Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation Online

Description

Upcoming Classes

Fall 2025 options to be available for registrations by mid-August.  Email online@theiwrc.org to request to be added to the notification list to be alerted when registrations go live.

If you are signing up for a class outside of your time zone, we recommend using a time zone converter like this one.

If a prospective student is a minor, contact online@theiwrc.org for more information before registering.

Have a large group you want to bring?  Consider an Organizational Membership and contact us for special group pricing.

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

Please ensure you read the entire product description (see Course Content tab), sample syllabus, and our Class Refund and Cancellation Policy before registering for this course.

Orders will be manually processed within 3 business days, at which time additional class information will be provided by email.  If you do not see this email, please check your junk or spam folder and contact us if you still cannot find it at online@theiwrc.org.  This email contains critical information that you must read in advance of starting the course.

This class is RACE approved for 15 CE.  Please 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.

Course Content

This 1-week online version of our Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation course is for beginning wildlife or novice rehabilitators seeking formal education with a hands-on lab!  The structure is an online format of live video lectures hosted on Zoom – giving you access to the expertise and knowledge of our instructors, paired with asynchronous (pre-recorded) sections in the online Moodle classroom which you complete on your own.  We estimate that live lectures will total about 7 hours and asynchronous work (homework, pre-recorded lectures with forums, and exam) will take about 8+ hours.

To receive a course completion certificate, students must attend all the zoom sessions and successfully pass the lab (see schedules in Registration Information tab), forums, homework, and exam with a score of 70% or higher for each assessment.  For your lab session, be sure that you are able to get all the needed materials (see Required Materials tab).  We challenge you to do your homework and readings before you get to your class.  This will facilitate a richer learning experience during the course and in the Moodle classroom.

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

Required Materials

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

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

• Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation

• Lab kit, if attending a class based in North America

For Lab

• An easy-to-clean location for procedures (at home or at a rehabilitation center) including table covering (butcher paper, plastic sheeting, paper bags, etc.)

• A computer, smartphone, or tablet with reliable internet

• 1 mammal and 1 avian carcass.  Carcasses for the lab may be acquired from commercial operations (i.e. pet stores, lab suppliers, etc).  Note that you cannot use rabies vector species (e.g. raccoons, foxes, skunks, and bats) for our labs.  More information on rabies vector species: USA, Canada.  If you are completing the lab and are not under a current wildlife rehabilitation permit, please obtain feeder specimens as listed below (IWRC help document on finding carcasses):

• Mammals (over 175 grams): rat (size large or greater), rabbit
• Birds: pigeon/dove, quail, chicken (adult

• Container for fluids (large disposable cup, triangular graduated container, etc.)

• Sharps container (make your own)

• Optional at-home lab supplies: stethoscope, digital thermometer, penlight, gram scale, isopropyl alcohol

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.