The Certificate in Anaesthesia, Pain Management, Emergency & Critical Care is becoming two Certificate Programs
From the summer semester 2027, ESAVS is restructuring its Certificate in Anaesthesia, Pain Management, Emergency & Critical Care into two independent, standalone Certificate Programs:
- the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Veterinary Medicine (CASVM): Emergency Medicine, and
- the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Veterinary Medicine (CASVM): Anaesthesia and Pain Management.
Rather than combining four major subjects under one broad certificate, each discipline now has its own focused, self-contained curriculum. This lets students specialise in the area most relevant to their career from the outset, while still keeping access to a wide range of ESAVS courses through a freely chosen minor subject.
What is changing
- The former major courses Anaesthesia and Pain Management I & II and Emergency & Critical Care I & II, together with the shared course Anaesthesia, Pain Management, Emergency & Critical Care, are being reorganised into two standalone Certificate Programs, each built on the established ESAVS structure of five courses plus a case log.
- The new Certificate Program in Emergency Medicine consists of four major courses, Emergency Medicine I–IV, plus one minor course chosen from an approved list.
- The new Certificate Program in Anaesthesia and Pain Management consists of four major courses — Anaesthesia and Perioperative Management I & II (the former Anaesthesia and Pain Management I & II, refocused as perioperative anaesthetic management, now that pain management has its own dedicated courses) and two newly introduced courses, Pain Management I (Acute Pain) and Pain Management II (Chronic Pain) — plus one minor course chosen from an approved list.
- Both Programs keep the familiar ESAVS format: 25 ECTS from the five courses, 5 ECTS from a documented case log (30 ECTS in total), two distance learnings per course and an examination for every course, and the same eligibility and duration requirements as before.
Transition arrangements
Students already enrolled in the existing Certificate Program in Anaesthesia, Pain Management, Emergency & Critical Care may of course complete this Program within the standard study period of 2 to 4 years.
Where a course originally planned as part of a student's studies is no longer offered — for example, the shared course Anaesthesia, Pain Management, Emergency & Critical Care, which will run for the last time in winter 2026 — affected students are asked to contact the ESAVS Master and Certificate Team (master-certificate@esavs.eu) to agree on how to proceed.
Students who have not yet enrolled in a Certificate Program, but who are planning to do so and have already attended some courses, are also invited to contact the Master and Certificate Team by email (master-certificate@esavs.eu) or check out the new program structures on the website of ESAVS which will be posted shortly. Together with the Program Directors of the two new Certificate Programs — Dr. Nadja Sigrist for Emergency Medicine and PD Dr. Eva Eberspächer-Schweda for Anaesthesia and Pain Management — an individual solution will be found.
Separate from these two Certificate Programs, Master Programs in Emergency Medicine and in Anaesthesia and Pain Management are also planned, though details will not be announced before late 2027/2028. As the Certificate Program remains the steppingstone towards the Master Program, students are encouraged to enrol in the Certificate Program of their choice and complete it in the meantime; the details of the respective Master Programs will be finalised by then.
Introduction to Combined Program
The Certificate of Advanced Studies in Veterinary Medicine / Anaesthesia, Pain Management, Emergency & Critical Care (CASVM / ANAE-ECC ) is based on the well-known residential ESAVS courses in this discipline, examinations of these courses and keeping a case log which promotes application of newly learned methods and skills in daily practice at home and throughout the entire program.
Program
The CASVM / ANAE-ECC program comprises:
Module I: Coursework with Examinations
Module II: Practical Work and Case Log
Module I: Coursework (25 ECTS credits)
Participants are required to obtain a total of 25 ECTS in coursework. Coursework means active participation in classroom work, practical training, tutorials, and on-line assignments (distance learning), self-study and passing examinations. 5 days of coursework (about 40 hours) generate a total of 120-140 hours of students’ work. With one ECTS equaling 25 hours of students work, a 5-day course is assigned 5 ECTS, regardless of the subject since all courses are of the same standard. It is important to note that credits are only given for work which has been validated by a formal examination.
To obtain the CASVM / ANAE-ECC, a total of 25 ECTS credits have to be acquired in the major subjects. There are no minor subjects for the CASVM / ANAE-ECC. Please see the course curriculum for detailed information.
An examination must be passed for each course. Those are conducted online at the end of each semester and can be taken at any of the bi-annual examination sessions offered during enrolment in the program (usually in January and June). They may be spread over several sessions or taken together in one single session. The examinations consist for example of multiple-choice questions, examination of appropriate clinical cases or pictures related to the subject(s) covered within the framework of the course (reading list, onsite training, literature etc.). A passing grade of 50 % has to be obtained.
Module II: Practical Work and Case Log (5 ECTS credits)
During enrolment in the CASVM program, participants are expected to apply the new knowledge and skills acquired in the courses to the activity in daily practice. Participants are required to accumulate 100 well-documented cases in the form of a case log (50 cases in Anaesthesia and Pain Management, 50 cases in Emergency and Critical Care) listed in an excel table. A case log excel template for the CASVM / ANAE-ECC will be provided after enrolment. The case log shall be compiled mostly in the second half of the program, upon completion it is uploaded onto the respective CASVM platform on eCampus. For each case included in the case log detailed documentation must be available. The case log is then reviewed by the respective PD (or an expert appointed by him/her) who is entitled to request the documentation on individual cases selected. The case log is graded on a 0-20 scale. The grading scale is <10=fail, 10-11.9=sufficient, 12-13.9=fair, 14-15.9=good, 16-17.9=very good, 18-20=excellent. The examination is passed when a grade of 10 or higher is obtained. In case of an insufficient grade (<10), the participant is notified about the shortcomings of the case log and requested to resubmit a revised version or submit additional cases within 6 months of notice.
Please see case log instructions for detailed information.
Duration of the Program
The minimum duration of the program is two years and can be extended up to four years. An additional year can be granted upon request and approval by the PGEC.
Course Curriculum
Certificate of Advanced Studies in Veterinary Medicine