Questions and answers specifically regarding the new level system and requirements for CWR and AWR.
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How does certification differ from a permit or license?
Certification is not a legal ability to rehabilitate wildlife. If your local government has laws and regulations about caring for wildlife, they are the ones who decide if you are allowed to do that or not – and what is required to get a license or a permit (if applicable). Certification is a step beyond licensing and permitting, it’s an attestation from an objective third party that you’re educated and experienced in the field.
I’m new to the field, and want to get started with wildlife rehabilitation. Is the CWR program right for me?
Working towards Associate Wildlife Rehabilitator status is a better fit for you if you are just entering the field, but we generally recommend starting out by volunteering with a local rehabilitator first, so that you can really understand what the work is like. Then you can start looking at gaining knowledge, through conferences, classes, and our list of approved continuing education! We also recommend reaching out to other rehabbers in the area and learn about your region’s permitting process and requirements.
What are the requirements for the education component?
A total of 50 hours of documented education is required and can be applied to both AWR and CWR levels (in other words, you don’t need 50 hours to obtain AWR status and another 50 hours to obtain CWR status, just 50 total). A list of the 13 disciplines and exactly how many hours of each is required can be found on the CWR website: https://cwrexam.org/education-requirements/
What is proof or documentation of education hours?
Acceptable proof of completion requires at least 1 of the following:
- Certificate of attendance/completion
- Transcript
- Receipt signed & dated by a representative or event coordinator
- Email or letter from instructor (or similar personnel, confirming attendance/completion)
What if I am a long time rehabilitator and don’t have evidence of all my training, especially since much of it was taken a long time ago?
If possible, reach out to anyone who can attest to the education and experience you obtained in the past, such as an instructor or colleague. After attempting to go this route, if unable to obtain proof, email Sami [email protected] or Jordan [email protected] and we can discuss the options individually. We do also recommend expanding your knowledge base with current education as the field is constantly growing- there are lots of free resources and advanced topics on our approved continuing education list.
What types of education qualify?
Approved Courses, workshops, conferences, college class credit (particularly wildlife rehabilitation, science, pre-vet, vet technician, veterinary medicine) courses can be used as long as they relate to the core disciplines.
We may also accept presentations or publications of a peer reviewed paper or article, instruction of a class, participation in relevant research efforts. However, we require that at least 1 hour of each discipline be acquired from a course, workshop, conference, or class.
Where can I find a list of approved courses/programs?
On the CWR website here: https://cwrexam.org/approved-ce-list/ The IWRC online and in-person classes are approved and do count toward these requirements, but there are lots of other options as well – both free and paid.
How do I meet all of the different topic requirements if IWRC doesn’t have classes on all of them?
There are lots of resources, not just IWRC! We recommend fulfilling the education requirements through a variety of organizations. Take a look at that list of approved CE.
What if there is a course/program I think should be approved, but it isn’t already on the list?
Please let us know, we want to add it – both so you can use it for credit and so other rehabilitators can learn about the opportunity!
If you are the host of the course/program, submit it here: https://cwrexam.org/add-your-course-to-the-cwr-approved-ce-list/
If you are an attendee/prospective CWR, submit a request for the course/program to be reviewed for approval before you attend: https://cwrexam.org/CE-request-for-renewal/
How do I document and count conferences toward this requirement?
If you are using a conference to meet education requirements, provide proof of your attendance at the conference overall (certificate, signed receipt, transcript, email or letter from conference personnel) and the title and speaker of each talk you attended. You do NOT need to obtain signatures from every lecturer. You can count a maximum of 8 hours per day you attend. Which discipline(s) your hours count toward depends on the topics covered. Please utilize the Education Field Template to distribute your hours across the 13 disciplines required.
Can I use a class from the past? How far back can I go?
Yes you can! From our perspective, education does not have an expiration date, though we recognize that information and best practices do grow and change over time. We encourage use of more recent education opportunities when possible, but will still count older courses toward the education requirement, given that they fall into one of the required disciplines.
How do I track which education hours fit under which discipline?
There is a form/template you can use on the CWR website here: https://cwrexam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Education-Field-Template-1.pdf
What if a course/program/conference can be applied toward multiple disciplines?
You can split up a course/program/conference and apply them to different disciplines in 1 hour increments. So for example, a four hour workshop that spends an hour on basic physiology and three hours practicing physical examinations can be split into those two disciplines. However, you cannot count a four hour course for more than four hours of total education. You also cannot split the time up into less than 1 hour chunks – in other words, if you attend a 1 hour course that covers physiology and physical exam, you cannot apply 30 minutes to each of them. If you believe that the course could reasonably be applied to one or the other, you can use that hour for physiology OR intake, triage, and stabilization.
If an education event is only partially applicable to one of the 13 disciplines, and otherwise covers information outside these topics, it may be eligible to count, at half the accrual rate as a fully applicable event. For example, a 2 hour class covering both unrelated and related topics can be counted for 1 hour toward the education requirement. Remember that education events are counted in at least 1 hour increments, therefore events that only partially apply and are less than 2 hours long don’t qualify.
What are the rules around using college or university courses?
If a course covers material that directly applies to one of the 13 disciplines, estimate how much time you spent on it. We may ask you to explain how the course relates to the discipline you’re crediting hours toward, or we may ask for a class syllabus. We do require that you passed the class according to the college or university to use it for credit towards AWR or CWR.
Do internships/externships count toward education hours?
For the most part, internships/externships count toward experience requirements, but if you can demonstrate you spent focused time learning about one of the disciplines (for example, a talk held by your supervisor or an assignment/project) then that time may be applicable toward the education hour requirements instead.
Is CWR/IWRC going to ask continuing ed providers to define what their content covers, estimates on hours, etc. or are those designations entirely up to whoever takes them?
Unfortunately, the CWR team doesn’t have the manpower to reach out to each education event host to obtain this information for each event submitted. The designation of content and hours applicable to the education disciplines is mostly up to the applicant to determine and document. The hours that may be submitted for a single event must be consistent with the CE hours determined by the host, or in circumstances including college courses, semester long events, etc., we will use our discretion based on the course content and syllabus. Typically, CE events have syllabi and/or course descriptions available that we may ask the applicant to provide depending on the circumstance at the discretion of the certification body.
What are the requirements for wildlife rehabilitation experience?
5,000 hours of wildlife rehabilitation related experience is required for the CWR level. This is a one-time requirement in order to obtain the certification.
What types of experience counts toward the experience requirement?
This experience must fall clearly into wildlife rehabilitation or a related field, such as veterinary medicine, ecology, or conservation. You may be asked to explain how experience in a related field applies to the practice of wildlife rehabilitation, particularly the less the experience resembles direct wildlife rehabilitation. Experience can come from internships, externships, participation in research, employment, and volunteer work. At home/independent wildlife rehabilitation does count as experience as well!
Partial credit may be awarded for work at zoos, education, and nature centers at the discretion of the Certification Review Board and/or the CWR Director.
Does past experience count toward the experience requirement?
Yes. Experience from before the implementation of new requirements (2025) can be used. There is no expiration date or requirement that experience be recent, although there is an expectation of current active participation in the field in some capacity which can be proven by current licensing/permitting if applicable to your region.
What is proof or documentation of experience?
A letter from a supervisor stating duties and amount of hours is sufficient for most experience. You can also submit a timesheet or hours export and a job description signed by your supervisor.
At-home rehabilitation experience will require a combination of documentation of annual rehabilitation activity, photos of the facilities used for rehabilitation (eg cages, supplies, kitchen/diet area), and 2 letters from professionals who you have worked with, such as a wildlife veterinarian or licensed wildlife rehabilitator with at least 5 years of experience with wildlife, or an active CWR.
If you feel that your situation makes this type of proof impossible (for example if you gained experience at a facility where you have no direct supervisor) reach out to the CWR team to discuss alternative methods (Sami [email protected] or Jordan [email protected])
What if I don’t have a permit for a good reason?
In general, if you are doing wildlife rehabilitation work that requires a permit, you’ll need to show proof of that permit in order to become a CWR. However, not every region has permitting available, or handles permitting in the same way – for example, places where the facility itself is permitted rather than the staff, or only one person at a facility holds the permit.
There are also some legitimate ways that people may be a part of the wildlife rehabilitation field without actively practicing wildlife rehabilitation – for example if you are retired from active practice but still contributing through administration, research, or teaching. There is an option for you to explain why you do not have a permit in the CWR application process, and you can describe your situation for individual review by the certification body. As long as you are participating in wildlife rehabilitation in a legitimate and legal way, you may qualify for an exception to this rule.
Once your CWR is acquired, you will not lose it if you do not have a permit for reasons such as retirement or being in between jobs/facilities, as long as you remain in good standing (eg. do not violate the IWRC code of ethics or your regional regulations/laws), meet your CE requirements, and stay involved with the wildlife rehabilitation community.
There is still some discussion around the details of this, and more variations and situations come up all the time – there may be some more concrete information on this question soon, but until then decisions will be made case by case depending on the circumstances of each specific situation.
What do I have to do to keep my certification?
You will need to submit 16 hours of CE every 2 years and pay a renewal fee to retain your CWR/AWR status – this has not changed from the previous requirements!
What if I am currently a CWR?
To remain a CWR, you will need to meet the new requirements and submit the associated documentation. However, you have 6 years to do this! Note that you can use past classes and conferences for the education requirements, and can use historical experience. If you have no experience, it would take about 16 hours a week of experience to meet the new requirements by the deadline on December 31, 2030 (or 2.5 years of full time work). If you have no historical educational hours, it would take about 8 hours of education per year.
Continuing Education credits can also be counted toward the 50 hour base requirement, which means you can meet this requirement just by splitting up your CE hours between the required disciplines over the next 6 years.
You do not need to rush or panic! If you don’t meet the experience requirements in six years, but do meet the education requirements, you can continue as an AWR until you are able to gain experience.
What if I’m struggling to get proof or I’m not sure if an experience/course/program counts or how to count it?
Reach out to discuss the situation with the CWR team (Sami [email protected] or Jordan [email protected])! There is some flexibility in this program, and we want to support wildlife rehabilitators gaining their certification! Our goal is to do our due diligence making sure you meet the requirements of certification so that certification means something and can be relied upon – not to make you jump through hoops for no reason.
Why do YOU think its important to be Certified?
Certification grants the designation and recognition that rehabilitators deserve! It is a reflection of the professional standard that the wildlife rehabilitation community sets for ourselves. Wildlife rehabilitation is growing worldwide, and as more rehabilitators enter the field it is also important to establish a method to identify who holds experience and can be looked to for leadership, guidance, and mentorship (we hope to launch a CWR mentorship program in the coming years to help facilitate this!). The process of obtaining and maintaining certification itself builds connections, grows skills, and increases the interconnectivity and strength of the worldwide wildlife care community. In the end, it is a combination of knowledge and experience that provides the foundation for quality care for all patients.
Having a certification process sends a message to our new colleagues, partners, agencies, and the extended wildlife field that we are a serious profession and deserve a seat at the table. Certification also lends some authority to individual rehabilitators, because it indicates that an objective third party has reviewed your credentials and found them to meet certain standards, adding weight to your perspective as a representative of the field.