The Pet Doctor in O’Fallon, Missouri, became the world’s first Fear FreeSM Certified Veterinary Practice this month. Owner Dr. Marcy Hammerle became individually certified in 2016. She was also the first veterinary hospital owner to apply for practice certification when that program launched on April 2, 2018.
Hammerle was determined her practice would be the first Fear Free Certified Practice. “It’s such a big deal to be in the forefront of something that’s so good for the pets we serve. I would have been excited to be the first Fear Free Certified Practice in my town. To think about being first in the world – that’s amazing.”
Source: Fear Free Pets, April 12, 2018. (Link)
Since the 2016 launch, nearly 29,000 professionals have enrolled in the course, and more than 17,000 have been individually certified. Before a practice can apply, a majority of the veterinary team members must be individually trained, and certified. Team-wide familiarity and adoption of Fear Free approaches must be in place.
After application, a comprehensive on-site evaluation by a consultant veterinarian from the Ceva Animal Health veterinary field team takes place. All veterinarians conducting the evaluations are themselves Level 1 and Level 2 Fear Free Certified and have taken all of Fear Free’s available CE.
INSIGHTS: Congratulations to Dr. Hammerle and her team! Also, kudos to AHD sponsor, Ceva for its commitment to the Fear Free certification oversight.
Practices are certified by Ceva veterinarians. As Fear Free consultants, they visit the practices as representatives of Fear Free and conduct thorough and impartial certifications. Products are not mentioned unless they are part of an established Fear Free Practice standard.