TECH150-0610 : Professional Development for the Veterinary Technician

INSTRUCTOR:
Charlotte Waack, AA, AS, BS, CVT, RVT; Elizabeth Warren, RVT; Brenda Feller, CVT, RVT, VTS (Anesthesia)

DATES:
June 1-July 8, 2010
Real Time Sessions: Monday evenings, June 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2010; 9:00pm-10:30pm ET (USA)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Are you a Professional? The way you look, speak, act, and interact with others at work all influence how you are perceived as a representative of one of the fastest growing professions. The purpose of this course is to provide you with information that can help further your career and tools to accomplish your professional goals. After defining and exploring the concept of professionalism, we will discuss the specific aspects of ethics, practice acts, communication, utilization and career development.

Brenda Feller developed an early interest in anesthesia culminating in her work at the Anesthesia Department at the University of Illinois Veterinary College. Brenda is both an author and speaker on the topics of veterinary anesthesia. Elizabeth Warren is an RVT and instructor at Austin Community College. She also works part-time in a veterinary emergency hospital and is a regular contributor to the VSPN Notebook�. Charlotte Waack has over 15 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine and is an active member of both state and national associations as well as serving on the curriculum advisory committee for a veterinary technology program and the Illinois task force on veterinary practice act changes.

This course will consist of four (4) ninety (90) minute real time sessions; library materials; multiple choice quizzes after each real time session to assist in identifying the key points; and interactive message board discussions. This course is directed toward credentialed veterinary technicians, veterinary technician students and veterinary assistants who wish to pursue a career in veterinary technology.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to

• understand and define professionalism and describe what makes a professional.
• discuss and understand veterinary ethics and how they apply to our profession.
• explain the relevance of state veterinary practice acts to professional veterinary technicians.
• determine and define the level of practice and roles of veterinary health care team members.
• develop a professional resume and cover letter.
• understand the importance of presenting yourself professionally in a job interview.
• develop professional written and oral communication skills.
• understand the directions your career as a veterinary technician can take you.
• extrapolate the importance of memberships to professional organizations.

TEXTBOOK: There are no required texts for this course.
The instructors will supply a list of suggested resources in the course library.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Week 1: Professionalism
Professionalism starts with you; where you choose to obtain your education, where you choose to work, how you choose to present yourself to the public, how you keep current with new trends in veterinary medicine. In this session, we will discuss all of the above and give examples of key points of professionalism. You will also learn how continuing education can affect your professional career.

Week 2: Ethics and Practice Acts
We will cover definitions (morals, personal ethics, other ethical constructs including professional, legal obligations), and professional ethics (including evaluation of the Veterinary Technician Code of Ethics and the role of Veterinary Licensing Acts in ethical behavior for veterinary technicians). Other areas to be discussed include: ethical dilemmas (defining and resolving with consideration of multiple/conflicting obligations), monitoring and influencing veterinary practice acts, and credentialing (registration, certification, and licensure, qualification, examination, application and renewal).

Week 3: Communication
Communication in the workplace is a very important aspect of professionalism. Written communication is as important as oral communication in all aspects of your career. We will discuss how to build a professional resume, write a cover letter, improve interview skills and learn how to communicate better with your clients and the veterinary team.

Week 4: Where Can Your Career Take You?
There are many opportunities for veterinary technicians within and outside clinical practice. We will discuss veterinary technician specialties and achieving specialty certification opportunities for further continuing education in the field, careers in education, industry, moving into management, and certification in practice management. We will also discuss the importance of becoming involved in professional organizations and how that aspect can help further your career.

LIBRARY MATERIALS: Library materials will be made available prior to the topic week so participants will have plenty of time to prepare for the real time sessions and discussion.

MESSAGE BOARD DISCUSSIONS: Message board discussions regarding the topic presented will begin on the day the course opens and continue for one week following the last real time session. These discussions will be held in the VSPN CE course area.

CE HOURS: 6

TUITION:
$120 ($108 early bird special if registered before May 18, 2010).
*Students currently enrolled in and taking at least 2 classes or 5 units at an AVMA accredited or CAAHT approved Veterinary Technician Program may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the regular rate for this course (upon verification of student status). You must include the following information in the comments section of the CE enrollment form in order to be eligible for this discount: your program director's name and contact information (email/phone) and school name.

** NOTE: Enrollment will be closed when the maximum number of participants is reached or at 5pm ET the day of the first real time session

**The Participant's Resource Center includes all you need to know about online CE with VIN and VSPN.

TO REGISTER:

1. Each person must individually be a registered member of VSPN (www.vspn.org). Membership in VSPN is free.
2. To enroll in any VSPN CE course click on the ENROLL NOW link below the course title on the right side of the page at www.vspn.org/CE
3. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. This is our major form of communication with participants. It is highly recommended that course participants use their own, personal emails rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
4. VIN Member veterinarians SHOULD NOT register for their staff. Please have the staff member register through VSPN. Please email VSPNCE@vspn.org if you have questions.

Note: "This course has been submitted for approval for 6 continuing education credits in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education. Call VSPN CE at 1-800-700-4636 for further information." (Attendees are encouraged to check with their licensing jurisdiction(s) for information regarding recognition by their board).

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COURSE WITHDRAWAL AND REFUND POLICY: Withdrawal prior to the listed start date of a course entitles the registrant to a complete refund or a credit toward a future VSPN or VIN CE course, whichever is preferred. Withdrawal within 1 week after the listed start date (i.e. including no more than one real-time session) entitles the registrant to a credit toward any future VIN CE course. (Does not apply to courses with only one real-time session.) After the first real-time session, a registrant may withdraw due to special circumstances and receive prorated credit towards a future VIN course. These requests will be handled on an individual basis. The amount of the prorated credit will be determined based on 65% of the time remaining in the course at the time of withdrawal. It is not possible to withdraw retroactively.
Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN office at 1-800-700-INFO (4636).

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** For More Information on VSPN's upcoming CE Courses, check out http://www.VSPN.org/CE

Nanette R. Walker Smith, M.Ed., RVT, CVT, LVT
VSPN Content Director & CE Coordinator

VSPN CE Services: VSPNCE@vspn.org
1-800-846-0028 or 1-530-756-4881
Charlotte Waack (Charlotte@vspn.org); ext 193
Chris Upchurch (Chris@vspn.org); ext 197
Darci Palmer (Darci@vspn.org); ext 179
Debbie Bess (DBess@vspn.org); ext 178
Nanette Walker Smith (Nanette@vspn.org); ext 187

[ CE MAIN | COURSE CATALOG | RACE/GETTING CREDITS | ONLINE CE HOW TO | SUGGEST A COURSE | VIN MAIN ]

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800.700.4636  |  CEonVIN@vin.com  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035 777 West Covell Blvd, Davis, CA 95616 Copyright 2000, Veterinary Information Network, Inc.