Contact: Tania Banak, University Relations Specialist
608/263-6716, banakt@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu
Date issued: October 16, 2009

MADISON - Three certified veterinary technicians (CVTs) at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine recently attained specialty certification in anesthesia. 

In addition to an examination, Kate Lafferty (Basco, Wis.), Jessica Wendt (Lodi, Wis.), and Denise Young (Madison, Wis.) had to complete a minimum of 4,500 hours of anesthesia care for patients.  They also had to submit 50 case logs and four in-depth case reports to demonstrate superior mastery of patient care and handling skills.  The reports must include high-risk and life-threatening cases as well as routine anesthetic procedures.

To date, about 125 individuals worldwide have attained Veterinary Technician Specialist (Anesthesia) certification.  Nine are in Wisconsin.

"Becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist is a great accomplishment for these technicians," says Dr. Lesley Smith, a board certified veterinary anesthesiologist at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and Section Head for Anesthesiology.  "These technicians are trained by working closely with three board-certified veterinary anesthesiologists to provide the most exceptional and progressive anesthetic care possible.  By virtue of this training and the advanced skills of these anesthesia technicians, we are able to offer clients and patients a unique service in the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Anesthesia Section."

At the School of Veterinary Medicine, anesthesia technicians handle and anesthetize all animal species, including dogs, cats, horses, cows, and exotic animals. 

"There are inherent risks to anesthesia and these risks increase with patient disease, age, or complicated surgical procedures as well," Dr. Smith says.  "At the UW we can offer specialized anesthetic management for a wide variety of patients that present with advanced medical conditions, as well as the healthy patients that come in for elective procedures, such as dentistry, spays, etc.  We need the most highly-trained professionals possible.  Thus, we are able to offer clients a service many other practices are unable to offer."

The qualifying examination is given once annually.  This year's exam was held in Chicago in September in conjunction with the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium.