Completion of ISVPS Internal Medicine Certification Course; Ultrasound and Feline Courses to Launch in Second Half of the Year

KAHA Continues to Launch Improve International Educational Programs…Practical Training will also be available in Korea

The training for the ISVPS internal medicine certification, led by the Korean Animal Hospital Association (KAHA, President Lee Byung-ryul), has been successfully completed.

The first cohort of the basic small animal internal medicine certification course (ISVPS GPcert-SAM), recruited by KAHA, successfully completed a live session with instructors on the topic of Immunology on Tuesday, May 21.

Students from across the country attended 20 modules on various topics, including Respiratory Disease, Urology, Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, Cardiovascular Medicine, Endocrinology, Medical Oncology, and Dermatology, taught by American and European veterinary specialists. Those who have completed their case report submissions will receive the ISVPS Small Animal Internal Medicine certification (ISVPS GPcert-SAS) upon passing the exam in September.

This marks the first time a large group of Korean veterinarians has collectively obtained the ISVPS Small Animal Internal Medicine certification. The ISVPS GP certification is recognized in many countries worldwide, including major European countries. Initially, this course was scheduled to run from May 2020 to August 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it started in May 2021 and was completed through online classes and live sessions with instructors via Zoom

KAHA plans to continue launching various Improve International courses in Korea, being the only association.

Meanwhile, the Korean Animal Hospital Association (KAHA), under the leadership of President Lee Byung-ryul, has successfully completed the 1st cohort of both the Small Animal Surgery and Small Animal Internal Medicine certification courses. Following this success, KAHA plans to continue introducing various Improve International educational programs in Korea for the benefit of Korean veterinarians.

To take the ISVPS GP certification exam in Asia, veterinarians must complete the Improve International educational program, which offers various courses in surgery, internal medicine, feline medicine, dentistry, ultrasound, and dermatology. All lectures and practical training are conducted by top experts in the veterinary field, including American and European veterinary specialists.

Starting from the second half of this year, KAHA will sequentially launch courses in ultrasound, small animal internal medicine, and feline medicine.

The ultrasound course, which includes both theoretical and practical training, will be conducted entirely in-person in Seoul, with veterinarians serving as interpreters.

The small animal internal medicine and feline medicine courses will combine online and in-person classes. For online classes, students will watch pre-recorded lecture videos in advance and then have live sessions with instructors. The lecture videos will have Korean subtitles, and interpreters will be available during the live sessions, so students need not worry about language barriers.

Next year, KAHA will launch courses in small animal surgery, dentistry, and dermatology. All practical training will be conducted legally in Korea, eliminating the inconvenience of having to travel abroad.

For cadaver-based training, sessions will be held at VGTC
in Songdo, operated by 3D MediVision (CEO Kim Ki-jin). VGTC (Veterflix Global Training Center) boasts over 800 square meters of space, including surgery and practice rooms and a conference hall, and uses legally approved cadavers for wet-lab training. The conference hall, with a capacity of 130 seats, can host
theoretical lectures and live broadcasts of surgeries from the adjacent practice room.

Various practical training sessions and arthroscopy/endoscopy workshops by Betterflix are currently underway at VGTC, and Improve International practical training will also be conducted with standardized
practice dogs at VGTC.

Kim Ki-jin, CEO of 3D MediVision, expressed his honor in being able to provide high-quality practical training for Korean clinical veterinarians and hoped to develop the Korean veterinary education model to a world-class level.Lee Byung-ryul, President of KAHA, stated, “We will continue to launch various internationally recognized Improve International courses in Korea to strengthen the capabilities of Korean clinical
veterinarians.”