VSPN TECH200-0920: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Small Animal Patient

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Enrollment is closed.
Presenter: Courtney Waxman, CVT, VTS (ECC)
Course Open: September 29, 2020-November 6, 2020
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Tuesdays October 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2020: 9-10 PM ET
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinary technicians/technologists, support staff, and/or veterinary teams actively interested in improving their CPR protocols.
VSPN CE Course: “This program has been approved for 4 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval (22-35188). "

Course Description:
This course is designed to review current theory and practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) based on the RECOVER guidelines in the small animal hospital. This course will focus on veterinary technician interventions and skills used to prepare the hospital for a cardiopulmonary arrest event, identify patients at risk for arrest, basic life support procedures and protocols to follow, advanced life support procedures and protocols to follow, the team approach to CPR, and care of the post-cardiopulmonary arrest patient.

Week 1 (Real Time Session October 6): RECOVER & Cardiopulmonary Arrest Preparedness
Required Reading Prior to Session:
  • RECOVER Preparedness & Preparation PDF handout.
  • Crash Cart Essentials PDF handout.
  • Signs of Impending CPA PDF handout.
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to:
  • Explain the RECOVER initiative.
  • Discuss hospital and staff preparedness.
  • Identify crash cart essentials.
  • Review advanced directive orders.
  • Discuss the CPR roles and team approach.
Week 2 (Real Time Session October 13): Basic Life Support
Required Reading Prior to Session:
  • RECOVER Basic Life Support PDF handout.
  • RECOVER CPR Algorithm PDF handout.
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to:
  • Review compression rates and techniques.
  • Explain cardiac and thoracic pump theories.
  • Discuss intubation and breathing rates.
  • Recognize the importance of 2-minute BLS cycles.
Week 3 (Real Time Session October 20): Advanced Life Support
Required Reading Prior to Session:
  • RECOVER Advanced Life Support PDF handout.
  • RECOVER Monitoring PDF handout.
  • RECOVER CPR Algorithm PDF handout.
  • CPR Emergency Drug Doses PDF handout.
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to:
  • Review venous access/IV fluid therapy.
  • Discuss drug therapies used.
  • Explain ECG and ETCO2 monitoring.
  • Name the most common arrest rhythms.
  • Review signs associated with ROSC.
Week 4 (Real Time Session October 27): Post-Cardiopulmonary Arrest Care
Required Reading Prior to Session:
  • RECOVER Post-CPA Care PDF handout
  • Post-CPA Algorithm PDF handout
  • RECOVER Clinical Guidelines PDF handout
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to:
  • Discuss the team approach to CPR, including debriefing
  • Review medical and nursing care of the post-CPA patient
  • Identify when to stop CPR efforts
  • Discuss quality of life of the post-CPA patient
  • Review when to stop CPR efforts
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.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Presenter:
Courtney Waxman, CVT, RVT, VTS (ECC) is an Arizona native who found her passion in emergency and critical care medicine after completing an internship during her technician schooling. She attended Mesa Community College and obtained her Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) credential for Arizona in 2008 and her Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) credential for Indiana in 2018. In 2017, Courtney earned her Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS) certification in Emergency and Critical Care (ECC). She currently works as an instructor for Purdue University’s Veterinary Nursing Program and as a per diem technician in Purdue’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital emergency and ICU services. Courtney’s areas of special interest include CPR, mechanical ventilation, environmental hazards, one-on-one case management, critical care nursing, critical thinking, and technician training. In addition to working in critical care, Courtney is actively involved within the veterinary community. She is on the Task Force for the Veterinary Nurse Initiative, is a RECOVER CPR Certified BLS and ALS Instructor, is a speaker for the veterinary technician community at the national and international level, has been published in several veterinary technician journals, and serves on the credentials committee for the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians (AVECCT). In 2018, she also started her own business, Veterinary Nurse Consulting, LLC to share her love of emergency and critical care to fellow technicians. Off duty, she enjoys world travel with her husband, reading, yoga, and spoiling her two dogs, Biggs and Ollie.

Total CE Credit: 4

Tuition: $84 ($76 early bird special if enrolled by September 15, 2020)
* Students currently enrolled in and taking at least 2 classes or 5 units at an AVMA accredited or CVMA approved Veterinary Technician Program may be eligible to receive a 50% discount off the regular rate for this course (upon verification of student status).
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on October 6, 2020 at 5 pm ET (USA) 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. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

“This program has been approved for 4 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval (22-35188). "

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 office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

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

Lisa Kernaghan, LVT, RVT, CVT, VTS (ECC)
VSPN CE Coordinator

VSPN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357