Lets get clinical: Top sessions for technicians at CVC Kansas City

All images courtesy of Getty Images and Shutterstock.comVeterinary technicians–we have some good news, some bad news and some more good news.

The good news: CVC Kansas City offers a ton of opportunities to take your clinical knowledge and skills to the next level.

The (sorta) bad news: You can't attend all of the awesome sessions (due to timing conflicts).

More good news: We've put together a list of our top clinical picks to serve as a starting point when creating the conference schedule of your dreams!

Check out the top sessions, organized by topic, on the following pages. You'll also find resources you can use right now in your practice.

Geriatric medicine and end-of-life care

CVC KC must-sees

The little things that make euthanasia better in clinics – Mary Gardner, DVM

Practical care for the geriatric patient – Mary Gardner, DVM

Right-now resources

Senior vs. geriatric: Semantics or significant?

Why these words aren't interchangeable and what this means for your veterinary patients.

Euthanasia: Too soon? Not soon enough?

Hospice and euthanasia are all about timing. Dr. Mary Gardner offers to guide clients through the process of their final gift to their pet-saying goodbye.

Reframe the discussion of ‘convenience' euthanasia

Dr. Dani McVety provides four guidelines for reframing.

Professional growth

CVC KC must-see

Body language for the veterinary team – Dani McVety, DVM

Right-now resources

Get a visual preview of this session by checking out this doodle!

10 career moves for veterinary technicians

Don't stay stuck in your career. There are plenty of doors waiting for you to open and explore.

Lead with heart

Your emotional intelligence is key to becoming an effective leader at your veterinary practice. Start here on your emotional intelligence journey.

Watch this video on reading your patients' body language. 

Controlled substances

CVC KC must-see

Controlled substances: What you really need to know - Mary Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry)

Right-now resources

For the record: Controlled substances

What to document when dispensing controlled substances.

Checklist for better drug control

Try these eight quick tips to get inventory controls in place.

Practice management program

CVC KC must-see

Needs care, no $$$ ... now what? – Danielle Russ, LVT, BS, BA, AS

Right-now resources

See a sneak preview of this session as an article and as a doodle.

A cure for the dentistry estimate recoil

Two ways you can get your clients to agree to this needed yet expensive service.

Choose your own payment adventure

Whether a client's pet is getting a cancer diagnosis, the pet owner is managing a chronic condition or they're visiting you for the very first time, here's how to nail best practices to show off your financial savvy when it comes to payments and maybe encourage folks to look into pet insurance down the line.

Public health

CVC KC must-see

If you cage creatures often enough … how to handle escapes – Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, DACZM

Right-now resources

A public health veterinarian's take on captive wildlife ownership

Dr. Jenifer Chatfield says it's all about responsibility-for pet owners of all stripes and scales.

5 client handouts: Zoonoses to know

Help clients learn about the basics of zoonotic diseases and parasites with these five handouts on toxoplasmosis, hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms and Lyme disease.

Equine medicine

CVC KC must-see

You work in a dangerous profession! Teach your clients to teach their horses to be cooperative patients – Robert Miller, DVM

Right-now resources

7 commonly asked questions on how to use a twitch

Do you know how to properly use a twitch on your patients? Learn from the equine experts.

How to make time for equine in a mixed veterinary practice

Be the hero your equine veterinarians need when it comes to conquering scheduling challenges.

Dystocia in the mare

How to manipulate a better outcome.

Mind Over Miller

Read Dr. Robert Miller's beloved column.

Dentistry

CVC KC must-see

Advanced periodontal therapy: Let's save some teeth! – Benita Altier, LVT, VTS (dentistry)

Right-now resources

What to do when you see a tooth of a different color

If your patient has a gray, pink, purple or blue tooth, don't just tell the owner to keep an eye on it. An intrinsically stained tooth is more than just a cosmetic issue, and the associated disease is often painful.

Diagnostic dental radiographs: A concise how-to

Mary Berg, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry), demonstrates her preferred method of obtaining these images.

3 steps to effective periodontal disease diagnosis

Visual examination, anesthetized probing and intraoral radiography can help you assess each patient's level of disease.

Orthopedics and rehabilitation

CVC KC must-see

Management of the down dog – Matthew Brunke, DVM, CCRP, CVPP, CVA

Right-now resources

Three takes on laser therapy

Rehabilitation experts weigh in on why you should take this therapeutic modality seriously.

The 4 phases of orthopedic rehabilitation

Check out this printable step-by-step guide to getting your orthopedic patients up and at 'em after injury or surgery.

10 easy ways to promote your rehab services

Do your rehab services need some marketing rehab? Get in the underwater treadmill with us and we'll help flex those flabby client-acquisition muscles.

Canine rehabilitation: Getting orthopedic patients back on their feet

Cranial cruciate ligament tears and ruptures are common conditions that can lead to debilitating osteoarthritis. Consider a team approach to canine rehabilitation to improve every patient's quality of life.

Parasitology

CVC KC must-see

Neospora, Toxoplasma and coccidian: Microscopic monsters – Richard Gerhold, DVM, MS, PhD

Right-now resources

Parasitology handouts

Get printable educational tools for clients and professionals.

Parasitology: What's your role?

Here's a look at each team member's role in educating clients about parasite control.

Top 3 myths veterinarians believe about parasites

Sure, clients can get confused about vector transmission or a preventive's method of action, but have you ever been fooled? Dr. Richard Gerhold dispels some common misconceptions.

Toxicology

CVC KC must-see

Decontamination techniques: The old and the new – Tina Wismer,DVM, DABVT, DABT

Right-now resources

Your step-by-step guide to treating poisoned pets

A golden retriever that ate a chocolate bar or a cat that was splashed with paint is presented to your clinic for evaluation. Do you know what to do?

Client handout: Top 10 human medications poisonous to pets

Nearly half of the poisoning cases managed by Pet Poison Helpline involve human medications, so pass along this lifesaving information.

Elementary, my dear toxicologist

Fundamental toxicology tips and tricks for finding the source in small animal intoxications and possible malicious poisonings.

Behavior

CVC KC must-see

How do animals learn: What's all the psychobabble? – Beth Strickler, DVM

Right-now resources

Pipe in music to decrease stress levels in your kennel

Study evaluates the stress-reducing effect of playing different music genres for kenneled dogs.

Body language: It's required reading

Patients will tell you plenty about their emotional state if you simply pay attention.

3 medications for triggered pets

Fast fixes for situational anxiety, panic and phobia.

Clinical program

CVC KC must-sees

How can I be a patient advocate in pain management for exotics and zoo animals? – Mary Goldberg, BA, LVT, CVT, SRA, CCRA

The technician's role in minimizing patient stress – Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD

Right-now resources

The No. 1 thing technicians get wrong about pain management

Get advice for fixing the one-size-fits-all approach.

How to get pets + vets ≠ stress

Take anxiety out of the equation with these veterinary products.

The pain control toolkit

Use these tools to help clients recognize pain in their pets, to help you treat it and to help educate the entire practice on caring for pets in pain. 

Wellness (Yours!)

CVC KC must-see

Top 10 tips: How to become a recovering perfectionist – Kimberly Pope-Robinson, DVM, CCFP

Right-now resources

4 tips to combat stress

Dr. Kimberly Pope-Robinson shares simple fixes to relieve anxiety caused by veterinary responsibilities.

Better mental health = better medicine

If the pressures of veterinary practice are too much at times, here are some stories from colleagues who relate and resources that can help.

The myth of compassion fatigue

Knowing why you're struggling is important, so it's not helpful to label every negative experience in the veterinary profession as compassion fatigue. When Dr. Dani McVety took an honest look at how she was feeling, she realized her fatigue stemmed from making ethical decisions within the boundaries of clients' (often) illogical values or unreasonable budgets.