Certified Food Therapy for Veterinary Technician

This course teaches technician closely assist the veterinarian in performing food therapy.

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Course overview:

This course is intended for veterinary technicians or assistants to create diets under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Tailored for veterinary technicians working in clinics and hospitals where TCVM is practiced.

A reference letter from a licensed veterinarian is required to enroll in this course.

Hybrid course with 1 online and 1 onsite modules. 22 hours including 10 hours of hands-on labs in:

  • Basic Nutrition Overview
  • TCVM Food Therapy Principles
  • Food Therapy: Common Concerns and Special Properties
  • Food Therapy for Technicians – the Bottom Line

This course is intended for veterinary technicians or assistants to create diets under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

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Course objectives:

  • Understand indications and contraindications for food therapy and home-prepared diets
  • Understand TCVM patterns
  • Be able to teach food therapy techniques to clients
  • Be able to create balanced recipes for patients using an online veterinary nutrition program based on your veterinarian’s TCVM diagnosis and diet requirements

Admission Requirements

Credentialed veterinary technician OR successful completion of a 2-year veterinary technician program OR veterinary assistant with at least 5 years experience in a small animal veterinary clinical setting.

Letter of recommendation from a licensed veterinarian certified in TCVM (Acupuncture, Tui-na, Herbal medicine or Food Therapy) or currently attending courses for certification in TCVM. The letter of recommendation should briefly detail your relationship to the veterinarian writing it, why you would be a good candidate for the class, and how it would benefit you and your clinic. There is no length requirement, but one half to one full page is suggested.

Completion of the TCVM for Vet Techs course.

Certified Food Therapy for Veterinary Technician

Taught in English

Veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants only

22 RACE-approved CE hours

Prerequisites

Students must:

  • Credentialed veterinary technician OR successful completion of a 2-year veterinary technician program OR veterinary assistant with at least 5 years experience in a small animal veterinary clinical setting.
  • Letter of recommendation from a licensed veterinarian certified in TCVM (Acupuncture, Tui-na, Herbal medicine or Food Therapy) or currently attending courses for certification in TCVM. The letter of recommendation should briefly detail your relationship to the veterinarian writing it, why you would be a good candidate for the class, and how it would benefit you and your clinic. There is no length requirement, but one half to one full page is suggested.
  • Completion of the TCVM for Vet Techs course.
TCVM for Vet Techs

Curriculum

Basic Nutrition Overview (Western Nutrition Concepts)

3h

Feline Food Therapy

1h

TCVM Food Therapy Principles

2h

Food Therapy: Common Concerns and Special Properties

1h

Lab demo: Top Foods for Pets and Their Caregiver

1h

Lab demo: How to Make Foods for Dogs

2h

Food Therapy for Technicians – the Bottom Line

2h

How to Balance a Recipe/How to Use Computer Program to Balance a TCVM Food Recipe

3h

How to Balance a Recipe/How to Use Computer Program to Balance a TCVM Food Recipe

4h

Question and Answer

1h

Final review

2h

Certification

  • Completion of the Chi University Veterinary Technician Food Therapy course

  • Pass the take-home exam

  • You are required to create one canine and one feline diet based on a real case in your practice, or your personal pet or a friend’s pet. To do this you WILL need a TCVM diagnosis. If you do not have access to such a case, including if your vet does not formulate TCVM diagnoses, then Chi University will provide you basic information on a “mock” case of a dog and a cat for you to create diets.

    This is a “pass/fail” submission and is required for receiving certification. It will take approximately 2-3 hours per case, for a total of 4-6 hours. The diet should be balanced through Balance.IT, make sense, and be palatable for the “average” of the respective species. It should also take TCVM food energetics into account.

  • CFTVT (Certified Food Therapy Veterinary Technician): For the student who is a Registered Veterinary Technician, Licensed Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technician.

  • CFTVA (Certified Food Therapy Veterinary Assistant): For the student who is NOT a Registered Veterinary Technician, Licensed Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technician.

  • Note: A CFTVA holder can update their certificate to CFTVT once they become a Registered Veterinary Technician, Licensed Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technician.

Textbooks

Nutrition and Disease Management for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses

by Ann Wortinger and Kara M Burns

Instructors

Dr. Xie has 41 years of clinical, teaching, and research experience in veterinary acupuncture and TCVM. He has trained over 10,000 veterinarians to practice TCVM worldwide. Dr. Xie’s education includes advanced training in veterinary medicine, veterinary acupuncture, and human acupuncture. Dr. Xie has authored 20 books and over 100 peer-reviewed papers. His textbooks, including Xie’s Veterinary Herbology, Xie’s Veterinary Acupuncture, and Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine-Fundamental Principles, have been used for TCVM training programs around the world. Dr. Xie continues to teach and develop educational courses and programs at Chi University, serves as a full clinical professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and is an honorary professor at China Agricultural University, South China Agricultural University, and China Southwest University.

Read more

Dr. Terri Rosado holds certifications in all Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine branches. As an Assistant Professor at Chi University and the medical director of Chi Animal Hospital, Dr. Rosado is passionate about education, offering externships to Chi and veterinary school students, and inviting volunteers to experience small animal veterinary practice.

Enrollment Options

Semester

2024

Schedule & Tuition

Food Therapy for Technicians

Payment Information

A $100.00 non-refundable course deposit is charged upon enrollment to reserve your seat.

Payment is due 30 days before the start date of each session, course, or event.

Add-ons

CFTVT Certification

$150.00