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OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT
TO
VETERINARY SUPPORT STAFF

    
VSPN CE Course TECH205-1014: The Art of Interpreting Arterial Blood Gases in Small Animal Patients
Audio and Text: The Real Time Session lecture will be predominantly text.

  

Instructor(s): Katy Waddell, LVT, VTS (ECC, Anesthesia) and Paula Plummer, LVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM)
Course Open: October 21-November 28, 2014
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Tuesdays, October 28, November 4, 11 & 18, 2014; 8:00-9:30pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Practice Sessions: In order to prepare you for a successful experience in your CE course, we request you attend a Practice Session prior to the first Real Time Session. Please arrive promptly at the start time; each Practice Session is up to 1 hour in length. For more information, please visit the CE Practice Area.

*The instructors for this course will be using audio which will require you to have a headset or speakers to listen. If you have any concerns regarding your computer's audio capabilities, please be sure to attend one of the Practice Sessions.

Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate course is designed for veterinary technicians working toward a specialty certification in emergency/critical care or small animal internal medicine.
VSPN CE Course: This course has been RACE approved for veterinary technicians only.
The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is RACE Provider #22.

Course Description:
This course will cover all of the basic components of an arterial blood gas beginning with the physiological integral processes and leading up to scenarios involving some of the pathologies encountered with alterations in acid/base status. This will include arterial oxygenation, carbon dioxide, pH, sodium bicarbonate and base excess. The confusion and mystery of reading an arterial blood gas will be unraveled as we build upon knowledge offered during the course in an effort to provide excellent patient care. Case-based scenarios will be posted on the message boards requiring the participant to interactively discuss the cases and application of interventions for the management of acid/base status. There will be interactive activities in the class library for the participant to enhance their learning experience throughout the course.

This course consists of four (4) Real Time Sessions of ninety (90) minutes each, supplemental library materials, interactive message board discussions, a mandatory end-of-course test, and may include online multiple choice quizzes (after each Real Time Session). Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

*To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.

Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Instructors: Katy Waddell has been in the veterinary field for 40 years in small animal, mixed animal, specialty referral practices, 24/7 facilities as well as in academia and as an author. Katy currently works with the Feline and Canine Internal Medicine Services at Texas A & M University and is responsible for providing nursing care and student instruction for these services. She also is the staff liaison/mentor for multiple student organizations providing wet labs. She lectures and promotes education to veterinary technicians to improve patient care and advocacy. She is the proud recipient of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association 2013 Veterinary Technician of the Year Award. Paula Plummer has been in the veterinary field for over 15 years in academia and small animal private practice. Paula attained her VTS (ECC) in 2011 and her VTS (SAIM) in 2014. She currently works at Texas A & M University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in the Feline Internal Medicine Department. She has worked most of her career in emergency and critical care medicine and feline internal medicine. She teaches a variety of skill labs to veterinary students and technicians and has lectured at several conferences and online CE courses on emergency and critical care topics.

Course Outline:
Week 1 (Real Time Session October 28): Basic Components of Arterial Blood Gases
Content: This session will cover the basic components seen in an arterial blood gas diagnostic. Arterial oxygenation, carbon dioxide, pH, sodium bicarbonate, and base excess will be covered. Why these numbers are important and the affect they have on our patient will be the key ingredient to discussions this week.

Week 2 (Real Time Session November 4): Pathogenesis of Metabolic Disorders
Content: This session will cover the pathogenesis of metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis. Common causes and diagnostics of each will be covered enabling the veterinary technician to assist the veterinarian in case maintenance.

Week 3 (Real Time Session November 11): Pathogenesis of Respiratory Disorders
Content: This session will cover the pathogenesis of respiratory acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. Common causes and diagnostics of each will be covered enabling the veterinary technician to assist the veterinarian in case maintenance.

Week 4 (Real Time Session November 18): Fine Tuning the Art of Interpreting Arterial Blood Gases
Content: The confusion and mystery of reading an arterial blood gas will be cleared up in this session. Included will be the formulas for anion gap, A-a gradient, Pao2/FiO2, and how to calculate each correctly.

CE Credits: 6

Tuition: $120 ($108 early bird special if enrolled by October 7, 2014)

* 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).
*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5 pm ET October 28, 2014, or when the maximum number of participants is reached.
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
  
  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
  4. For further assistance call 1-800-700-INFO (4636) or email VSPNCE@vspn.org. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
*Note: "This course is approved 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/VIN 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).

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN/VSPN office 1-800-700-INFO (4636) to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN/VSPN office at 1-800-700-INFO (4636).

*For more information on VSPN's upcoming CE courses, check the VSPN Course Catalog.

The CE team:

Charlotte Waack, RVT, CVT
VSPN CE Coordinator

VSPN CE Services: VSPNCE@vspn.org
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 792
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01452226154


800.700.4636  |  CEonVIN@vin.com  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035
777 West Covell Blvd, Davis, CA 95616

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