 
ABI receives IACET accreditation
The Animal Behavior Institute is proud to announce that we have been accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). In obtaining this approval, ABI has demonstrated that it complies with the standards of IACET and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - widely recognized as the international standards of sound educational practice. The accreditation process required a rigorous evaluation and assessment of all educational practices, including instructor qualifications and training, outcomes assessment, grading, delivery and course construction.
 As a result of our Authorized Provider status, ABI is now authorized to offer IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Each course at ABI provides 6 credits of CEU that can be used for maintenance of professional affiliation with an institution or advancement in organizations. For example, professionals in health care or therapy might use credits provided in our Animal Assisted Therapy program to fulfill their annual continuing education requirements. Sample associations accepting the IACET CEU include:
- American Association of Respiratory Therapy
- American Board of Medical Microbiology
- American Nurses Association
- American Occupational Therapy Association
- American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Hundreds of professional associations, technical colleges, civic institutions, and community colleges accept the IACET CEU. For a more complete listing see the IACET registry.
Exotic Animal Management becomes Zoo & Aquarium Science
The popular EAM program has been renamed "Zoo and Aquarium Science" to better reflect the growing opportunities in this area. This certificate program has been expanded to accommodate students that want to specialize in Aquarium Science.
The new program offers two specializations. The Zoo Science specialization replaces the Exotic Animal Management program. The Aquarium Science specialization is being run by Dr. Elisa Bobrin, our aquatics veterinarian, and marine mammal trainer Pete Davey. It offers specialized training in the management of aquatic and semi-aquatic animals in captivity: everything from water quality and the physical environment to husbandry, nutrition and training. The 15 credit Aquarium Science certificate program includes:
- Aquatic Animal Health
- Aquatic Husbandry & Nutrition
- Behavior & Training of Marine Mammals
- Managing Aquatic Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians
- Animal Enrichment
New Laboratory Animal Behavior program beginning in 2009
In the spring of 2009 ABI will begin offering a specialized certificate program in Laboratory Animal Behavior. This program will combine existing classes in animal training and enrichment with new courses devoted to the behavior and enrichment of common laboratory species. The program is ideal for laboratory animal technicians that are interested in enhancing their enrichment programs or advancing to specialized positions in behavior and training.
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