5 Questions Asked of Veterinary Technician Specialists Lori Balliet, BS Biology/ Chemistry, CVT, VTS (Clinical Pathology) Specialty Field: VTS Clinical Pathology - Academy AVCPT (Past President - 2019-2021) Employer: Quakertown Veterinary Clinic (Laboratory Supervisor) and Northampton Community College (adjunct professor Vet Tech Program/Clinical Pathology Lab) 1. Make sure that you are requesting the correct test and the correct sample. Writing down an incorrect test name or not the test you really want (“it sounded similar”) can cause delays in testing because the lab will need to contact someone to find out what the test is that is being requested. If you have the correct name, then you should be submitting the correct sample. The incorrect sample causes more delays. 2. A microscope! I love looking at slides: blood smears, urine dry slides, cytology slides, and so on. There is so much information you can gain from those slides. At Quakertown Veterinary Clinic, the lab techs are trained to examine the slides rather than having the doctors use their time to look at all the slides. 3. Get as much experience as you can. Run the lab tests if you can. If you are assisting a doctor, ask questions about the tests. If the doctor is examining slides, ask if you can take a look. Get CE that is dedicated to or contains information about clinical pathology/lab work. 4. I was the second person in the United States and Canada to earn my VTS in Clinical Pathology. There are only about a dozen people in this specialty in North America. The Academy of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Technicians (AVCPT) is a newer academy receiving its provisional status in 2012 and is just starting to increase its membership. 5. Several years ago I attended a CE about urinalysis. The doctor presenting demonstrated the technique for making a dry slide or cytology slide of the concentrated urine and then staining it with Diffquik. Identifying bacteria and differentiating epithelial cells is much easier and more accurate than using a traditional urine stain, which becomes contaminated easily.
Each person was asked the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4.
A tip you have for veterinarians. Favorite tool of your specialty (describe what it does please). Advice for a colleague thinking of pursuing your field. Feather in your cap (an acknowledgment you received, a success story you are part of, a difference you make). 5. Best trade secret you learned and from who.
Karen Becki, BS, CVT, VTS (Oncology) Specialty Field: Oncology Employer: PVSEC BluePearl
1. If referring a patient to an oncology service, one of the best things to do is to have a definitive diagnosis upon the patient’s arrival to oncology consult. This may mean that special stains, or other labs, may need to be requested from a biopsy sample prior to referral. However, it will allow the oncologist to give the owners more accurate information regarding prognosis and treatment options for their pet. (For example, histiocytic sarcomas, soft tissue sarcomas, and hemangiosarcomas all have different treatment protocols and survival rates.) 2. We use a closed-system transfer device, or CSTD, and a biological safety cabinet to draw up the chemotherapy we use to treat our patients. The CSTD replaces regular needles and syringes, allowing us to draw up the chemotherapy in a ventilated box with less risk of exposure to fumes in the rare chance there is a leak. Since chemotherapeutic medications are considered Group One Hazardous Drugs, it is of upmost importance for an oncology technician to be exposed to the least amount of drug possible when drawing up and administering chemotherapy to their patients. 3. Despite what you may think, oncology is not all doom and gloom! Yes, there are definitely sad moments when we have to help a family say goodbye to a beloved pet. Most days though, we are administering treatments to our patients so they are able to have more time and make more memories with their families. 4. In the oncology department, the technicians are the main communicators with owners during many of their pet’s appointments. A success story is when clients tell me that I have helped them to have a better experience throughout these visits. For me, the goal of oncology is not just for pets to live longer, but for pets and their families to have the best quality of life together.
5. Not a secret, but just something I learned throughout my years in oncology: Don’t be afraid to place an IV catheter in an atypical vein. If you speak to a long-time oncology technician, don’t be surprised to hear that an ear vein has been used for an IV catheter placement. It is imperative that chemotherapy is administered through a clean-stick catheter in an unused vein. While I learned this skill in school, my original oncology skills were taught to me by some awesome technicians: Maureen, Cat, Jody, and Jess. Amy Dowling, AAS Animal Science Specialty Field: VTS Anesthesia and Analgesia Employer: University of Pennsylvania, Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary School
1. Any patient receiving anesthesia should have a checklist of things that should be completed before their procedure. They should have full blood work. This can vary from case to case, but usually a complete blood count and a chemistry is needed. Additional tests that may be needed could be a blood type, coagulation panel, or other metabolic screens. It is important to obtain a full medical history. This may include records from other veterinarians or specialists who the pet has seen in the past. Look for any history of heart disease, allergies, past anesthesia records, and what medications they are taking. In some cases, the patient may need to stop some medications the day prior to anesthesia. Some medications can make it difficult to treat hypotension intraoperatively and others may prolong recovery. A consent form should be signed and thoroughly reviewed with the owners in case complications do happen. It can be beneficial to have different consent forms for different animals. For example, it may be hard to do a full exam or get blood work on an aggressive dog, so the owner should know that higher doses of drugs may be needed. For most surgical cases, I highly recommend having the owners give gabapentin, continued on next page > Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association | 25
