August 17, 2017 – The Professional Animal Care Certification Council (PACCC) today announced the latest independent certifications for Certified Professional Animal Care Provider (CPACP), along with the very first for Certified Professional Animal Care Manager (CPACM). To be able to qualify for the third-party certifications, these professionals had to first meet significant education and experience requirements before successfully passing an in-depth examination created by an independent testing body and conducted in-person at an approved testing center. The newly certified professionals also represent three new states added to PACCC’s growing directory of independently certified pet care professionals. PACCC was also pleased to announce the first continuing education programs approved for the certified professionals to begin meeting their continuing education requirements.
“Our pet care safety through independent certification mission began three years ago with passionate, concerned industry veterans sitting around a kitchen table in Texas,” said PACCC Co-Founder, Susan Briggs. “Today, we could not be more proud to see the many states, provinces, and countries reflected in PACCC’s directory of certified professionals.”
The Certified Professional Animal Care Provider exam is for those in charge of the daily handling of the animals of a professional pet care business, while the Certified Professional Animal Care Manager exam presents a higher threshold for education and hours of experience. Both levels of independent certification represent the highest standard of pet care knowledge.
After becoming certified, PACCC requires 20 hours of minimum continuing education over three years be achieved by every CPACP, and 30 hours for every CPACM. This week, the initial pet care industry educational programs were approved by PACCC for continuing education credits. To become approved, programs must meet educational requirements as well as conform to the PACCC Code of Ethics and Humane Position Statement. More programs are currently under evaluation and are anticipated to be added to the approved list shortly.
The next opportunity for pet care professionals to take either the CPACP and CPACM exam will be this October, but the deadline to sit for the exams is September 15, 2017. Information on how to apply to take a certification exam, the list of approved continuing education programs, as well as the updated directory of certified professionals are available on www.paccert.org.