July 4, 2007

Charlottetown, PEI): Approximately 30 veterinary technicians from Atlantic Canada will participate in the Atlantic Veterinary College?s Advanced Techniques in Anaesthesia/Pain Management and Emergency/Critical Care Workshop from July 5 to 8. The workshop, which was developed in consultation with the Eastern Veterinary Technicians Association, provides professional development for veterinary technicians in the Atlantic region.

?Veterinary technicians are specially trained professionals who play an integral role on a veterinary medical team in delivering humane, quality animal health care,? says workshop organizer Natalie Price, a registered veterinary technician at the Atlantic Veterinary College.

?Veterinary technicians have an education and skill base that enables them to carry out various duties ranging from administering and monitoring various anaesthetics to assisting in surgical procedures,? explains Price. ?The Atlantic Veterinary College is very pleased to be able to offer this group of professionals expanded training in the area of anaesthesia, pain management, emergency and critical care through this workshop.?

The workshop, which will consist of lectures and wet labs, will feature guest speakers Nancy Shaffran, RVT, VTS (Emergency and Critical Care) and Leigh Lamont, DVM, MS (Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiology). Ms. Shaffran is the senior nursing specialist on Pfizer Animal Health?s Sedation and Pain Management Team. She has an extensive background in critical care nursing, is president of the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians, and has delivered more than 600 lectures to technicians and veterinarians around the world. Dr. Lamont is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Atlantic Veterinary College, is a recent recipient of the UPEI Hessian Merit Award for Excellence in Teaching, and is well recognized for her innovative teaching techniques.

Workshop sessions will cover topics such as respiratory distress, developing anaesthetic protocols, and an introduction to pain physiology and pathophysiology.

Funded by the four Atlantic provinces, the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI is committed to excellence and innovation in education, research and service. Over the past 20 years, the College has graduated approximately 1,000 doctors of veterinary medicine, has become known around the world for its research capabilities, and is the Atlantic region?s only full service veterinary referral hospital.