Team Communications Training
Online Course Overview
VetTEAMS™: Master Trainer Course is an evidence-based team training course adapted for veterinary medicine from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s TeamSTEPPS® framework.
This course equips all members of the veterinary healthcare team — veterinarians, veterinary technicians and nurses, facilities and animal care personnel, and customer service representatives — with practical tools and strategies to enhance teamwork, improve communication, and strengthen patient safety in clinical settings.
This Master Trainer Course is designed for individuals who will lead and implement VetTEAMS within their practice.
Participants will learn four foundational skills: Communication, Leading Teams, Situation Monitoring, and Mutual Support. Topics include structured communication techniques (SBAR, CUS, Call-Outs, Check-Backs, Huddles, Briefs, Debriefs, and more), team leadership during routine and crisis situations, shared mental models, cross-monitoring, assertive advocacy, and formative feedback. The course addresses common barriers to effective interprofessional
collaboration, including role ambiguity, hierarchical communication challenges, burnout, and workload-related stress.
Through interactive modules, reflection exercises, and case-based scenarios, participants will develop the competencies needed to reduce clinical errors, improve patient outcomes, and foster a culture of safety and high reliability within their veterinary practice.
Course Fees
VetTEAMS: Master Trainer Course
Veterinarians: USD 150
Vet tech/nurses, vet staff: USD 80
Who should Enroll in this course?
This Master Trainer Course is designed for individuals who will lead and implement VetTEAMS within their practice.
Learning Objectives
- Identify common barriers to effective teamwork and communication in veterinary healthcare settings.
- Learn and apply specific, evidence-based VetTEAMS™ tools (e.g., SBAR, CUS, Call-Outs, Check-Backs, Huddles) to overcome teamwork challenges.
- Effectively exchange information across all team members, including clients, in a clear and timely manner.
- Direct and coordinate team activities, assign tasks, and motivate members to achieve optimal performance.
- Foster a shared mental model by assessing the team environment to ensure patient safety.
- Anticipate team needs, provide feedback, and advocate for the patient using techniques like CUS and the Two-Challenge Rule.
- Utilize these tools to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and safety, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
- Develop the skills necessary to implement, train, and coach others on VetTEAMS™ behaviors within their organizations.
Additional Details
- Duration: 4 hours
- Total Modules: 5
- RACE CE: 4 hours
- Self-paced
- Fully online
