AD154 – Advance 25 – Complex Medicine for Advanced Practitioners (2)

Advance25™: Complex Medicine for Advanced Practitioners

Fast facts
25 hours CPD · RACE approved (12 credits)· All content available immediately· 12 months access · Access to all forum discussions but tutor moderation has ended.

“Excellent content, very well presented and set at a suitable level for advanced practitioners. Very useful forum to discuss the topics and cases. Thoroughly enjoyable and lots of information to use in practice.”

Overview
This course is designed for experienced small animal vets working at Advanced Practitioner level who want to sharpen their approach to complex medical cases that are difficult to diagnose, manage or resolve in everyday practice.

Using real-world clinical scenarios, the course focuses on conditions where uncertainty is common, results are ambiguous and decision-making can feel uncomfortable. You will develop more structured, logical approaches to challenging presentations including pyrexia of unknown origin, confusing endocrine test results, complex gastrointestinal disease, hepatobiliary disorders, haematological abnormalities and high-risk infectious diseases.

Rather than revisiting core theory, the emphasis is on problem-solving, interpretation and practical decision-making. You will learn how to prioritise investigations, interpret borderline or conflicting results, recognise diagnostic pitfalls and apply evidence-based management strategies in cases where there is rarely a single clear answer.

By the end of the course, you will feel more confident managing complex medicine cases independently, explaining uncertainty and options clearly to clients, and making sound clinical decisions even when the path forward is not straightforward.

How it works
Full access to recordings and materials immediately. You will have access to all forum discussion topics but active tutor moderation is no longer available. You’ll keep 12 months’ access to all materials and receive your certificate for 25 hours CPD. RACE approved (12 credits).

Syllabus at a glance
1. Immune mediated and infectious disease
2. Gastroenterology
3. Hepatobiliary Disease
4. Haematology
5. Endocrinology 1
6. Endocrinology 2

Scroll down for more details on course content

Tutors
Anna Threlfall BVSc. MVetMed DipACVIM DipECVIM MRCVS
RCVS, EBVS® and American Specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine

Dan Thompson MA VetMB PgCertVPS CertAVP DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
RCVS-recognised Specialist in Veterinary Internal Medicine
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Katherine Clarke BVSc BSAVA PGCertSAM DipECVIM-CA MRCVS
RCVS-recognised Specialist in Veterinary Internal Medicine
Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Testimonials:
“Really interesting lectures and engaging speakers. More logical approach to cases and updating my knowledge. Very quick responses and speakers very helpful with any questions.”

” Excellent content, very well presented and set at a suitable level for advanced practitioners. Very useful forum to discuss the topics and cases. Thoroughly enjoyable and lots of information to use in practice. The content was very applicable to general practice, and reinforced a very methodical approach to medical cases. I Already put into practice with a number of recent cases. Plan to relay key points to members of the veterinary team regarding investigations for hypercortisolism, hypothyroidism, liver disease etc to improve our diagnostics. Very useful insight into Brucella and how cases are detected and managed. Very useful, with detailed up to date information which will make significant improvements to managing such cases in practice.”

“That it met my advanced practitioner learning interests, which is quite difficult to find good subject matter from other providers.”

Practicalities & pricing
• Price: £1,197 + VAT (UK).
• Overseas: No VAT for online courses.
• Payment options: Use the ‘Add to basket’ button and pay online. Request invoice using the ‘Request and invoice’ button at the bottom of this page · Call us to book 0151 328 0444.
• Webinar Club Members receive benefits/discounts where applicable.

More Details

Advance25^TM Courses help you to develop your knowledge and clinical skills in a defined area of small animal practice. These fully flexible online courses include immediate access to recordings and materials for a 12 month period. Complete your learning and get your CPD Certificate for 25 Hours of CPD or a RACE Certificate for 12 Credits.

Fully flexible –  all course materials are recorded and you get full access for 12 months.

Week 1: Immune mediated and infectious disease

Session A: Approach to pyrexia of unknown origin

 Pyrexia of unknown origin is a common presentation in veterinary patients. This can be indicative of anything from a cat bite abscess to a complex immune mediated disease. A logical approach to these challenging cases is essential to ensure that appropriate treatment is instigated. Anna will go through the logical diagnostic steps in such cases in order to achieve a final diagnosis (although there are always cases where we do not find the cause despite a very thorough search!)

Session B: Brucella. Why do I need to be concerned?

Over the past 12-24 months, there has been a huge amount of concern raised in the veterinary press about Brucella. Why is this and should you be worried? What is Brucella? Which animals should you test and how should you test them? What are the human health and safety concerns? What do you do if you diagnose a patient with Brucella? This session will answer the most commonly asked questions about Brucella and guide you through what to do with such cases.

Week 2: Gastroenterology

Session A: The approach to the canine patient with acute gastrointestinal signs

Acute gastrointestinal signs are one of the most common reasons dogs are presented to their vet. These cases present with a spectrum of clinical signs from systemically well but with large intestinal diarrhoea to collapsed and hypoglycaemic secondary to acute haemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Katherine will discuss the potential aetiologies of these signs, what diagnostics and treatment we should contemplate and when to consider ‘acute-on-chronic’ disease.

Session B: Canine Parvovirus; a new update on an old foe

Parvovirus has been routinely vaccinated against in the UK dog population since the 1970s, however it is far from an eradicated disease. Historically a malady associated with a near 100% mortality rate, our ability to treat this disease has vastly improved leading to significantly improved survival rates. Katherine will discuss diagnosis, treatment (including newer ideas such as faecal matter transplant and early enteral nutrition) and vaccination.

Week 3: Hepatobiliary Disease

Session A: Gallbladder disease

When should I worry about gallbladder sludge? Is bactibilia always clinically important? How do I know if this patient has a bile duct obstruction? What should I do if I think my patient has a forming gallbladder mucocele? Katherine will attempt to answer these questions while we discuss diagnosis and management of some of the most commonly diagnosed gallbladder diseases in cats and dogs.

Session B: Acute hepatopathies; a case-based approach to these challenging cases

Acute hepatopathies can be highly demanding cases to manage, especially when an inciting cause of their disease cannot be identified. Katherine will use cases to discuss how to approach these often very sick patients, what differentials should be on the list, the diagnostic tests to consider (including the role of liver biopsy) and the treatment options we have available.

Week 4: Haematology

Session A: Polycythaemia. The PCV is high – should I worry and what should I do?

 Polycythaemia can be relative in the case of a dehydrated patient. However, we can also see absolute polycythaemia, which is a relatively uncommon phenomenon where there is a true increase in red blood cell number. This can cause variable and often vague clinical signs. Anna will explain the pathophysiology of polycythaemia, the different causes and potential treatment options for this interesting condition.

Session B: Hypercoagulability and use of antithrombotic agents in veterinary patients

 This session will focus on the use of antithrombotic agents in veterinary patients. What conditions are associated with increased risk of thrombotic complications? When should we start (and stop) antithrombotic therapy? Which drugs, or combinations or drugs should we consider for which conditions?

Week 5: Endocrinology 1

Session A: Interpreting endocrine testing: “What do these number’s actually mean”

Diagnosis of endocrine disease is often complex and is rarely black and white. Part of diagnosis in most cases with be specific testing, however this can be very challenging to interpret reliably. This lecture focuses on how to preform and interpret endocrine testing in order to maximise your certainty and accuracy in endocrine diagnosis, utilising specific examples of situations and diseases to illustrate.

Session B: Cushing’s Syndrome and Hypercortisolism: addressing the perennial uncertainties in diagnosis, treatment and monitoring

Hypercortisolism (Cushing’s disease; Hyperadrenocorticism) is a notoriously challenging disease to diagnose, treat effectively and monitor. This lecture focusses on improving diagnostic security, optimal treatment strategies and effecting monitoring for patients on treatment in both an optimal and practical sense.

Week 6: Endocrinology 2

Session A: Thyroid disease in dogs: “is there ever a right time to test and what does it mean?”

Thyroid disease is dogs is both over and under diagnosed. Due to the effect of other conditions on measurable thyroid markers, testing is fraught with complication and misinterpretation. This lecture seeks to understand both the optimal time for thyroid testing, the appropriate tests for a confident diagnosis and the challenges and pitfalls with confirming clinically relevant abnormalities.

Session B: Hypercalcaemia and diseases of the parathyroid gland

This lecture will briefly review the causes and consequences of hypercalcaemia, followed by an in-depth approach to both hyperparathyroidism and hypoparathyroidism, including diagnosis, acute stabilisation and chronic management.

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