Veterinary Cancer Society Technicians

Welcome Jamie Wesolowski!

2023-2024 Technician Liaison

Hello everyone, I am Jamie Wesolowski! I can not tell you how excited I am to be your Technician Liaison. I am incredibly humbled to take on this position, especially after so many technician pioneers before me. The first time I went to a VCS conference we were in Portland, OR and that is where I met Kathi Smith, now my incredible mentor. I watched her interact with the technician’s and be the voice for all of us oncology nerds. I knew I wanted to be her (on so many levels!). Technician development is key to a successful practice and exceptional patient and client care. I am excited to meet so many other oncology professionals and learn what you want out of VCS and your career. The liaison is the go-to person to get things done that you want to see happen. I want each of you to reach out to me if you have an idea or suggestions, lets get nerdy and talk oncology!

When I’m not thinking about oncology, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, working on my ever-expanding flower garden, read, crafting, hiking, cheering on the Indiana Pacers, being outdoors and honestly, just laying around doing nothing and watching a movie. I have 3 amazing fur babes, Sophie- pug/Frenchie, Binx- black DMH and Kyra- border collie/basenji mix, oh yeah, and my incredibly supportive and wonderful husband Scott.

Jamie’s Recommended Resources

Now that the holidays are finished you may have set your sights on a New Year’s Resolution. Whether you set your goals of shedding the new addition of holiday weight, save for a big vacation or you’ve been envisioning new heights of career development. I am in no position myself to tell you about a weight loss program, but I think VCS and I might be able to help inspire you with some career development ideas! Below are some resources that you might consider:

Lecturing modality ideas:
Drug and Medical device reps
*they love working with technicians and always have education projects you could help with.

Pet insurance
*Insurance companies are always looking for ways to demonstrate the necessity of pet insurance, what better way than utilize a representative from medical, surgical, radiation or integrative oncology.

Podcast
*We are in the age of podcast, I’m sure you know a few friends or family who are listening to podcast on a daily basis, but also have their own show. These shows are always looking for expert individuals to speak on an episode.

Lunch and Learn lecture series
*Develop some type of lecture series that could be RACE approved. Reach out to the general practices in your area, hospitals you work with on a regular basis or practices that rarely refer and you want to introduce your services (basic lunch and learn, then gear to their needs).

Shelters, Rescues/fosters
*You have probably heard of many cases of pets being surrendered due to poor health and possible cancer. Many shelters and rescues need our help to educate how to care for some of these patients whether they are receiving chemo, radiation or hospice care.

Credentialed Technician or Veterinary Assistant programs
*Be a guest alumni lecturer at your technician school or local program.

Not one for public speaking, (it’s not for everyone, I get it) but you can write and edit a mean case report or article? Here are some ideas to get your foot into the door of the writing and editing world.

  • Today’s Veterinary Nurse
  • VSPN
  • Veterinary Brief
  • Book publishers (Wiley, Elsevier etc)
  • Different Academies or Societies (peer review journal articles)

What type of certificate/ Certification programs are out there for Credentialed Veterinary Technicians? (This list is not limited to the below, these are more focused for our field of expertise)

Veterinary Technician Specialist or Veterinary Nurse Specialist

Integrative medicine:

College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies- CIVT
*Foundation course for small animal natural nutrition
*Certification small animal natural nutrition
*Certification small animal herbology
*Advanced certification small animal naturopathy

The Chi Institute: TCVM- Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Pitcairn institute of Veterinary homeopathy

Lang institute for Massage

Healing Touch for Animals

Medical, Surgical, Radiation and Integrative General certificate/ certification options:

American Association of Veterinary Radiologist- Online Radiation safety (Radiation Safety Training (Techs) (aavr.org))

NarkoVet Veterinary Anesthesia Certifications: Narkovet Veterinary Anesthesia Courses (vetbloom.com) Small Animal

Pain management-
International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) Certification – Certified    Veterinary Pain Practitioner (CVPP) IVAPM Certification (CVPP) | International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management

Companion Animal Pain Management- University of Tennessee   Additional E-learning Courses – CCRP – Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (u-tenn.org)

The American Society of Veterinary Journalists- veterinary journalist certification (CVJ)

NAVC- Human and Animal Bond certificate Human-Animal Bond Certification | NAVC

IAAHPC’s Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (AHPC) Certification International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC)

Business Leadership Certified Veterinary business leader Certified Veterinary Business Leader | NAVC

VHMA Certified Veterinary Practice Management Program About CVPM Certification – VHMA

NAVC Pet Nutrition Coach Certification Pet Nutrition Coach Certification | NAVC

Veterinary Cannabis counselor Certificate Curriculum – VETERINARY CANNABIS

University of Tennessee -Veterinary Social Worker- (VSW-CP) VETERINARYSOCIALWORK.ORG – veterinarysocialwork.org

Fear Free Veterinary Professional Certification Program | Fear Free Pets

Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement – Pet Loss Counselor Certification Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement – Free pet loss & grief support (aplb.org)
*Companion Animal Euthanasia Certification- Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy Training in Euthanasia Best Practices & Veterinary Continuing Education (caetainternational.com)
*Cat Friendly Veterinary Professional Program – AAFP Cat Friendly Certificate Program | American Association of Feline Practitioners (catvets.com)

 

VCS TECHNICIAN MEMBERSHIP

One of the reasons the technician membership is as strong as it is, is the support of Epicur Pharma. Epicur continues to sponsor membership renewals each year. Because of their generosity, new technician members have been able to join at a low rate of $40 and their renewals are complimentary thanks, once again, to the sponsorship of Epicur Pharma.

  • 2022 RENEWING MEMBERS: As mentioned above, thanks to the generosity of Epicur Pharma, sister division of Stokes Pharmacy, 2023 membership renewals for all current VCS member technicians are provided complimentary. Please renew online using the code emailed to you or email Lauren Flaker at vetcancersociety2@gmail.com. Thank you, Epicur Pharma!

 

  • NEW TECHNICIAN MEMBERS:  Any technician joining VCS for the very first time will pay $40 regardless of the time of year that you join.  Click HERE to join.

2022 VCS TECHNICIAN WORKSHOP

Thank you for joining us in person at the 2022 Technician Workshop at VCS!

We hope to see you in Reno, Nevada in 2023!

If you were unable to attend the 2022 Annual Conference in person, in Norfolk, Virginia, it’s not too late!  All of the technician presentations will be available for both CE and non-CE purposes in just a few weeks.  You can register for the 2022 On Demand Annual Conference and watch any presentation that you would like.  Log in to your member account to register.  When you do, you’ll receive an email that provides you with login instructions for the conference platform as well as to the CE site. Please note, videos are currently being edited and will be available soon.

2023 VTS SPECIALTY LICENSE SCHOLARSHIP & APPLICATION PREP COURSE

Congratulations to Lindsey Fourez, our 2022 VTS Scholarship recipient, on successfully earning your VTS in Oncology!

Are you interested in pursuing your VTS in oncology?  The Veterinary Cancer Society provides a travel scholarship to as many as two veterinary technician members who pursue their specialty certification.  For more information click HERE.

For complete information about the specialty exam and application process through AIMVT, click HERE.

PREP COURSE FOR VTS APPLICATIONS

If you are a VCS member technician who is thinking about pursuing your VTS in oncology but you want help with the application process, the 2021 Prep Course videos are still available.  For details, click HERE.

Websites of Interest

Contact Us

Cindy Hazelrigg
573-823-8809
cindy@vetcancersociety.org