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VETERINARY SUPPORT STAFF

    
VSPN CE Course TECH224-0115: Diabetic Complications in the Canine and Feline
Text only: The lectures for this course will be presented in a predominantly text format.

  

Instructors: Katy Waddell, LVT, VTS (ECC, Anesthesia) and Paula Plummer, LVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM)
Course Open: January 19, 2015-February 26, 2015
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Mondays, January 26, February 2, 9 and 16, 2015; 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.

Level and Prerequisites: This advanced course is designed for the experienced veterinary technician working toward a specialty certification in emergency/critical care or small animal internal medicine or those working in or wishing more in depth understanding of diabetic complications. As this is an advanced course, it will be beneficial to the student to be comfortable with normal anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal system as well as the function of the pancreas.
VSPN CE Course: This course is RACE approved for veterinary technicians only. (RACE program #22-1106)
Veterinary Information Network�s RACE provider number is #22.

Course Description:
Diabetes in feline and canine patient results from multiple causes. This course will take the experienced veterinary technician cause through diagnostic testing, and incorporate case-based interactions and discussions of complications to integrate appropriate triage and nursing care plans. The pathogenesis of a diabetic patient as it relates to the wide range of metabolic and endocrine derangements, nutritional needs, fluid and medication support including insulin dosing and constant rate of infusions will be included. Message board discussion interaction will incorporate the case based understanding of the disease processes in real life situations and will be an essential learning component of this 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 41 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 on a local, regional, national and international basis. 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 internal medicine, emergency and critical care topics.

Course Outline:
Week 1 (Real Time Session January 26): Pathogenesis of Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Content: With DKA being a life threatening complication of diabetes mellitus in the canine and feline patient, the pathology of how one disease can become a life threatening complication of another will be discussed in great detail. The roles of the pertaining hormones with this disease, especially insulin, will be discussed. Major electrolyte disturbances seen in patients with DKA will be covered to enable veterinary technicians to better recognize and facilitate their role in an emergency or critical care setting.

Week 2 (Real Time Session February 2): The Feline Patient with Diabetes Mellitus and the Potential Causation of a DKA Event
Content: The feline patient presents a different diabetic challenge from the canine. This week's session will focus on how and why including feline specific clinical signs and symptoms, nutritional needs, current therapy, and the recognition of the need for urgent intervention and medical management.

Week 3 (Real Time Session February 9): Recognizing and Treating DKA in the Canine Patient
Content: Most canine patients suffering from DKA will have life threatening complications. This session will cover how to recognize and aid the veterinarian in diagnosing DKA in an urgent setting. Treating DKA can involve glucose curves, insulin constant rate of infusion, fluid therapy, and nutritional support while the patient is in the Intensive Care Unit. Participants will differentiate when and why this treatment is necessary for a successful recovery.

Week 4 (Real Time Session February 16): Identifying Complications in the Non-Regulated Diabetic Patient
Content: Complications may arise from unregulated diabetic patients that suffer from diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, and/or hyperosmolar, hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome. We will review and discuss each of these syndromes to allow the participant a greater awareness of the complications and causations, ultimately leading to improved patient care and support in the emergency and critical care setting.

CE Credits: 6

Tuition: $120 ($108 early bird special if enrolled by January 5, 2015)

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5 pm ET January 26, 2015, 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 800-846-0028 ext. 792 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 CE at 800-846-0028 ext. 792 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 VSPN office 800-846-0028 ext. 792 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VSPN office at 800-846-0028 ext. 792.

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

The CE team:

Charlotte Waack, RVT, CVT
VSPN Director/VSPN CE Interim Director

VSPN CE Services: VSPNCE@vspn.org
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 792
Direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: (014522) 26154
Direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 011 +61 26 145-2357


800.700.4636  |  CEonVIN@vin.com  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035
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