Small animal cardiology courses: Our options for veterinary cardiology CPD in 2025
As one of the top veterinary postgraduate education providers in the world, we have a lot of veterinary CPD courses available, especially when it comes to veterinary cardiology. We pride ourselves in providing CPD for every busy veterinary professional, whether Advanced Practitioner vet or newly qualified veterinary nurse. The only problem is that we have too many options, and it can be hard to decide which course is best for you. This article aims to compare some of our veterinary cardiology CPD courses so you can choose more easily.
Veterinary cardiology CPD courses for vets
Let’s take a look at the veterinary cardiology courses we offer for vets. If you’re a nurse, scroll down to find your courses separately. There’s plenty of cardiology CPD available for vets, from postgraduate certificates – General Practitioner Certificates (GPCerts), Postgraduate Certificates (PgCs) and Advanced Certificates (GPAdvCerts) – to the shorter courses, both online and practical.
Certificate in Small Animal Cardiology (GPCert/PgC)
This veterinary cardiology certificate teaches canine and feline cardiology over 14 modules. You’ll learn everything from normal anatomy and physiology to congenital heart diseases, heart failure, echocardiography, and cardiac tumours. Once the teaching is complete, you’ll be eligible to sit the assessments for the ISVPS General Practitioner Certificate (GPCert) and the HAU Postgraduate Certificate (PgC), which is one of the courses that’s suitable for Advanced Practitioner application. If you’re looking for a high-quality veterinary cardiology certificate that can help you take the next step in your career, this course is for you.
Better yet, we offer it either as an in-person certificate (held in our state-of-the-art training centre in Swindon) or as an online certificate (with optional practical modules) held on our world-class interactive e-learning platform.
Find out more about the face-to-face certificate in small animal cardiology, or the online certificate in small animal cardiology. Or, to find out what it’s like studying an online veterinary certificate with Improve, read this article.
Advanced Certificate in Small Animal Cardiology (GPAdvCert)
If you have some experience of veterinary cardiology, or you already have a certificate in cardiology, consider our advanced certificate programme. It’s been designed to build on the knowledge gained in other ‘level 7’ postgraduate certificates like the GPCert/PgC, PGCert and CertAVP courses, enabling vets to attain an even higher level of clinical expertise. If you haven’t already got a veterinary cardiology certificate, don’t fret – you can join this programme as an experienced vet! We recommend at least five years of clinical experience of cardiology cases in order to make the most of the programme.
Over the 14 modules you’ll cover arrhythmias, echocardiography, cardiac surgery and more, enabling you to confidently treat complicated cases in-house. After the taught modules, you’ll sit the assessments for the ISVPS General Practitioner Advanced Certificate (GPAdvCert) – an internationally recognised qualification. Passing the assessments means you’ll get added to the Register of Certificate Holders and you’ll also be eligible to use the postnominals GPAdvCert (Cardio), helping prove your expertise in veterinary cardiology to clients and colleagues.
Sound up your street? Find out more about the advanced certificate in cardiology.
Canine and Feline Cardiology
For a shorter online veterinary CPD course worth 10 CPD hours, the canine and feline cardiology module from the Cambridge Academy is worth considering. You can enrol at any time and receive 6-month access to 4 modules from top University of Cambridge professors, recorded using state-of-the-art technology for a seamless learning experience. There’s also access to an online journal club, course notes, and a lesson on reflection to help you record your veterinary CPD.
Vets and nurses – find out more and sign up to the canine and feline cardiology course.
Practical 2 days – ‘Next Steps in Echocardiography’
Want to improve your echocardiography skills? This hands-on course will teach you how to get standard heart views in dogs from both sides, plus M-mode imaging. You’ll also learn to spot common artifacts that can mimic heart disease, so you can interpret scans more confidently. It’s the follow-on from our introduction to ultrasonography course, aimed at those who want to improve their heart scans.
You’ll learn key changes seen in both acquired and congenital heart diseases in dogs and cats, and we’ll introduce you to Doppler imaging—explaining how it works and how to use it in real cases. And don’t worry, we always cap numbers at these courses – whether you take the Swindon course in March or the Sheffield course in August, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to get hands-on learning.
Find out more about this practical 2-day veterinary echocardiography course.
Practical 1 day – ‘Advanced Echocardiography’
This hands-on course is designed for those who have taken our ‘next steps’ course above and want to progress to a higher level. It dives into advanced echocardiographic measurements, focusing on when and how to use them in real cases. You’ll refine your standard right-sided imaging techniques before shifting focus to left-sided views and Doppler echocardiography. With plenty of practical time, you’ll get hands-on experience to boost your confidence and accuracy in scanning and interpretation. Perfect for those looking to take their echocardiography skills to the next level! This year, we’re holding the course in December.
Find out more about the 1-day practical advanced echocardiography course.
Veterinary cardiology courses for nurses
We also have a couple of options for veterinary nurse CPD in cardiology. Let’s take a look at what we have to offer:
Cambridge Academy Canine and Feline Cardiology
Nurses are also invited to attend the on-demand canine and feline academy course created in conjunction with the University of Cambridge. You’ll get 6 months’ access to 10 hours of vet nurse CPD in cardiology,
Find out more about the Cambridge Academy canine and feline cardiology course.
Online Veterinary Nurse CPD Day in Cardiology
This online one-day course is designed to give veterinary nurses a solid understanding of caring for both acute and chronic cardiac patients. You’ll cover key nursing considerations, essential diagnostics like X-rays, blood pressure monitoring, and ultrasound, plus how to support clients and provide ongoing patient care.
After completing the course, you’ll have the chance to apply what you’ve learned in practice and join a Q&A session with the speaker to deepen your understanding. It’s running in April and at the end of August – make sure you book now as this is already popular!
Find out more about the Online Cardiology CPD for Veterinary Nurses.
More help with your veterinary cardiology CPD
Our Content Hub contains tons of advice for planning and making the most of your CPD, whether you’re a vet or a veterinary nurse. The following articles might be of interest:
If you’re still stuck with choosing your CPD, you can also schedule a callback from our team of trained CPD advisors. They’ll help you find the course that best suits you and answer your questions to help you make 2025 your best CPD year yet!
