Providing opportunities for medical staff, whether certified or on-the-job trained, to grow their knowledge base and continue to develop in their practice is essential. For certified technicians, a certain number of RACE continuing education hours are needed every two years in order to maintain their certificate. For on-the-job trained technicians and assistants, continuing education training provides the opportunity to explore topics that they find interesting but may not run into very often. Finding these opportunities can be challenging, below are five resources to help you get started. 

1. Fear Free Shelter Program

Entering into a shelter can be terrifying for the animals that make their way through our doors. They often don’t know what’s happening, are meeting new people and animals, and may be seeing a veterinary staff for the first time. The Fear Free Shelter Program is a free program that equips shelter staff with ways to minimize fear responses in shelter pets. 

2. ASPCA Cornell Shelter Medicine Online Courses

This collection of courses provides the opportunity to learn about an array of topics critical to veterinary practice in animal shelters. Other courses offered by ASPCAPro are Spay and Neuter and Toxicology. 

3. Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association Continuing Education Webinars

HSVMA offers a series of webinars on various topics related to veterinary practice in shelters. Though the RACE certification on some of their early content has expired, they are constantly adding new topics that do offer RACE continuing education. 

4. Maddie’s University 

Maddie’s University, an arm of Maddie’s Fund, offers a variety of online content some of which is RACE certified. Topics that they offer content on include the Behavioral and Physiological Effects of Field Trips, Sleepovers, and Weeklong Fostering and Behavioral Assessments in a Shelter. 

5. VetMedTeam.com