Updates from the TechLife Team
April 12, 2021
Our TechLife team has been working hard to support our techs and spread important information - and we couldn’t be more proud of them. Over the past several weeks, they’ve hosted several virtual events for VetCor techs and assistants - plus, they’ve got some exciting ones coming up.
Check out these highlights from their most recent events:
Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) Prep:
To help prepare their fellow techs to get credentialed, our very own team members, Jamie Gonzalez and Sarah Farina, recently hosted virtual workshops teaching medical math and microbiology which we’re exceptionally thankful for. There was a whole lot of content to pack into the two sessions they presented, so they were recorded and shared via presentation slides within the VetCor TechLife Facebook group. You can view them below.
Cytology:
IDEXX discussed cytology techniques and shared some best practices and mistakes to avoid:
- The “squash prep” is the most ideal method when preparing a slide.
- Don’t heat fix cytology slides - use a hair dryer set to cool if needed.
- Don’t spread cytological material on the slide with a needle.
- Maintain a consistent schedule with changing out your stains. Otherwise you’ll be dealing with a lot of artifacts, and the slide might not pick up the stain correctly.
- Mind the time in each stain. The fixative should be 30-60 seconds and Solutions I and II should be 15-30 seconds each.
Upcoming Fear Free Webinars:
The TechLife team was joined by Stephanie Bachman, a customer experience manager from Fear Free, to discuss the ways some of our practices have been successfully implementing Fear Free methods and what has and hasn’t worked for them. Many VetCor techs have reported benefiting from using techniques such as providing patients with treats, utilizing modified restraint techniques, and suggesting pharmacological therapies for anxious pets.
During their chat with Stepanie, the TechLife team received various requests for more information, such as how to get an entire practice on board with Fear Free techniques, how to make hands-free x-ray techniques more Fear Free, and how to better deal with feline behavior and handling, specifically. As a result, Fear Free will be hosting future webinars for VetCor technicians and assistants starting with a virtual presentation on Culture Change and How to Implement Fear Free Techniques. It will be held on April 18th at 8pm EST.
COVID-19 Roundtable:
In addition to all of that, the TechLife team brought together some wonderful technicians and operations managers to discuss current challenges associated with COVID-19 and curbside service. They brainstormed and came up with a variety of considerations for allowing some clients back into practices in the future as well as how to successfully continue providing curbside care when good cell phone service is lacking in the area (embracing walkie talkies or a pager system is a great idea). They also emphasized the importance of making sure everything at the practice is clean and organized prior to reopening - and recommended recruiting friends or family members to help.
At the end of the day, they discussed a lot of potential procedures for reopening, but the overall consensus was that it should be a gradual process (60-90+ days). However, it’s going to depend heavily on each individual practice, its employees, and its clients; so maintaining an open line of communication amongst practice teams is going to be absolutely vital.
If you’re interested in getting involved with the TechLife team or you'd like updates about upcoming events, join the VetCor TechLife Facebook group or email the TechLife team about a specific event at techlife@vetcor.com.
