Veterinary Anesthesia Refresher Certificate: Course 1 Anesthetic protocols

Course overview

The Veterinary Anesthesia Refresher Certificate is a comprehensive anesthesia refresher program primarily targeted to Registered Veterinary Technologists and Technicians (RVTs). The certificate program consists of 4 stand-alone courses each a prerequisite for the next. The first 3 courses are online-asynchronous, and the 4th course is a 4 day in-person SIM-based wet lab (location: Douglas College, British Columbia, Canada). Courses 1-3 must be completed with a grade of 75 percent or higher on the final exam, prior to taking the 4th wet lab course. Topics included in course #1 are: a review of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, anesthetic and analgesic drugs, and a team approach to safe anesthesia through the development of safe effective anesthetic protocols. Each of the 5 unit includes 45-90 minutes recorded lecture, 30 minutes reading, 30-60 minute student activity (e.g. case studies, assignments etc), plus an end of unit quiz (30 minutes). Keywords: anesthesia, patient care, analgesia, pharmacology, drugs, fluid therapy, critical thinking, problem solving.