Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation In-Person

Description

Upcoming Classes

September 19 – 20, 2026  |  Sabetha, Kansas, USA  |  Host: ARC Wild | Instructor: Dr. Will Funk | Registration Deadline: 9/5/26

September 26 – 27, 2026  |  Laredo, Texas, USA  |  Host: Laredo College | Instructor: Dr. Rob Adamski | Registration Deadline: 9/13/26

October 10 – 11, 2026  |  Phoenix, Arizona, USA  |  Host: Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center | Instructor: Debbie Sykes | Registration Deadline: 9/26/26

October 17 – 18, 2026  |  Eaton Rapids, Michigan, USA  |  Host: WILDSIDE Rehabilitation & Education Center | Instructor: Dr. Will Funk | Registration Deadline: 10/3/26

November 14-15, 2026  |  Pasadena, California, USA  |  Host: Pasadena Humane | Instructor: Rebecca Michelin | Registration Deadline: 10/31/26

December 5 – 6, 2026  |  Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA  |  Host: WildCare Oklahoma & Citizen Potawatomi Nation Eagle Aviary | Instructor: Dr. Will Funk | Registration Deadline: 11/21/26

Registrations may close before the listed deadline if maximum capacity is reached.

Additional sessions will be added later in the year. If you would like to be notified when new sessions are announced, please sign up for our Course Announcements mailing list.

Don’t see a class near you? We rely on hosts! Consider hosting.

Course Description

This 2 day in person Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation course is for beginning or novice wildlife rehabilitators seeking formal education, or for experienced wildlife rehabilitators looking for a comprehensive refresher. You do not need to have a permit or be an actively practicing wildlife rehabilitator to take this class. If you would like to register for the online version of this course, please click here.

This course is RACE approved for 15 credit hours. Please review the syllabus and our Class Refund and Cancellation Policy before registering for this course.

To join the waitlist for a full session, discuss participation of a minor, or discuss special group pricing, contact classes@theiwrc.org for more information before registering.

After registration, you will receive additional class information over email. Orders are manually processed, please allow 3 business days. If you do not see this email, check your junk or spam folder and contact us if you still cannot find it at classes@theiwrc.org.  This email contains critical information that you must read in advance of starting the course.

Course Content

This course takes place in person over 2 days, and includes a hands-on lab. The homework, reading assignments, and exam are accessed through our online Moodle classroom.

To receive a course completion certificate, students must attend both days of class and successfully pass the lab, homework, and exam with a score of 70% or higher for each assessment.

We will give you access to your reading assignments and homework instructions ahead of time, and we challenge you to do your homework and readings before your in-person lectures begin. We find learners get more out of the live sessions when they are prepared and have reviewed the foundational concepts.

Lecture Topics

• Introduction to wildlife rehabilitation        • Fluid therapy

• Animal welfare                                                 • Thermoregulatory medical problems

• Admissions and identification                      • Nutrition

• Capture and restraint                                     • Starvation and emaciation

• Zoonoses                                                           • Wound management

• Stress and shock                                              • Head and spinal trauma

• Physical exam                                                   • Release criteria

• Euthanasia                                                        • Housing

Lab Topics

• Physical Exam                                                • Basic Bandaging

• Injections                                                         • Avian Gavage

Required Materials

Technology

• Access to a computer with reliable internet, and audio/video capabilities

Notice for mobile device users: The majority of Foundations for Wildlife Rehabilitation can successfully be completed on a mobile device, including homework, forums, and downloads.  However, the exam must be taken on a computer using a browser such as Safari, Chrome, or Firefox, not using the Moodle app.

Textbooks

• Wildlife Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Approach (2nd Edition preferred, 1st Edition acceptable – see syllabus for more information)

• Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation

Shipping

Please order as early as possible if taking a class outside the US and if you want physical books.

Canada: In addition to the rate charged by USPS, Canadian customs may charge extra fees on packages.  Per the Canadian postal service, there is nothing we can do to predict or eliminate these charges.

Outside Continental US:  If ordering books and/or lab kits that need to be shipped outside of the US, international shipping can take 10 days or longer.  Should you wish to get your materials sooner, it may be possible but some restrictions apply.  Even if you choose and pay for express shipping the United States Postal Service (USPS) does not guarantee faster shipping times.  If you choose express shipping, USPS will only refund your money if you reside in a country that is on their guarantee list, which can be found here.

Illness Policy

Students, hosts, or host representatives exhibiting signs of contagious illness (fatigue, cough, chills, fever greater than 100°F / 38°C , etc.) are asked to stay home.  Anyone displaying obvious symptoms associated with illness may be asked to leave the facility at the discretion of the instructor and/or host.

The IWRC prioritizes the safety of our instructors, students, and hosts first and foremost during our classes.  Our intention is not to exclude participants but to prevent disease transmission and safeguard everyone’s health.

Students unable or unwilling to comply with the safety protocols are invited to join us in an online Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation class.

RACE & CWR Credit

This course is RACE approved for 15 CE.  Send us your license number and state of issue once you have received your certificate of completion.  Your information will be uploaded via CE Broker to your RACEtrack account.  If you need a MyAAVSB account account to access RACEtrack, click here.

This course is approved for 15 hours toward the 50 hour education requirement for Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator and Associate Wildlife Rehabilitator certifications. The exact number of hours that can be applied toward different topics is flexible and up to each student’s judgement and needs. For example, an hour of lecture on managing shock could reasonably be applied toward either fluid therapy or initial care & stabilization. Students are encouraged to apply hours toward the topic that they need to fulfill, as long as the content can reasonably be applied toward that topic.

Note: the Certificate of Completion for attending and passing this course is not equivalent to the Certified Wildlife Rehabilitation Certification.

Textbooks

There are two books required for this course:

• Wildlife Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Approach (2nd Edition preferred, 1st Edition acceptable – see syllabus for more information)

• Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation

These books are available in print or ebook format, or you can purchase a bundle of both. If you need a print book, please order as early as possible to ensure books arrive in time for your course, especially if you live outside the USA.

Ebooks cannot be printed or returned after they are downloaded. Download the EPUB files and access them on your preferred device with apps like Adobe Digital Editions, Books, EPUBReader, Kindle, Kobo, NOOK, or Sony Reader Touch.