding of animal anatomy and neurological and orthopedic conditions. The course starts with a general overview of physiotherapy and goes on to delve into massage techniques and the various therapeutic modalities. Massage techniques and stretching will be covered and practical sessions will provide the learners with the opportunity to practice these essential skills necessary for the correct comprehension and application of veterinary physiotherapy. It proceeds with discussing therapeutic modalities and the justification of these modalities in different scenarios. The unit will then cover how various therapeutic exercises are used for orthopaedic and neurologic cases X ASVTN-604-2305-Award in Veterinary Physiotherapy Page 2 MCAST Controlled and Approved Document Unauthorised copying or communication is strictly prohibited and finish with a discussion on physiotherapy protocols, canine sport medicine and the legal framework within which physiotherapy is practiced.

Overall Learning Outcomes

LO1 Use the correct procedure in veterinary manual therapy

LO2 Explain the use of a range of therapeutic modalities

LO3 Justify the use of therapeutic exercises

LO4 Recognise how to build a physiotherapy protocol

COMPETENCES KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Competences – At the end of the unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:

1. Produce a physiotherapy protocol for common orthopaedic and neurologic conditions
2. Ensure that the animal is in the correct position before commencing a physiotherapy session
3. Carry out different massage techniques
4. Deal with various cases that may arise for a veterinary physiotherapist

Knowledge – At the end of the unit the learner will:

1. 1. Know the different uses of different therapeutic modalities
2. Be familiar with gait assessment
3. Understand the legal framework within which a physiotherapy protocol is built
4. Know the response of musculoskeletal tissue disuse
5. Understand the differences in approaches to handle orthopaedic and neurologic conditions
6. Discuss the uses of different therapeutic modalities
7. Explain the importance of warm-up and stretching in canine sport

Skills – At the end of the unit the learner will have mastered the following skills:

Applying Knowledge and Understanding

1. Practice different massage techniques
2. Use models to practice a range of motions
3. Report on the multimodal approach for geriatric dogs
4. Identify different canine gaits
5. Categorize protocols needed for orthopaedic and neurologic conditions

Learning Skills

1. Undertake further study on veterinary physiotherapy and how it can be used to ameliorate neurologic and orthopaedic conditions

Unit Content

LO1 Use the correct procedure in veterinary manual therapy

• Introduction to complementary veterinary medicine
• Veterinary Physiotherapy- definition and overview
• Response of muscoloskeletal tissue disuse
• Canine Behaviour and handling
• Team approach
• Manual Therapy:
• Range of Motion
• Massages Techniques
• Stretching (Practical session to be schedule for small groups)

LO2 Explain the use of a range of therapeutic modalities

• Superficial Thermal Modalities
• Criotherapy
• Electrical Stimulation
• NMES parameter
• Therapeutic Ultrasound
• Shock Wave Therapy
• Low Level Therapy Laser

LO3 Justify the use of therapeutic exercises

• Gait assessment- considerations, process, lameness grade
• Orthopedic VS Neurologic cases- examples, considerations, differences in purpose, differences between exercises
• Safe approach to physiotherapy evaluation
• LO4 Recognise how to build a physiotherapy protocol
• Legal framework
• Common Orthopedic condition
• Common Neurologic condition
• Multimodal Approach to Geriatric Dog
• Sum up
• Canine Sport Medicine

Delivery for this unit will be based on face-to-face lectures to cover the theoretical aspects of this unit. This will be complemented by practical sessions during which various veterinary physiotherapy techniques will be practiced.

The theoretical aspects of the course will be assessed via an oral assessment during which the lecturer will test the learner on their grasp of the different criteria.

The practical criteria will be assessed at the Centre where the lecturer will ask the learner to show the ability to carry out various physiotherapy techniques.

Entry Requirements: 

Please note that the Veterinary Physiotherapy course is open only to veterinary professionals (e.g. veterinarians, veterinary nurses, etc.) and that proof of such (JobsPlus document) should be provided before they can apply.