In collaboration with the WOAH (founded as OIE) and the University of Montreal
Training programs and certifications for professionals.
The World Veterinary Education in Production Animal Health (WVEPAH) Professional Certificate in Animal Health: Poultry Production is awarded in accordance with the University’s requirements and standards.
The Certificate program provides structured training for veterinarians and non-veterinary professionals who are seeking to enhance their skills and expertise in the field of poultry production and health. A structured educational program allows participants to reach the international standard in all aspects of this specialism, in accordance with the requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH/OIE).
Veterinarians can formalize their skills by obtaining the ‘Professional Certificate in Animal Health: Poultry Production’ (PCAHPP) diploma, which furthers their continuing professional development in this field and provides an official recognition of the holder’s skills and expertise.
The certificate is recognized worldwide, and its official title is in English. Its holders have, de facto, the status of international expert in poultry health and production.
Veterinary and non-veterinary professionals receive, after each completed training session, a letter of ‘Attestation of Participation’. To qualify as having completed a training course, the student must have participated in at least 75% of the Zoom sessions with the course masters which are an integral part of the course.
Introduction
In several countries, certification of continuing education is organized at a national level. Generally, the experience gained and the collection of a certain number of credits during the participation in officially recognized courses are taken into consideration, in accordance with the European and international systems – ECTS or continuing education credits. In many countries, this official recognition is lacking.
It is clear that the acquisition of particular expertise and skills in a given field can be greatly supported by comprehensive training programs associated with a quality control protocol vouched for by a university diploma.
The WVEPAH offers an international, postgraduate education by recruiting the best specialists from around the world.
It is important to understand that the PCAHPP certifies that a successful participant has acquired a high level of specialist qualification in the areas of poultry welfare, production, and health. The certificate promotes the establishment of specialized skills in poultry production.
The ‘Regulation’ module (Module I) of the certificate is taught under the supervision of the OIE – World Organisation for Animal Health. It is also validated by the OIE.
program objectives
Provide structured formal training to professionals who are looking to deepen their expertise in the areas of poultry welfare, production, and health.
Train participants to recognize, diagnose and manage all common problems encountered in the practice of poultry farming.
Enable participants to obtain skills to apply the ‘OIE recommendations’ covered by the OIE regulatory module and issued to veterinarians under the authority of national veterinary services.
Train participants to interact optimally with experts in the various aspects of the field, under the supervision of veterinary services.
Train participants in problem solving skills.
Promote long-lasting continuing professional development.
program length
The minimum time required for the WVEPAH certificate program is 1 year and it must not exceed 5 years. Through their work in the different modules (distance learning, e-Learning and clinical case preparation), participants accumulate the required number of European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits or continuing education credits to apply for the final exam.
If it is impossible to travel to attend the course or exam in person, these will be done online.
Applicants with a university degree in veterinary medicine or animal science, working in the poultry sector for at least two years can enrol on the WVEPAH program. After each course, they will receive an ‘Attestation of Participation’ (subject to meeting the criteria), but only veterinarians are able to take the Certificate examination to obtain the diploma validated by the OIE.
Certification
At the end of each module, veterinary participants can validate their acquired knowledge by means of a multiple-choice exam. After validation of both a ‘General’ and a ‘Specialized’ module, candidates who have participated in distance learning must present 25 clinical cases, including three in-depth case reports or three short theses, which represent 50% of the final grade. A model example is provided to students to help them structure their case reports.
After the exam, the exam committee evaluates all the marks acquired by the candidate from the multiple-choice exam and the clinical cases or short theses, and then issues the ‘Professional Certificate in Animal Health: Poultry Production’. The OIE then officially validates the ‘regulatory’ part of the diploma. The pass mark for all elements is 60%.
program contents
The PCAHPP programs, once validated by an exam, provide training credits: ECTS or continuing education credits. The PCAHPP programs and exams are identical, regardless of the location (physical or online) of the training and certification, which ensures universal recognition of the diploma. The official languages of the PCAHPP programs are English, French, and Spanish, with a translation into Chinese or Russian if required (at the discretion of the WVEPAH).
For the PCAHPP, the principle is “Everyone receives the same teaching and takes the same exam”.
modular courses
‘General‘ Module I covers disciplines common to all avian species through a comprehensive approach: Pathology, Nutrition, Epidemiology, Biosecurity, Applied Immunology, Vaccinology, Antibiotherapy, Genetics, Animal Welfare etc. It includes the regulatory module taught by the OIE. Module I is taught exclusively online.
‘Specialized‘ Module II courses are “Broilers”, “Layers”, “Turkeys” and “Waterfowl”. The WVEPAH chooses the program of each module according to the local situation, if necessary. The first part of the Specialized modules is taught online, the second part can be taught either online or in person, when the health situation allows it.
The modules are complementary and independent of each other. It is strongly recommended that participants attend a Module I course first, however they can be followed by the participants in the order that best suits them according to their needs, language skills, and the course schedule. When the course is online, for every 8-10 hours of pre-recorded lessons, a Zoom session is organized with the students and the course masters.
Between modules, distance learning is provided through the private WVEPAH Facebook group and e-Learning, which allow participants to continue working by exchanging and discussing their own cases and by the continuous supply of information by course masters. This participation in distance learning activities is mandatory to validate and then maintain the validity of the certification.
Participants have access to the module content from the moment of their registration (pre-recorded videos and equivalent PDF document), which allows them to start to improve their knowledge in all the disciplines of the module. The teaching consists of a theoretical part and the study of real cases brought by the course masters and participants. Practical work: autopsies, laboratory, interpretation etc., as well as site visits, also play a large part when it is possible to deliver the course face-to-face.
The intensive courses focus on the deepening or renewal of knowledge on a particular topic.
Validation of acquired knowledge
In order to validate the work undertaken on the course, an exam is compulsory.
The University and the WVEPAH decide the dates of the PCAHPP final exams and their duration.
Candidates are informed of the exam dates at least one month in advance.
The exam that follows each module is a multiple-choice exam, with 50 questions.
The pass mark is 60%, i.e. 30/50 (average required between the exams of the two modules). An average of less than 60% between the two modules, or a mark of less than 50% in any one module, would lead to the student failing the course.
Participants will be given an opportunity to retake a failed exam, at an additional cost to the participant.
The exam results count for 50% of the final mark necessary to obtain the Certificate.
Practical Activities
The participants are expected to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the courses of the WVEPAH in their daily practical work in the field of poultry production and pathology. This activity is recorded in the form of 25 clinical cases or relevant audits, including 22 case logs and 3 case reports.
Clinical cases
Case logs and reports:
During the program, candidates – having completed a general and a specialized module – are asked to gather 25 well-documented clinical cases or audits. The WVEPAH provides students with a model for reporting their clinical cases in a relatively uniform way. They must, alongside other elements, include case identification, history and situation, clinical examination results, laboratory results, differential diagnosis, diagnosis and prognosis, measures taken and their results. At least 60% of the clinical cases/audits must be related to the completed specialized module.
Three cases from the 25 are chosen by the candidate for in-depth reports. They must relate to three different subjects and include a complete presentation of the case, illustrations (if necessary), bibliographical references on the subject and a discussion (minimum 5000 words). The candidate must demonstrate an overall knowledge of the subject. Generally, a case report should be complete with references and appendices.
Each report will be examined by one member of the exam committee and the average final grade for the reports must be 30 or more out of 50.
The final individual grade for the clinical cases is the average of all the clinical case grades. If this average is less than 30, the candidate will be invited to submit a revised version of the failed report(s) or to submit additional cases within 6 months of the date of notification.
Published cases can be submitted. Scientific publications are automatically accepted.
The clinical case reports must be written in English, French or Spanish. If they are in another language, they must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
If, in their daily work, students can demonstrate that they have no access to clinical cases, they can prepare three short theses on topics related to both their work and veterinary avian topics. Each thesis must be a minimum of 20000 words, not including the list of references.
The candidate should submit the clinical cases, audits or short theses to the WVEPAH office.
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