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This 5 week basic level course is designed for the veterinary technician and assistant. It is important for the members of the medical team to have a strong foundational understanding of the concepts covered in this course. Technicians place catheters, do blood typing and cross matching, administer fluids and blood products, and monitor patients. Assistants help with all aspects of patient care and will benefit from understanding fluid therapy and transfusion medicine so they can recognize complications and anticipate the needs of the doctor, technician, or patient.
Fluid therapy is a cornerstone of veterinary care. Providing safe, appropriate hydration and returning patients to electrolyte and fluid balance takes skill and an understanding of the factors involved. Veterinary technicians are generally responsible for patient preparation and treatment plan implementation and must be diligent guardians of ongoing treatment and catheter care. It is crucial that technicians understand why fluids are essential, the different types of fluids available, and how to provide them. Intravenous fluid therapy is vital for the management of shock, dehydration, and maintenance in animals that require parenteral fluid therapy.
Since the early 1980s, blood product administration to treat critically ill animals, or those undergoing surgical procedures, has increased tremendously. However, it is important to note that blood products are obtained from donor animals and represent a limited resource that is not available in all situations. Because they are biologic products, they bear the inherent risks of transmitting infectious diseases or causing other adverse reactions. Technicians in the critical care setting play a key role in providing safe and effective transfusion therapy and therefore should be aware of the principles of transfusion medicine. The safe use of blood component therapy requires knowledge of blood groups and antibody prevalence, and knowledge of the means to minimize the risk of adverse reactions by including the use of proper donors and screening assays that facilitate detection of serological incompatibility. Transfusion medicine is a vital part of veterinary emergency and critical care medicine.
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Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- explain the advantages and disadvantages of various types of IV catheters
- describe the advantages and disadvantages of IV catheter insertion site options
- identify IV catheter related problems, their causes, and solutions
- discuss different fluid types and their usages
- explain electrolyte abnormalities, their consequences, and treatment
- distinguish between various blood products and list their advantages and disadvantages
- manage a patient receiving a blood transfusion
- recognize and respond to a transfusion reaction
- outline the basic contributors to acid-base status
- interpret a basic blood gas reading
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Basic Principles of Fluid Therapy and Transfusion Medicine is a five week course that will cover the topics of electrolytes, fluid therapy, transfusion medicine, and acid-base in relation to the treatment of dogs and cats. This course is designed to give assistants and technicians a strong foundation in the topics of electrolytes, fluid therapy, and transfusion medicine so that each can best perform their position responsibilities. Participants will discover the importance of each electrolyte contained in various therapeutic fluids, what these electrolytes are and how they work to balance electrolyte deficiencies in compromised patients.
Once the student develops a good familiarity with electrolytes, they will proceed into learning about various venous access points in dogs and cats as well as the types of intravenous catheters, insertion techniques, and maintenance of the catheter site. Types of fluids will also be discussed including their usage for shock therapy and specific patient ailments. An introduction to transfusion medicine is included in this course and provides the student with the knowledge of blood products, transfusion reactions, and transfusion patient management. The last component of this course discusses acid-base balance, its importance in patient fluid therapy management, and blood gas interpretation. |
Small Animal Critical Care Medicine Authored by: Deborah Silverstein DVM, DACVECC and Kate Hopper BVSc, MVSc, DACVECC
It is mandatory that each participant has access to this textbook as the content of the book is not reproduced within the course. It is up to each person to determine the best way to acquire the text. Some will already have the text in their library and therefore will not need to purchase another copy. Where to purchase and in what format is totally up to the participant. The text is not included in the fee for this course.
The text is available as a print publication and as an eBook. One option is to purchase the text from Elseiver. The following link to the text on their website is provided as a courtesy.
Purchase Text From Elsevier
Important: Regardless of which option the participant chooses, access to a copy of the textbook is mandatory. Without the text the student will not be able to complete the assignments, case studies and examinations. If enrolling close to or beyond the course start date, it is recommended that the text be purchased as an eBook to prevent text acquisition related delays. VetMedTeam has no control over shipping delays and other related problems.
Limited Quantity eBook Code Offer:
VetMedTeam has a limited number of eBook text codes available for purchase. The cost of the eBook via this option is $71.00. If you are interested in purchasing a code please email us at CE@vetmedteam.com. VetMedTeam cannot guarantee the availability of codes so please look into other options while waiting for a reply. |
...all of research papers of this course is interesting and useful for me.. especially in Indonesia who always out of date from America (and another big country). thanks a lot
...Instructor was very friendly and knowledgeable. Course material was relevant to my career.
...I thought the course was overall great. The feedback from the instructor was very quick and helpful, and she was pleasant as well!
...I liked the mathematical/ blood gas problems the best. It allowed for me to see how the equations come together and solve them myself. Information about electrolytes was most beneficial for me.
...What I found most beneficial were the questions relating to patients I have taken care of in the past, it really reinforced the material.
...The material obtained via evolve was most helpful. The required reading was very useful and informative
...This course covered everything I wanted to learn about transfusion medicine. I am pleased and am taking away a lot of knowledge I didn't have before. I enjoyed the crossword puzzles for studying. It was a nice change from the reading.
...I liked being able to apply the acquired knowledge to case studies |
VetMedTeam courses are asynchronous - they do not contain real time components. Students log in while the course is in session at times convenient to personal schedules. |
Completed students are awarded a certificate of completion. Completion requirements include:
- Interactive Assignments: Practical in nature - designed to help the student apply the newly learned material
- Examinations: All examinations must be submitted with a score of 80% or better.
- Course survey
Many of the assignments for this course require the use of hospital resources for completion. Students must have prior work experience or be presently employed in a veterinary practice in order to complete the assignments. The examinations are designed to assess the retention of the student’s newly achieved knowledge in advanced emergency patient care. |
This course was developed for students currently working in a veterinary hospital. The assignments are practical and the student will need to use practical resources to complete. The average student will spend 3 to 5 hours per week in order to complete all the mandatory requirements.
This course is appropriate for practice team members involved in the medical treatment of patients. Many of the assignments for this course require the use of hospital resources for completion. Students must have prior work experience or be presently employed in a veterinary practice in order to complete the assignments. The examinations are designed to assess the retention of the student’s newly achieved knowledge in advanced emergency patient care. |
Course meets the requirements for 15.00 RACE hours of continuing education credit for veterinary technicians in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB's 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. |
Participants may enroll in this course after it has begun, up to the enrollment deadline date. Participants who enroll after the start date do not miss out on any components of the course.
There are no real time sessions.
The design of this course allows each participant to proceed based on individual schedule, as long as all assignments are submitted by the assignment submission deadline |
This course utilizes content from Small Animal Critical Care Medicine by Deborah Silverstein DVM, DACVECC and Kate Hopper BVSc, MVSc, DACVECC |
 Brandy Tabor, BS, CVT, VTS (ECC)
A native of Colorado, Brandy graduated from Colorado State University in the spring of 2003 with a BS in Equine Sciences. While attending CSU, she worked as a nurse’s assistant in the Critical Care Unit at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Here, she learned just how far you can go with a career as a veterinary technician. She enrolled in Front Range Community College in Loveland, CO, graduating in 2005. Brandy then moved to Parker, CO where she currently works as an emergency and critical care technician. She had the honor of becoming a member of the Academy of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Technicians in 2008.
Brandy has a passion for writing and has written several for Veterinary Technician magazine including ”Recognizing and Treating Diabetic Ketoacidosis”, “Heatstroke in Dogs”, and “Osteoarthritis”
Brandy currently lives with two birds, three cats, and one crazy dog.
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