Advanced Medical Care - (AMC) 

Future Sessions of This Course: 

Winter 2026: 1/5/26 - 2/16/26

NOTE: This course runs approximately every two months and is open to students who have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite courses - "Modern Sheltering Foundations" (MSF) and "Animal Care Foundations" (ACF).

Enrollment Requirements: Completed application for Shelter Care Specialist (SCS) Certification and acceptance into the program during the application period, and completion of course prerequisites in the SCS Program.  

Prerequisites: Modern Sheltering Foundations (MSF) and Animal Care Foundations (ACF) courses must be completed satisfactorily. 

Coach:  Cindi Delany, DVM, KPA-CPT, FFCP - cddelany@ucdavis.edu

Co-Coach:  Chrissy Teuscher, RVT - cteuscher@ucdavis.edu

Learning Coordinator: help@shelterlearniverse.com

Sample Course Schedule:

• Week 1 - From Head to Tail: Mastering Medical Basics for Animal Care

• Week 2 - Prescription to Precision: Navigating Animal Medications with Confidence

• Week 3 - Advanced Diagnostics: X-Rays, Bloodwork, and a Whole Lot of Heart

• Week 4 - Medical Mastery in Motion: Advanced Medicine for Busy Shelters

• Week 5 - Making it Manageable: Euthanasia in the Shelter Setting

• Week 6 - Shelter Synergy: Smart Communication, Data & Teamwork for Better Care

Live Meetings:

In each session of this course, there will be live meetings. Dates for those meetings will be provided to learners at the time of enrollment.

To earn completion credit for an elective:

• Course Completion Deadline: 3 weeks after Week 6 content goes live.

Extensions:

• Extraordinary Circumstances With Extension Approval from Learning Coordinator ONLY: deadline can be extended to 4 weeks after Week 6 content goes live.

• To earn completion credit for an elective beyond this time, you must have completed at least 50% of the content before the Final EXTENDED Course Completion Deadline, and you must finish the remaining course content and assignments within the 30 days after the extended deadline for the current session.

• If you’ve completed less than 50% of the content and assignments during the session (before the extended course completion deadline), you will have to restart the course in a new session. We will reach out to you about rejoining the next session.

Course Overview:

Designed specifically for frontline shelter staff, this course "Advanced Medical Care," is one of two electives in the "Medical-Focus" track of the Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program.  To take this course students must have taken and satisfactorily completed the "Modern Sheltering Foundations" and "Animal Care Foundations" courses.

Advanced Medical Care will provide information and experiences to give learners the knowledge and skills they need to increase their ability to assess animals for medical concerns and provide needed care.

As with all of the courses in this program, our focus is on sharing needed information on current best practices in a way that works for busy adult learners. This course will highlight current best practices that prioritize the needs of animals in shelters, shelter team members, and our communities, emphasizing efficiency while keeping stress reduction for animals and teams centered. 

This course equips you with the foundational and more advanced knowledge about advanced medical care in the shelter needed to enhance your day-to-day operations and prepare you for a sustainable and rewarding career in the animal shelter industry as a Shelter Care Specialist.

What You Will Learn:

• How to accurately document and review advanced medical exams using SOAP formats, medical terminology, and anatomy knowledge.

• Designing and implementing preventative health programs, including vaccinations, parasite control, and routine health assessments.

• Recognizing when advanced diagnostics (e.g., radiographs, cytology, and blood tests) are necessary and how to perform and interpret them.

• Managing medications, including dosage calculations, controlled substances, and safe administration protocols.

• Providing emergency and critical care, including stabilization, CPR, pain management, and supportive care for complex cases.

• How to care for special needs animals, including neonates, geriatric animals, and those with nutritional or health challenges.

• Performing or assisting with advanced procedures such as wound care, catheter placement, and bandaging.

• Effectively utilizing telemedicine to extend medical access, collaborate with offsite veterinarians, and manage remote consultations.

• Navigating euthanasia decisions and protocols with compassion, proper documentation, and self-care strategies to avoid burnout.

• Improving communication within the shelter and with the public, including sharing medical updates, discharge instructions, and care recommendations.

• How to create, implement, and update protocols, SOPs, and work aids for advanced medical care tasks.

• Leveraging shelter/medical software to enhance efficiency through automated workflows, valuable reports, and better resource management.

Course Features:

• Accessible Anytime, On-Demand Content

• Mobile Friendly - Learn on Your Preferred Device

• Hands-on Learning Activities

• Practical Tips and Techniques

• Scenario-Based Discussions

• Interactions and Support of Your Classmates

• Direct Applications to Daily Tasks

• Assignments and Feedback to Ensure Your Mastery and Comfort with Course Content

• Coaching and Mentoring from Your Course Coach and Team

Why This Course Matters:

As a frontline shelter staff member, you are vital to the health and well-being of the animals in your care, and you are valuable and should have your skills and career prospects developed. This course provides you with the tools to make immediate improvements in your work environment and the daily care you provide to the animals in your shelter.  It also prepares you for further professional development in other specialized areas of medical care and shelter operations.

Questions? Contact Us

If you have any questions or need further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at help@shelterlearniverse.com.