Assessment of Clinical Skills

To apply for CCAB accreditation, please complete this form and send completed applications to us at applications@ccab.uk

Your clinical skills will be assessed in three separate stages:
  1. A review of case reports
  2. Viva (oral examination), and

  3. practical assessment with a care-giver and their animal.

The aim of these  assessments, together with assessment of your submitted case documentation, is to give you the opportunity to demonstrate that you are confident, fluent, and skilled in each of the performance criteria specified for the role of CCAB.

Please note, applications for current CCABs applying for their CCAB status for a second species now follow the same process as for an initial first species application.  

The process and timeline for application and assessment are as follows:

1. Complete and submit your application form

With details of two references, Case Log, Presentations Summary, and payment of the first part of your application fee on request.

2. Agree a 48hr window for your case submissions

We will ask you to confirm a 48hr window during which we will require you to redact and submit four cases that we will choose from your case log.

3. Submit your redacted cases

At the start of the 48hr window, we will email you with the submission template and tell you which 4 cases to redact and submit by the end of the 48hr window.

4.  Agree a date for the Viva

If your reports pass assessment, we will contact you to agree a mutually convenient date for your Viva and to pay the next part of your fee. 

5. The Viva

Once your redacted cases are received and accepted, we will send you a zoom invitation for the Viva. For more details, see ‘What happens in the Viva?

6. Viva results and feedback

Your result and feedback will be provided a few weeks after your Viva.

7. Agree a date for your practical assessment

On passing the Viva, we will confirm available slots for the Practical Assessment, for schedule in the following weeks and request payment of the final part of the fee.

8. The practical assessment

See ‘What happens in the Practical?‘ for details.

9. Final results and feedback

The result of your full assessment and feedback will be provided within 30 days of completion of your practical assessment.

What happens in the Viva?

The Viva is held over Zoom, with two assessors. It typically lasts 1.5 hours or a maximum of 2.5 hours. It is recorded for quality assurance purposes. During this time, you will be asked questions relating to each of the Performance Criteria. Becoming very familiar with each of the Performance Criteria will help you prepare for the Viva. Many of the questions will be posed within the context of your submitted cases, but some will be based on hypothetical scenarios presented to you. Questions are designed to help you defend and justify the decisions you took, or would take, and the considerations you made, or would make, in your performance of the role. Questions are not designed to try to catch you out or test your memory. They are designed to help you highlight your skills. You can refer to your case notes during the Viva.

What happens in the Practical?

The practical session lasts between 45 minutes and an hour, with one or two assessors, and is filmed for quality assurance purposes. During this time you will be observed working with a caregiver and their animal. You will be asked to communicate with the caregiver to arrive at an initial assessment and agree a desired goal for the animal. You may then be asked to provide practical behaviour advice, demonstrate some training, or coach the caregiver in practical aspects of behaviour modification. After this, the assessors will ask you some further questions. The tasks you are given will be appropriate to the situation i.e. you will not be asked to do a full behavioural assessment, to create an entire behaviour modification plan, nor demonstrate any training beyond the scope of the time available.

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