Upcoming CE opportunities are time sensitive activities such as conferences and live webinars.
Do you have an event you would like to post here? Please let us know at executivedirector@bcvta.com
No More Cat Wrangling: Techniques for Feline-Friendly Handling
November 20, 2024 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Many cats experience fear, anxiety, and stress during handling and veterinary visits, leading to various negative consequences for both the cats and their human caretakers. These effects may include reduced quality of life for the cats, increased risks of injury to veterinary staff, lower quality care during visits, and potential surrender of cats by owners due to broken bonds.
It is essential to limit fear, anxiety, and stress in cats by providing positive and gentle human-to-cat interactions. This session will delve into identifying signs of fear, anxiety, and stress in cats and equip participants with effective handling techniques to create a less stressful and happier environment for cats in shelters, veterinary clinics, and homes, ultimately increasing their adoptability and chance of finding loving homes.
Speaker: Tabitha Kucera, RVT, VTS (Behaviour)
Vet Techs to the Rescue: Cat Welfare and Wildlife Conservation Through One Health Approach
November 26, 2024 – 7:00 PM PST
Free-roaming cats pose significant, long-term threats to local wildlife, ecosystems, and community health. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) supports the One Health approach to managing free-roaming cats to promote animal welfare, public health and
ecological resilience.
This webinar will explore the role of Veterinary Technologists in mitigating the impacts of free-roaming cats while ensuring humane and ethical treatment of all animals. Key topics include:
- Impacts of free-roaming cats on wildlife and ecosystems
- Ethical responsibilities of Veterinary Technologists in cat welfare and wildlife conservation
- Effective management and rehabilitation strategies for stray and feral cat populations
This presentation is supported by the Stewardship Centre for BC.
This session is worth 1 CE Credit.
Presenter: Dr. Amy Wilson, PhD, DVM
Managing Giardia, a common and challenging intestinal parasite
December 3 – 6:00 PM PST or December 4 – 4:00 PM PST
This course will review Giardia infection, prevalence, diagnosis, treatment, and management, particularly in dogs. A major focus will be the difference in management approach for subclinical vs. clinical infections, and factors that must be considered when making the decision on whether or not to treat.
Animal Welfare Considerations in Biomedical Research
December 4, 2024 – 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This session will define biomedical research and animal advocacy vs. animal activism. It will describe the ethical considerations involved in establishing a robust animal care program; governing and supportive organizations in Canada, and worldwide; housing, husbandry, and
facility requirements; procedural approval and training required; post approval monitoring; scientific integrity and transparency; as well as ensuring welfare and job satisfaction of personnel.
Speaker: Gayle Paquette, BSc., RVT, RMLAT, CMAR
Mastering Controlled Drug Logs for RVTs
December 11, 2024 – 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This session will include log requirements, audit requirements, current CVBC bylaw requirements, and different examples of how to audit controlled drugs. Will have a brief review of what is considered a controlled drug and why, as well as what the requirements are for security of the drugs.
Speaker: Leanne Hillis-Schmidt, RVT
Pain Management in the Field
January 8, 2025 – 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
This session will review how to recognize signs of pain in animals such as sheep, goats, cows, and horses. We will discuss how to recognize pain, and what options we have to treat it in the field. Erica will discuss some alternative therapies for pain management of equine, but can be transferred to different species when appropriate.
Speakers: Erica Gray-Gowans, RVT, CERP and Leanne Hillis-Schmidt, RVT
Gut Instincts: Navigating Gastrointestinal Nutrition for Cats and Dogs
January 22, 2025 – 7:00PM – 8:30 PM
When a pet has a gastrointestinal illness or dysbiosis the owners are looking for relief for their pet and relief from the cleanup duty. The question is, which diet do you choose? Do we need high fat or low fat? Is fiber really our friend and is one type of fiber going to give the same results as another? This session will review how core nutrients can benefit pets with gastrointestinal conditions to improve confidence when making a nutrition recommendation.
Learning Objectives:
- The attendee will be able to differentiate symptoms of large bowel and small bowel diarrhea.
- The attendee will be able to list 3 different characteristics of fiber and how they can influence gastrointestinal symptoms.
- The attendee will be able to explain why reaching for antimicrobial drugs as first-line response for large bowel diarrhea may not provide the best resolution using current research as an example.
Speaker: Robin Saar, RVT, VTS (Nutrition)
Veterinary Meeting and Expo (VMX) 2025
January 25-29, 2025 – Orlando, FL and Online
VMX is the world’s leading veterinary event! Register now to join us January 2025 for a 5-day experience filled with opportunities to learn from the brightest minds in the field, explore all the CE topics you’re interested in, connect with peers and enjoy sunny Orlando, Florida.
Because I’m Worth It
February 5, 2025 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Do you wish you earned more money? Do you think you are underpaid, or that your value is not reflected in your compensation? Have you ever evaluated your complete compensation package (do you even know exactly what that means)?
Compensation negotiations are a hot topic, and for both employees and employers, these discussions can be awkward at the best of times. Sometimes it’s easy to believe that you have very little control over your compensation short of looking for other opportunities, but the reality is, there are many things you should be doing to maximize the control that you have, and your understanding of what you actually need and want. “More money” isn’t always the solution to your challenges – and it may not actually impact your wellbeing the way that you hope it will.This session will help you to assess your current situation so that you can best navigate compensation negotiations in a strategic and meaningful way. Get focused on the outcomes that actually make sense for you, and prove that you are worth it!
Speakers: Senani Ratnayake, RVT, BSc.
Managing Medical Mistakes
February 19, 2025 – 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Details Coming Soon!
Speakers: Kara M. Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), VTS Hon (Internal Medicine, Dentistry)
WVC Annual Conference
March 2-5, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV
Registration is not on sale yet, but please join our alert list now to be notified when registration for the 97th WVC Annual Conference opens!