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While shining a light on the many different areas of the field of veterinary technology, we aim to have thought provoking discussions about the issues facing veterinary technicians and nurses with the leaders in our field.
Episodes
Sunday May 01, 2022
Sunday May 01, 2022
Hey Caffeinators, welcome to our series for Mental Health Awareness Month, May 2022. Our episodes this month will be centered around substance abuse and addiction as it relates to members of our profession. Our first episode is with a previous guest you may remember, Amber LaRock, LVT. Amber was a guest in our first year, where she talked about living and working abroad. Through her work and her social media channels, she's been very honest and outspoken regarding her struggles with mental health and alcoholism and she was gracious enough to have this conversation with us, for you, to kick off our May series. In this episode, we discuss her struggle with alcoholism and how that led to abuse of other substances, what led to that, the difficulties of this profession and the role that played, and then finally, her path to sobriety and what that period of her life has looked like. We ponder how prevalent this may be in our field as often in hindsight, signs were visible, but in the present may not be so obvious. We think this is an episode that will hit home for a lot of people. Please visit the resources below if you, or a loved one (and tune in for our next episode if that applies to you), is struggling with addiction and needs help. Seize the awkward and start the conversation.
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If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Support us via Patreon:
Dog Days Consulting Social Media Management -
Veterinary Professionals In Recovery Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/733939547598809
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Welcome to the Vet Tech Taproom, where everybody knows your name and is glad to see you! In this episode of the Taproom, Dave and Jeff preview the Vet Tech Cafe episodes for our upcoming series for Mental Health Awareness Month in May. We will be releasing three episodes surrounding addiction and substance abuse in our field. Additionally, we discuss another recent loss of life to suicide in the veterinary world and think out loud about change. There's a lot to unpack as we head into our May series, and this gives you a bit of a head start.
Sunday Apr 17, 2022
Sunday Apr 17, 2022
We've met a lot of people at the Vet Tech Cafe we likely wouldn't have crossed paths with for any other reason, and one of those is our latest guest, Rhonda Bell. Rhonda is a former veterinary assistant who became a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, but had to pivot her career due to a medical diagnosis and go in a new direction. As a result, Dog Days Consulting was born and Rhonda takes us through that journey. She also gives us some unique insight into the veterinary technician profession through her lens from the "outside". The bulk of the episode is spent discussing branding-what that means for both individuals and hospitals, how to start, tips and tricks, and common pitfalls as well. Think having a "brand" isn't for you? Spoiler alert-you're building your "brand" every day and she explains how and why it's important to realize that. You're really gonna like this one.
To learn more about Rhonda check out her links below:
Dog Days Consulting- Social Media Brand Consulting
Email: rhonda@dogdaysconsulting.com
Thank you for listening! We would love for you to follow us on our own social media channels and help us by sharing with your friends and colleagues.
Follow us on Facebook:
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Like and Subscribe on YouTube:
Our website:
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
Well Caffeinators, it's that time of year again! It's time to check in with the NAVTA President and talk about all things NAVTA and what they're working on. This year, that's Ashli Selke, RVT, CVT! We spent some time discussing her path, which she is incredibly authentic and transparent about. We also discussed the recent NAVTA demographic survey, title protection, the NAVTA Leadership Summit, and the Consumer Awareness Campaign they are working on, and SO much more. This episode goes a bit longer than most because we cover A LOT of ground in this one! We could've talked about so much more and for many more hours, but we got a really unique insight into the goings-on in our profession from a very macro level. Make sure you listen to this one-it is PACKED with tons of great discussion.
Show Links:
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast
Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg
Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/
Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe
Dog Days Consulting - https://dogdaysconsulting.com/
Episode Links:
https://veterinarynurse.org/
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
Caffeinators, it's time to talk Clinical Pathology! As you're well aware, we want to talk to a representative of each VTS academy to talk about all the cool things technicians do in that specialty. We reached out to the Academy of Veterinary Clinical Pathology Technicians (AVCPT) and got in touch with Lori Balliet, CVT, VTS(Clin Path) to talk about all things clan path! This was a fascinating conversation centered around the work she did in designing the hospital laboratory she manages for a 40+ DVM practice, being the SECOND credentialed technician to have gained this VTS, and so much more about working in a lab. A lot of veterinary technicians do a lot of clinical pathology, and it's wonderful to hear from those that are making a career of doing just that! We think you'll really enjoy this one!
Show Links:
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast
Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg
Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/
Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe
Dog Days Consulting - https://dogdaysconsulting.com/
Episode Links:
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
I think we can all agree the veterinary technician model has needed some work for quite some time. The good news is there are people like Jen Serling, CVT, BVSc, AAS who are working on it. Jen brings over 30 years of experience in the field to her role as an educator and assistant program director for the new veterinary technician program at Appalachian State University. She has some really great insight into where things stand now and ideas looking toward the future. It was really refreshing to hear such passion and enthusiasm for teaching the future leaders of our profession. We discuss advanced credentials for veterinary technician educators, and a whole array of other topics as well. There is a lot of really cool stuff for packed into this hour-we think you'll really enjoy it.
Show Links:
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast
Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg
Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/
Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe
Dog Days Consulting - https://dogdaysconsulting.com/
Episode Links:
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
Hey Caffeinators, have you ever wondered how the veterinary technician specialty academies are formed? Are you interested in becoming a VTS at some point? Have you considered what it looks like to START a new academy? Well, then don't miss this episode with Lorelei D'Avolio, LVT, VTS (CP-Exotic Companion Animal), CVPM! This was a fascinating discussion about the formation of academies, as she's a founding member of the AVTCP and the current Chair of the CVTS (Committee of Veterinary Technician Specialties). This committee is responsible for overseeing current academies and reviewing proposals for aspiring academies. We've spent several episodes highlighting many of the VTS academies currently in existence (with more on the way-SPOILER ALERT!) but it was great to have a discussion about how those academies are formed and maintained, and also just hear all the amazing things Lorelei has done in her career and still continues to be motivated to do! She works in New York City's ONLY stand-alone exotics practice-we cover that too! We think you'll enjoy this one!
Show Links:
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast
Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg
Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/
Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe
Dog Days Consulting - https://dogdaysconsulting.com/
Episode Links:
https://www.facebook.com/AVTCP/
https://www.navta.net/veterinary-technician-specialties/
Sunday Feb 06, 2022
Sunday Feb 06, 2022
This was a special episode for Jeff. Rachelle Pastorkovich, RVT, was a former student of his when he was an adjunct professor at what was then Professional Veterinary Assistant School. Rachelle graduated from that tech school in 2011 and has worked in general and specialty practice. To pursue her love of wildlife, she volunteered for local wildlife organizations and also worked for a local veterinarian who did a lot of work for local zoos and wildlife and bird of prey rehabilitation. From there, she pivoted and began working at Sea World as an RVT in 2018, and is set to start a new role at the Safari Animal Park in early 2022. In this episode we discuss her path and work at Sea World, and what it looks like to work in marine mammal medicine. We examine developing the skills needed for working with those species as they're not animals commonly discussed or taught in veterinary technician school. This led to some fascinating discussion comparing and contrasting skills and anatomy of different species. We think you'll enjoy this one-we sure did!
Show Links:
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast
Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg
Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/
Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe
Dog Days Consulting - https://dogdaysconsulting.com/
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Hello Caffeinators, we hope you're well! We're bringing you our next episode with Garnetta Santiago, MA, LVT to talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our field. If you heard our recent episode with Harold Davis (if not, why not? Download it now!), Garnetta was his recommendation for who we should interview next. Garnetta is currently the Manager of Academic and Professional Affairs for Zoetis, driving strategic engagement with Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Technology programs throughout the US and Caribbean. She talked to us about her work and some of the different programs that are available for DEI training. We discussed the larger scope of where we're at currently on these issues, where we've come from, and areas where we can continue to improve. Many of the points she makes really made us think and it was wonderful to continue this conversation we started in 2020. We could've talked to Garnetta for hours, and we hope this was just the first episode with her so we can dive deeper into some of these points soon!
Show Links:
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast
Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg
Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/
Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch
If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe
Dog Days Consulting - https://dogdaysconsulting.com/
Episode Links:
Pawsibilities Vet Med (DEI/mentoring): https://pawsibilitiesvetmed.com/
Black DVM Network: https://www.blackdvmnetwork.com/
Multicultural Vet Med Association: https://mcvma.org/
Sunday Jan 16, 2022
Sunday Jan 16, 2022
In this episode of the Vet Tech Taproom, Dave and Jeff discuss the article we posted on our social media regarding the AVMA's discussion on the idea of letting non-veterinarians into their organization. We posted this article earlier this week and it got a lot of response from our Caffeinators. We have our opinions on what was discussed and we're sure you have yours. We encourage you to comment on this and continue the discussion!
Here's the article:
https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&Id=10685148&utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&fbclid=IwAR049wlmDTFwqtD3e53q_JPAylwUAYH1gVa3efET2sLSY0c_SCCI2AjtQwE