The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN MULT118-20212: Bringing Care Everywhere: How access to care issues can help direct treatment in the field Self-Study

This course is a self-paced, non-interactive course.

Presenters: Melissa Beyer, DVM
Anne Marie McPartlin, CVT, LVT, RVT, CVA
Ahne Simonsen, DVM
Course Open: July 19-June 30, 2022
Total CE Credit: 1.5
RACE Category: 1.5 hours Medical

Skip to Enrollment

Course Information:
Access to Care may be the current catch phrase, but in reality there has always been and there is now an ever-growing need for veterinary services to be provided to underserved populations. This can be low income urban areas or isolated rural areas, and it can affect varying degrees of income levels. As clinics become more available through nonprofit and outreach work, it is important to keep in mind that low/no cost clinics do not correlate with decreased quality of care. This course is designed to introduce participants to common factors that can affect decision-making, treatment options, and follow-up plans while providing high quality care to reach the desired patient outcome. We will follow actual cases throughout the course from clinic presentation to discharge as examples.

Please note: COVID-19 has created challenges throughout the veterinary field which requires individualized protocols. For the purposes of this course we will not be discussing COVID-19 precautions and safety measures.

To earn a certificate of completion the participant must complete all learning modules and score 80% or better on the end-of-course test. Completion of the course will take a minimum of 96 minutes. Participants must complete the participation requirements by June 30, 2022 to be eligible for a certificate.

To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • understand challenges to finding and accessing veterinary care.
  • discuss field work, recognize common challenges, and formulate a treatment plan.
  • formulate differentials using PE skills and limited diagnostics.
  • consider appropriate preventive care planning for individual patients.
  • recognize common infectious and non-infectious disease cases.
  • consider factors and supplies needed for safe field anesthetic protocols from anesthetic exam pre-med through recovery.
  • consider timing and technique for safe field surgical repair/alteration.
  • communicate effectively between field clinic areas for treatment options, treatment plan, and follow up.

Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE self-study course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in access to care and field clinic work. This course is open to VIN and VSPN members only.
Accreditation: This non-interactive course is approved for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-845649)

Course Agenda:

Module 1: Field Medicine Concepts
Total Time: 30 minutes
Video: 30 minutes
Polls: 2
Introduction into common field medicine concepts, highlighting access to care barriers and solutions

Module 2: Access to Care Cases
Total Time: 27 minutes
Video: 27 minutes
Polls: 2
Review of several field medicine cases focusing on medical and preventative care.

Module 3: Anesthesia and Surgery Cases
Total Time: 34 minutes
Video: 34 minutes
Polls: 1
Review of several field medicine cases that were in need of anesthesia and surgery.

Module 4: End of Course Test
Total Time: 5 minutes
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

Module 5: Course Evaluation

To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive self-study CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.


Enrollment is closed.


Tuition: VIN/VSPN Member $35
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to starting the course. If you wish to withdraw after you have started this self-study course, please contact the VSPN office 800-846-0028, ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357