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Equine Parasites Information and Control (EPIC)

Overview

Subject Area Veterinary Medicine
Credits 2.5
NFQ 9
EFQ 7
Start Date 8 January 2024
Duration 5 Weeks
Mode of Delivery Online, Live.
Course Leader (opens in a new window)Nikki Walshe
Fee

€500

Application Deadline

5 January 2023 

This micro-credential has been developed to equip veterinary practitioners to design and implement risk-based approaches to equine parasite investigation and to empower their clients to overcome possible barriers when dealing with equine parasite control. 

Informed by the latest scientific information and research into the views and experiences of stakeholders, this micro-credential aims to enable you to develop the necessary skills and expertise to assess and mitigate parasitic disease risk for the individual horse and/or the herd. 

Embedded within this micro-credential is the research informed Parasitology Risk Analysis Tool, a resource designed specifically for the needs of veterinary practitioners to empower them to design and implement effective parasite control programs. 

Online lectures will provide you with the most up to date research in this area covering everything from the fundamental first principles of parasitology to the application of those first principles in the clinical field. Through case-based learning you will be encouraged to engage with real-life complex cases, to reflect upon your own professional practice and to develop your communication competencies to implement innovative and sustainable parasite control initiatives. 

Key Features

This micro-credential will be relevant for Irish eligible veterinary practitioners with an interest in equine health.

On completion of this micro-credential you should be able to:

  1. Outline the first principles of parasitology, in particular in relation to equine parasites and equine health.
  2. Identify parasite disease in an individual horse and formulate a safe, efficacious treatment plan. 
  3. Analyse equine herds with respect to risk of parasite disease and identify risk mitigation for these factors. 
  4. Apply social science methods to understand owner behaviour and how to approach behavioural change in owners
  5. Design and implement parasite control programs that are farm specific, that will mitigate risk of parasite disease and promote sustainable parasite control.

Topics that will be covered include: 

  1. Equine Parasites Basics 
  2. Clinical parasite disease individual/herd
  3. Risk assessment of equine herds 
  4. Risk mitigation relating to parasite disease in the equine herd

This micro-credential will be based on evidence-based approaches that will facilitate the design and implementation of impactful and implementable risk-based parasite control programs. 

Pending approval by the Veterinary Council of Ireland, CVE points will be awarded following the successful completion of this micro-offering. Further information to follow. 

This micro-credential will be delivered online through the UCD virtual learning environment (Brightspace).

Learning materials will be released at the beginning of each week via Brightspace. Assignments will be due at 12pm each Thursday prior to the live workshops. 

Live Workshops will take place via Zoom each Thursday commencing at 18:00. 

Core lecture materials will be released at the beginning of each week via Brightspace. 

You will be able to work through core lecture material. Each week will require you to complete a task. This must be completed prior to the live session every Thursday.  You will be encouraged to draw upon your own experiences of managing individual equine cases of parasitic disease as well as issues regarding parasite control in herds. You will also be asked to complete a case study on a herd issue you have come across in practice (or one can be provided). The live sessions will help you formulate a farm specific risk based mitigation for that issue. 

This is a 2.5 ECTS micro-credential and involves approximately 40 hours of learner effort (this includes lectures, discussion, individual lead learning etc).

Applicants are required to hold a veterinary degree qualification

Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate proof of English proficiency as per UCD's minimum English language requirements.

This module is a must-pass module. Students must pass all three components: 

  • Participation in live classes and discussion 
  • Case study presentation 
  • Case study written report

You will receive feedback during the live online practical tutorials taken over the course of the trimester from experts and you will receive individual feedback on your assignments.