Foundations of Wildlife Rehabilitation Online

Description

Upcoming Classes

September 21 – 27, 2026 |  Registration Deadline: 9/7/26      |  Schedule
October 12 – 18, 2026      |  Registration Deadline: 9/28/26   |  Schedule
November 2 – 8, 2026     |  Registration Deadline: 10/19/26  |  Schedule
November 9 – 15, 2026   |  Registration Deadline: 10/26/26  |  Schedule

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

Additional fall sessions may be added later in the year, and the winter/spring schedule will be announced in December/January. If you would like to be notified when new sessions are announced, please sign up for our Course Announcements mailing list.

Course Description

This 1 week online 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.

The course consists of about 7 hours of live lectures, 3 hours live lab session, and approximately 5 hours of self-paced instruction & homework. Please review the syllabus and Class Refund & Cancellation Policy before registering for this course. If you would like to register for the in person version of this course, please click here.

Students must attend all live lectures and participate in a lab session to pass the course, so please check the schedule before registering for a 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 over a week. Live video lectures and lab instruction are hosted on Zoom, giving you access to our highly experienced instructors. Pre-recorded lectures and online homework are accessed through our online Moodle classroom, and you complete these activities 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 live Zoom lectures and successfully pass the lab (see schedules in Description tab), forums, 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 live lectures begin.  We find learners get more out of 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 video and audio capabilities

• A computer, smartphone, or tablet with reliable internet you can set up to show your lab area

Notice for mobile device users: The majority of Foundations for Wildlife Rehabilitation can successfully be completed on a mobile device, including homework, lectures, 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

Lab Materials:

• Lab kit

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

• 1 mammal and 1 avian cadaver.  Cadavers 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 cadavers):

• 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.

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.