SATISFYING CVA INTERNSHIP REQUIREMENTS, PROTOCOL AND SUGGESTIONS*

There are several ways to satisfy your internship requirement. 

1. Take ANY Florda on-site advanced courses 

2. If you have already completed the Basic Acupuncture Course and want to audit one of the sessions (take it again) or you want to audit a different species Session 3 or 4, this can also complete this requirement.

e.g.  If you did the Small Animal Basic and would like to audit Session 3 or 4 Equine Basic for your own growth, this would complete the 30 hour requirement and can be attended at a 30% discount., space providing.

3. Take ANY ONE or more on-line course which will satisfy up to 15 hours; then shadow a CVA for the remaining 15 hours. 

4. Shadow any CVA for 30 hours.  Try to do this when you have completed at least 3 Spring format sessions (2010) or 2 fall format sessions (2009/2010) so you can know more of what you are observing.  If you do it too early, you don’t get the full benefit of what you are being shown.

5. “Any” CVA means they can be trained at IVAS, CSU, TUFTS or CHI INSTITUTE.  Check the websites to find someone in your area.  www.ivas.org; www.tcvm.com
   
   You can use several, but do not send in the paperwork until you have completed all 30 hours.

6. Fill out the internship papers for the CVA or CVA’s you are shadowing.  Do not hand them the paper and leave it with them to complete and fax to us.  They are already busy, so as a courtesy have the paper ready to sign with their contact info and yours completed, including the days and hours you shadowed them.  All they have to do is sign, and comment if they wish.  Then you keep the original and fax or scan/email to us, or mail us a copy  for approval.  We will send an email confirm when it is approved. 

7. Some students like the teaching style of a particular Chi TA, and arrange with them to come to their next Florida basic session a day or two early or stay a day or two later, and shadow them here in Fl.  Not all TA’s clinics are open to this, so you have to ask about their availability.

8. When you are shadowing this generous TA, please do not interfere with the interaction between the client and the CVA.  You are there to shadow them, and you can ask them questions after the session, but please do not interfere with the client/CVA conversation.  Some vets have mentioned their reluctance to offer the shadowing because the focus can get off track and become about the trainee instead of about the animal and their owner.  So we need to just be mindful of this, and write down your questions and do a wrap up later, or at the end of the day. 

If you have any further questions about this process, please email barbara@tcvm.com or call (352)591-5385 Ext. 101, or 1-800-891-1986, Ext. 101.