DESCRIPTION: “As a veterinary leader, you don’t wake up in the morning looking forward to ruining the day for the people you lead.  Quite the contrary, fulfillment for you comes from knowing you’ve supported your team in being the best they can be.  Rarely do we find bad people leading in veterinary medicine.  Often, we find good people leading badly.  In this session you’ll learn about an evidence-based framework for unleashing the Positive Leadership superpowers within you.”

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• An introduction to the science of positive leadership and human motivation
• Understanding the benefits of positive leadership for people, teams, and organizations
• An introduction to the 4 P’s Framework and how to apply it
• Exploring a variety of evidence-based tools for implementing the 4 P’s

DESCRIPTION: “Good, worthwhile work, can be hard work and working in veterinary medicine is no exception.  Sometimes the difference between burning out and burning bright is less about our talents and more about our ability to persevere, bounce back, and learn from challenges and adversities.  Psychologists call those abilities “resilience factors” and it turns out, just like skills such as venipuncture or soft tissue surgery they can be learned, honed, and mastered.   In this session we’ll explore the various types of resilience factors and learn about evidence-based practices for growing our resources within each type.  Attendees will leave empowered with a research-backed plan for cultivating heightened resilience both professionally and personally.”

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Understand the science of psychological well-being and the upside of building well-being resources
• Understand the concepts of psychological resilience
• Understand the three primary types of resilience factors
• An exploration into a variety of evidence-based practices for building resilience resources in each of the three resilience factors

Course Description
Since the first landmark small animal veterinary point of care ultrasound (VPOCUS) study published out of Tufts in 2004, the applications for VPOCUS in small animal emergency and critical care have grown rapidly. Although the first clinical small animal veterinary study was limited to detecting trauma-induced abdominal fluid, the role of abdominal VPOCUS has expanded well beyond trauma. The application of abdominal VPOCUS beyond the simple detection of free abdominal fluid will be presented.

Learning Objectives
Discuss advancements in abdominal veterinary point of care ultrasound beyond the original A-FAST study
Define and describe the detection of ileus using original A-FAST sites
Discuss the significance of detecting gall bladder wall edema (halo sign)
Describe simple sonographic findings suggestive of pneumoperitoneum

Course Description
Despite the wide acceptance of veterinary point of care ultrasound to assess the pleural space and lung, recent evidence suggests the detection of pleural space disease is not easily mastered and the correlation of detecting pleural space pathology (effusion and pneumothorax) is poor to moderate at best. Modifying currently existing protocols to try and answer clinically relevant and focused (often binary) questions and looking for new ways to identify pathology may improve emergency room detection of pleural effusion and pneumothorax.

Learning Objectives
Discuss the limitations and the accuracy of detecting pleural space disease based on recent veterinary literature.
Review current sonographic findings (lines and signs) to assess, rule out and confirm pneumothorax and pleural effusion.
Describe advances and modifications to the original 2008 T-FAST protocol that may increase the accuracy of detecting pleural pathology, including probe orientation and abnormal curtain signs.

Lab Description
Veterinary Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) allows non-specialist practitioners to rapidly assess their patients for conditions (often life threatening) without compromising patient safety. In this blended virtual/hands on lab core POCUS scanning techniques including abdominal POCUS, Pleural space and lung (PLUS) POCUS and cardiovascular POCUS (heart and vascular volume status) will be demonstrated virtually by Dr. Soren Boysen and Dr Serge Chalhoub, and then practiced on-site by attendees using live dogs with guidance from on-site assistants (lead by Dr. Lenore Bacek and her team). Ultrasound guided vascular access techniques will also be practiced using chicken phantom models. These are all essential POCUS techniques designed to rapidly answer clinically relevant questions with the highest degree of accuracy. The objective is for attendees to take these core ECC POCUS skills directly into the clinical setting. No prior ultrasound experience is needed! For attendees less familiar with POCUS a 4-hour lecture series co-delivered by Dr. Boysen and Dr. Chalhoub, covering key concepts of POCUS and major pathology, will be made available for review 2 weeks prior to the lab at no cost. A lab manual will also be provided. 

Seat Limit: 16
Fee: $400

DESCRIPTION: “From upset clients to underperforming employees difficult conversations are more the norm than the exception in a veterinary career.  How many of us were taught the skills to approach and handle these conversations in productive ways?  The good news is, there are skills that can help and all of us can learn and hone them.  In this session we’ll explore the makings of common difficult conversations and learn about tools for a measured, effective communication approach.”

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Understand assertive communication and how it differs from aggressive communication
• Clarifying goals when entering a difficult conversation
• Pre-planning as an approach to difficult conversations
• The Connect, Contain, and Recruit framework for maximizing client relationships

Course Description
Advancements in viscoelastic technology and its availability and affordability for the veterinary field have improved dramatically in the last 2 years.  A new system allows viscoelastic assessment of coagulation in veterinary patients in a way that was never possible, minimizing many of the common downfalls of traditional thromboelastography.  A new benchtop analyzer is simple to use, compact and affordable and can provide valuable insight not only about patients that are hypocoagulable due to primary or secondary hemostatic disorders, but also due to hyperfibrinolysis. It can also provide awareness of a patient’s risk for thrombosis and may be useful for therapeutic monitoring.

Learning Objectives
Become familiar with new viscoelastic technology
Understand how this test can be integrated into practice
Understand what categories of disease can be identified with viscoelastic testing

Course Description
Our understanding of clinical coagulation in veterinary medicine has improved dramatically. It is essential for the clinician to look beyond hypocoagulation as the cause of bleeding disorders and be able to differentiate among lookalikes. Hyperfibrinolysis is one such condition that is likely underdiagnosed and therefore mismanaged. This lecture will introduce hyperfibrinolysis to the VECCSpert and provide information about convenient and affordable bedside testing as well as appropriate approaches to treatment.

Learning Objectives
Understand hyperfibrinolysis and how to identify patients at risk
Understand how hyperfibrinolysis can be diagnosed in the clinical setting
Be able to treat hyperfibrinolysis

Course Description
This conference has covered a range of in-depth topics meant to enhance your clinical practice. This session applies those topics to clinical cases with the experts putting them to practice. This open forum session allows spontaneous discussion between panel members and audience for the purpose of debate and creating a consensus.

Learning Objectives
Identify how the ER practitioner can use ultrasound examinations in practice.
Work through problem cases in transfusion medicine and fluid therapy, such as my Type-B cat needs blood….but I don’t have a Type-B donor.
Identify and apply techniques for enhancing your enjoyment of your chosen profession, and maybe explore the questions:  “should I stay or leave”, “how do I find a mental health provider?”, and “how do I deal with a bullying colleague.”