By Laurie Edge-Hughes, BScPT, MAnimSt (Animal Physio), CAFCI, CCRT
Co-Chair, The Animal Rehab Division
Happy Summer to all CPA members! In having made it through a very challenging last 16 months, it appears that things are looking up and we have renewed hope that we can begin looking forwards again!
Live Courses & Upcoming Embodia Course
To that end, the ARD is delighted to announce that we have scheduled LIVE courses again! We will be having both equine and canine series courses this summer and into the fall. All are currently scheduled in Alberta, where restrictions on gatherings have officially been lifted. We will mandate some in-class measures to ensure safety and class sizes will be reduced from in the past. We anticipate that these will be well received and that 2022 courses will be in high demand as well.
Another exciting course offering to come soon will be our Acupuncture and Dry Needling Certification Course. The lecture components of the course will be offered on Embodia and we hope to have it ready for enrolment by the end of the year.
The ARD's Advocacy Efforts
Beyond education, the ARD is very active in advocacy efforts. We have had several consultations with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) on the matter of Forms of Energy (and whether non-veterinarians can provide modalities without veterinary supervision or referral). We also have two ARD members participating in a consultation process with the CVO regarding shared care in animal health, along with veterinarians, chiropractors, and registered veterinary technicians. They are discussing ways to foster collaboration between veterinarians and non-veterinarians. Our interactions have been positive and favourable. We would also like to thank the Ontario Physiotherapy Association, and in particular Dorianne Sauvé, for their support and collaboration with our advocacy work in Ontario.
Our involvement in advocacy efforts in British Columbia has been orchestrated by the BC Animal Owners Association (BCAOA) in bringing together a group on allied animal health care practitioners. The BCAOA wants better access to non-veterinarian practitioners. Together, with seven other practitioner groups, the ARD, and the BCAOA, the Ministry of Agriculture has been approached to dialogue about this issue. We are hopeful that animal owners in BC will have better access to non-veterinary practitioners in that province soon and that the veterinary monopoly and prohibition of other practices will be eased in the near future.
Highlighting ARD Members Who Received a Medal of Distinction
Our Division was doubly honoured and delighted to have TWO members recognized with the CPA’s Medals of Distinction. Both Sandra Oxtoby and Laurie Edge-Hughes were recognized for their contributions to the field of physiotherapy (by way of animal rehabilitation). Laurie was also the recipient of the inaugural Veterinary Rehabilitation Therapist of the Year Award (2020), awarded by the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy. For a small Division, we make quite an impact!