September 14, 2025
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Provides up to 2 LEAP CE Credits
About the Course
Veterinary professionals serve clients from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds each day.
This course equips veterinarians and veterinary staff with culturally conscious skills to better understand clients’ beliefs and practices and provide compassionate, respectful care for both patients and their human caregivers.
- Gain awareness of the range of religious and cultural traditions represented among pet owners in the U.S., including dietary, ritual, and spiritual practices that influence decisions about animal care.
- Understand culturally sensitive communication—how to ask respectful questions, avoid assumptions, and accommodate cultural or religious practices (e.g. halal slaughter, kosher dietary laws, ritual fasting, sacred animals, mourning traditions).
- Develop appreciation for religious and cultural impacts on veterinary medicine, such as:
- Decisions about euthanasia or end-of-life care (e.g. preference for burial vs. cremation, restrictions on handling of carcasses).
- Use of traditional or religious healing practices alongside veterinary treatments.
- Beliefs surrounding service animals, therapy animals, or animal roles in religious life.
- Explore culturally appropriate support for patients and family members:
- How to offer grief counseling or follow-up in ways aligned with the owner’s spiritual background.
- Strategies when family dietary observances (e.g. Ramadan, Lent) coincide with treatment plans, medication schedules, or sedation timing.
- Apply a culturally inclusive approach in practice:
- Creating clinic policies and workflows that accommodate religious/cultural requests (e.g. separate examination rooms, gender preferences for staff, halal/compliance practices).
- Working in multidisciplinary teams (e.g. involving a chaplain or cultural liaison) when sensitive religious issues arise.
By deepening your understanding of religious and cultural perspectives, you’ll foster stronger client relationships, reduce the risk of miscommunication, and create a more inclusive, respectful practice—ultimately leading to better outcomes for both animals and their caregivers.
Register today and take a confident step toward a safer, more welcoming clinic for staff and clients.
This LEAP session has been approved by the Georgia Board of Veterinary Medicine.
Instructor
Cody Nielsen
Assistant Professor
Director of Convergence Strategies, University of Minnesota
Cody Nielsen is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Minnesota and Director of Convergence Strategies. Convergence Strategies works to support religious, secular, and spiritual cultures and identities and specializes in these issues and concerns. Since 2017, the group has worked with over 200 organizations across the United States and has specifically worked with veterinary professionals since 2020. You can find more information about this organization and their work here.
PRICING
| Date of Registration | Premier Members | Individual Members | Non-Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| On or Before September 16 | $0 | $50 | $300 |
Approved by the GA State Board of Veterinary Medicine to provide up to 2 LEAP CE Credits (dependent upon full attendance of the webinar and participation)
- PLEASE NOTE: Registrations for webinars close 24 hours prior to the event date to ensure participants receive Zoom invites in a timely manner.
- Your Zoom link will be sent to the email on your registration. If you don’t receive it 24 hours before the webinar, contact us immediately.
- The GVMA is not responsible for missed events due to delayed inquiries.
