NB: Please do not make flight reservations until the course you are registering in is confirmed. Confirmation depends on the number of registrants which varies with each course. You will receive a confirmation either by phone, fax or email. Lifelearn reserves the right to cancel a course, in which case a full course refund only will be paid. All other costs will be paid by the registrant. For registrations that you wish to cancel, a 90% refund less deposit will be issued up to 60 days prior to the course. No refunds will be issued after that date except under special circumstances, when the maximum refund is 50%.

Location
Lifetime Learning Centre, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1

Dr. Todd Tams, from Los Angeles, California, one of the most effective teachers of gastroenterology and endoscopy, supported for the wet lab section by faculty and staff from the Ontario Veterinary College, takes the class on an exciting journey into the bowels of the beast.

Overview
The Lifelearn Endoscopy Series is a comprehensive 6 day course, offered in two 3 day modules. The course provides training in both flexible and rigid endoscopy for small animal practitioners. It is designed to aid veterinarians in learning the skills necessary for both performing endoscopy in practice and successfully implementing and marketing this excellent diagnostic tool.

The course includes:
• extensive information on how endoscopy fits into the practice of clinical gastroenterology, with emphasis on diagnosis and management of a variety of disorders
• extensive hands-on practice with high quality Karl Storz endoscopes both flexible and rigid
• hours of instruction and hands-on practice on flexible endoscopic techniques such as esophagoscopy, gastroscopy, maneuvering through the pylorus, duodenoscopy, colonoscopy and bronchoscopy
• hours of instruction and hands-on practice on rigid endoscopy procedures such as rhinoscopy, otoscopy, cystoscopy and laparoscopy
• hands-on practice on biopsy techniques and stomach tube placement
• sessions on instrumentation and its maintenance cleaning
• sessions on indications, achieving client compliance to recommendations and implementation of endoscopic services in your practice (the business case)
• session on avian and exotic endoscopy

There are myriad uses for both flexible and rigid endoscopy in any practice setting! This is a great opportunity to pick up a new skill, or to polish your skills if you already know a little about the basics. Each module provides for case-based lecture sessions that will lead into a hands-on wet lab. See below for detailed outline of each day of the course.

Module 1 - Upper and Lower GI Endoscopy
Friday/Saturday/Sunday - December 5/6/7, 2008

Day 1 - Seminar Topics

1. Introduction to Flexible Endoscopy
2. Indications for performing GI endoscopy
3. Case examples highlighting clinical utility of endoscopy
4. Equipment selection with an eye toward versatility in clinical practice (not all flexible scopes are created equal!)
5. How to achieve compliance to your recommendations to perform endoscopy
6. How to charge for endoscopy
7. How to become proficient in endoscopy as quickly as possible (you can do it, you just need to practice!)
8. Esophagoscopy - technique
9. Disorders of the esophagus that can be diagnosed and/or managed with endoscopy
10. Gastroscopy - technique
11. Duodenoscopy - technique
12. Biopsy techniques
13. Important disorders of the stomach and small intestines - diagnosis and management
14. Prepping animals for colonoscopy
15. Colonoscopy - technique

Day 2 - Wet Lab (7 hours)

• Esophagoscopy and gastroscopy demonstration
• Esophagoscopy and gastroscopy practice (emphasis on scope handling and technique for viewing the esophagus and stomach)
• Gastroscopy and duodenoscopy demonstration
• Gastroscopy and duodenoscopy practice (emphasis is on scope handling techniques, and making an attempt to get through the pylorus)
• Colonoscopy demo
• Colonoscopy practice time (emphasis on scope handling and navigating the entire length of the colon)

Day 3 - ½ Day Lecture - ½ Day Lab

Seminar

1. Traversing the pylorus - review and discussion
2. Biopsy techniques
3. Diagnosis and management of inflammatory small bowel disease in dogs and cats
4. Diagnosis and management of large intestinal disorders in dogs and cats
5. Important fecal diagnostic tests
6. Chronic colitis and proctitis
7. Endoscope cleaning demo in seminar room

Wet Lab (3.5 hours)

• Demos of upper GI endoscopy in cats
• Esophagoscopy, gastroscopy and duodenoscopy practice on dogs and cats. Emphasis is placed on helping everyone get through the pylorus. Practice stomach and small intestine biopsies

Module 2 - Advanced Flexible Endoscopy Procedures, Rigid Endoscopy and Laparoscopy
Friday/Saturday/Sunday - April 17/18/19, 2009

Day 1 - Seminar

1. Successful implementation of endoscopic procedures in clinical practice
2. Foreign body retrieval techniques
3. Endoscopic placement of gastric feeding tubes
4. Bronchoscopy
• Anesthetic considerations
• Technique
5. Introduction to rigid endoscopy
   • Indications for use of rigid endoscopy in practice
   • Instrumentation
6. Rigid endoscopy in birds and reptiles - Dr. Michael Taylor

Day 2 - Wet Lab (7 hours)

• Flexible endoscopy - 3.5 hours
• Upper GI endoscopy (esophagoscopy, gastroscopy and duodenoscopy, including biopsy practice). This session allows for considerable interaction with instructors and other participants and is intended to re-inforce the skills learned in the first module. Participants comment that without this extra day of instruction and interactive practice, they would not have had the confidence to implement full endoscopy services in their practice!
• Rigid endoscopy station for avian and reptile endoscopy with Dr. Michael Taylor
• Bronchoscopy
• Foreign body retrieval and upper GI biopsy exercises
• Gastric feeding tube placement

Day 3 - ½ Day Lecture - ½ Day Lab

Seminar

1. Laparoscopy (continued from Day 1)
• Liver biopsy technique

• Pancreas biopsy technique
• Kidney biopsy technique
2. Update on diagnosis and management of liver disease in dogs and cats
3. Cystoscopy in females
4. Rhinoscopy
5. Video Otoscopy - Dr. Lynette Cole, Ohio State

Wet Lab (3.5 hours)
Techniques that will be demonstrated and practiced are laparoscopy, cystoscopy and otoscopy.

Participants will rotate through stations including
• cystoscopy
• rhinoscopy
• otoscopy
• laparoscopy (including biopsy techniques)

TESTIMONIALS & COMMENTS

Testimonial:

An excellent comprehensive presentation. High energy and enthusiastic. I’m heading home confident in this new skill set and ready to apply it to my practice.
Jim Hysen, DVM

"This is the best continuing education experience that I have had since graduation (22 years). The planning was exceptional on the part of Todd Tams, Lifelearn and Stortz. The learning curve was well paced as we were given the complete notes first, then well illustrated lecture and then lots of time to practice skills in the lab. The comradery of the participants was excellent and I have made many friends unlike after most conferences. I also enjoyed the American/Canadian interface which I have not experienced at other Canadian conferences. To come back and be a student at Guelph again was great. I will highly recommend Lifelearn to colleagues."
Dr. Judy Miller, Algoma Park Animal Clinic, Thunder Bay, ON, 807-345-3353

Very well organized, very informative and practical. Hands down best CE I ever attended.
Yosse Koren-Roth
Albany, NY

March 2005 participant comments on the value of splitting the session over two weekends:

"I prefer the course split in two sessions because I can go away, practice and come back for review and questions."

"Excellent lectures and wet labs. Spending the day reinforcing Flexible GI was very useful."

"I was very pleased with this course from start to finish. I did not mind the set-up i.e. two 3-day courses and feel sufficient time was allotted between flexible and rigid endoscopy."