• General - Module I covers the fundamentals of health management, and are based on the systemic or holistic approach covering all aspects influencing farm sustainability and results: Pathology, Nutrition, Epidemiology, Biosecurity, Applied Immunology, Vaccinology, Antibiotherapy, Genetics, Animal Welfare etc. It includes the regulatory module taught by the WOAH.

• ‘Specialized‘ Module II courses

• 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.

• Participants have access to the module content from the moment of their registration (pre-recorded videos and PDF documents), 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, take place during the residential week of the module.

• The intensive courses focus on the deepening or renewal of knowledge on a particular topic.

• Participation at the exam is mandatory for the validation of the work undertaken during the course. However, participants of a course may decide to opt out if they are not interested in obtaining the WVEPAH certification.

• The Université de Montréal and the WVEPAH decide on the date and duration for each course exam.

• Candidates will be informed at least one month in advance of the date of the course exam.

• The passing grade for each module is set at 60%, meaning a minimum score of 30 out of 50 points is required. To successfully complete the program, participants need to achieve a minimum score of 60% across both modules.

• An average exam results for the two modules of between 50 and 60% enables the student to retake the exam of the failed module(s) at an additional cost to the participant. However, no exam result can be under 50%.

• In the event of exam failure, participants are allowed to retake the exam up to two times within three years from the original exam date. A retake fee of €350 to cover administrative costs will be charged for each attempt.

The participants are expected to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the WVEPAH courses in their daily practical work. This activity is recorded in the form of 25 clinical cases reports for veterinarians or three short review papers for animal production profesionnals.

• During the program, candidates – having completed Module I and Module II (specialization) – will compile 25 well-documented clinical case reports (or 3 short review papers). WVEPAH provides the students with a template to report their clinical cases. 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 case reports must be related to the completed specialization module.

• Each clinical case report will be examined by one member of the exam committee and the final individual grade is the average obtained for all 25 clinical case reports submitted. The passing grade is 60% or 30 out of 50 points.. If this average is less than 30, the candidate will be invited to submit a revised version for the clinical case reports below 30 or to submit additional clinical case reports within 6 months of the date of notification.

• The clinical case reports must be written in English, French or Spanish.

• Published articles and clinical cases may be submitted instead of clinical cases. Please contact WVEPAH to confirm the eligibility of these documents.

For professionals who do not have clinical activities in the field, it is possible to fulfill the academic requirement between module 1 and 2 by producing three papers relevant to the animal production of interest.

Each paper should be approximately 10 pages long (single-spaced with a font equivalent to Calibri 12), excluding tables, figures, and references.

The topic for each paper must be approved by the branch coordinator before submission.

Each topic must be directly relevant to the animal production of interest. What follows are examples of acceptable topics:

• Presentation and discussion regarding a regulation or law that concerns the health or welfare of animals, such as transportation standards, audits, or requirements for testing animals imported in the country.

• Disease risk assessment approach used by a country’s veterinary services for an infectious disease considered reportable (at WOAH or just at country level)

• Presentation and discussion regarding specific laboratory tests used by state laboratories to confirm the presence of a disease.

• Nutritional standards approved by state authorities with justifications and consequences for the animals when they are not met.

• Presentation and discussion of regulations regarding potentially toxic products of interest to the animal industry.

• Presentation and critical discussion regarding approved dead animal disposal methods in a given country.