Veterinary tech seminars to draw national speakers

Oct. 21, 2020

By Mary Crawford, NCTA News

CURTIS, Neb. – Animal health professionals will meet in Curtis on Friday and Saturday for the 47^th consecutive continuing education event at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture.

Licensed veterinary technicians and veterinarians from Nebraska and surrounding states are registered for CE hours, said Elizabeth Fraser, DVM and professor in NCTA’s Veterinary Technology Systems department.

“We have an amazing line-up of speakers again this year,” said Dr. Fraser, the 2020 CE program coordinator.

“One of the goals for this program is provide veterinary technicians with a great reference source,” said Fraser, adding that many of the attendees are NCTA graduates.

Veterinary technology students also are invited to attend sessions presented by industry-leading research and veterinary professionals from Arizona, Colorado, and Idaho.

Arizona veterinarian Victoria Lukasik, DVM, DACVAA, will present the Friday programs in addressing small animal care, anesthesia, and surgery. Her topic is “Recognizing Anesthetic Trends and When to Intervene.”

Dr. Lukasik is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiology and Analgesia (DACVAA). She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona, doctorate in veterinary medicine from Washington State University, and served her residency in anesthesia at Cornell University.

On Saturday, veterinarians Dr. Blane Lowe and Dr. Gordon Brumbaugh, will discuss medications and current issues within the industry with a presentation entitled, “Antimicrobial medication: a review, parts that are new, and the things that you can do!”

Blane Lowe, DVM, Ph.D. is a consulting veterinarian after a career in veterinary private practice which included clinics at Cozad and O’Neill, teaching and industry research. He graduated from Kansas State University, and also served on the faculty at KSU. His specialty has been respiratory physiology, and product development with companies such as Pfizer Animal Health. Today, he is an independent veterinary consultant living in eastern, Colorado.

Gordon Brumbaugh, DVM, Ph.D., is a Diplomate with the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology. He was affiliated with the Caine Veterinary Teaching Center in Caldwell, Idaho, and is nationally known speaker and technical writer.

Lowe and Brumbaugh will discuss how drugs are developed, use of medicated feed, prescriptions, use of antimicrobials and how those treatment decisions are made, explained Dr. Fraser.

Afternoon discussions will include veterinary pharmacology and application issues, and the responsibility of the veterinary technician.

The two-day conference will provide veterinary technicians and veterinarians with 16 hours of continuing education, to keep licenses current.

The CE program is sponsored by the Veterinary Technician Continuing Education Association, which is headquartered at NCTA. Conference proceeds support college scholarships for NCTA veterinary technology students.

Sessions will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Nebraska Agriculture Industry Education Center on campus.

As time allows, attendees are invited to tour the Veterinary Technology facilities, view the animals, and see updates to the college program.

NCTA’s academic program was one of the first two veterinary technology college programs to be certified by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The institution will undergo its AVMA re-accreditation in early 2021.

Part of the University of Nebraska system, the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is a two-year institution with a statewide mission of preparing students for successful careers in agriculture, veterinary technology and related industries. NCTA is known for its affordable tuition, high job-placement rate for its graduates, and for the success of student teams in competitive activities including crops judging, ranch horse events, livestock judging, shotgun sports, stock dog trials, and intercollegiate rodeo. The college is consistently ranked as one of the best two-year schools in the nation.