North Carolina Association of Veterinary Technicians
Summer 2020 NCAVT NEWSLETTER
President's Letter
Greetings NCAVT Members,
I hope this letter finds you well during all the craziness we are experiencing both on a state and national level.
I am excited once again to be addressing you as President of the North Carolina Association of Veterinary Technicians. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this association and profession to great things this election year.
As you know, the pandemic forced the NCAVT to cancel our annual spring conference at NC State just days before the event. This was a huge disappointment for our association, membership as well as the vendors. I am extremely grateful this sudden cancelation did not have a negative impact on the association from a financial standpoint. Thank you to each and every one of you that was impacted by this cancellation, I truly appreciate your patience while we navigated through this unprecedented time. Although it was a difficult decision to cancel the conference, I believe it was the right decision.
As I write this summer letter, we are currently planning the fall conference in Wilmington at Cape Fear Community College. We are hoping to hold the conference as planned however we are not entirely sure if it is the right decision. The executive board will be meeting later this month to further discuss the future of the conference as well as other options. Once a final decision is reached, we will communicate via email.
The NCAVT has worked hard over the past couple of months to bring membership virtual continuing education on various topics. We will continue to bring you, the members, these exclusive opportunities. If there is a topic you would like us to present, let us know!
Finally, are you on social media? We are too! Please connect with us. Check out our features including Motivational Monday, Podcast Spotlights, Feel Good Friday and so much more. We would love to learn from you!
I hope you have a wonderful summer filled with good times and good memories. Stay safe.
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Cheers,
Maureen
Membership Renewal
With your membership you will receive:
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A discount to both our fall and spring conferences
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A NAVTA membership discount
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Newsletters pertaining to NCAVT and updates in the Veterinary Technology world
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Free access to the NCAVT Career Center
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Free Virtual CE Classes
In addition, your membership allows us to:
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Maintain this networking website
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Provide affordable continuing education
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Award scholarships to deserving future RVT's attending North Carolina AVMA accredited schools
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Help donate to 501(c)(3) organizations in the state that many of you hold close to your heart
Continuing Education
Since the NCVMB will be accepting online CE for 2020. We are committed to helping all the RVTs in our state that need to fulfill their requirements. We will be hosting monthly webinars that will provide you credits.
Thank you to all those who have given their time and effort to teach these wonderful and informative classes. If you happen to miss this last webinar, you will not want to miss the next. Watch your email boxes for your chance to sign up. More webinars will be announced as we can make them available. Just keep an eye out for them via email and through our social media outlets.
NCAVT Career Center
Get to the right job faster!
Spend less time searching and more time applying to relevant positions with the new, immersive "Job Search" page on North Carolina Association of Veterinary Technicians. The new layout allows you to view job search results and job details on one screen, making searches faster. Come see the new design today and explore the new features:
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Real Time Filters: Same great advanced filters, now with real-time updating
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New View: New "Pane View" makes job searches faster
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Take a Tour: Guide walk-through training available on demand
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Career Matches: Find relevant jobs easier with the updated "Jobs You May Like" section
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Bookmarked Jobs: Bookmark jobs using the new star logo and apply when you're ready
School News
Nash Community College
It's Official!
At its April 23 – 25, 2020 meeting, the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) granted initial accreditation to the Nash Community College of Veterinary Technology. To which Mrs. Gail Harrell, RVT, Nash Community College's Director of Veterinary Medical Technology stated "We are so excited about our accreditation. The original remodeling of an existing building on campus is completed. Of course, there are plenty of things to tweak. We are trying to wait patiently for the building to start on our addition which will house another lab/teaching area, offices, mock exam rooms, and our dentistry suite. The support from the veterinary community (clinics, individuals, and the other VMT programs) has been awesome. We would like to say thank you to each and every one of you that have helped and supported us. Hopefully, we can continue to work together to help our profession to grow."
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We congratulate Nash Community College on their accreditation and offer another to each of the students of their "2020" class!
Nash's First Graduating Class "2020" with Instructors:
Dr. Mandy Tolson
Dr. Catherine Deans
Karen Walker, RVT
Gail Harrell, RVT
Does your school have updates or information you want to see in the newsletter? Email us at info.ncavt@gmail.com
Suicide Awareness
What to watch for and what to do
"A new study, 'Suicides and deaths of undetermined intent among veterinary professionals from 2003 through 2014' sheds new light on the issue of suicide among veterinary professions. It is known that veterinarians in the United States and abroad have a higher suicide risk compared with the general population. This new study confirms the increased rate of suicide with stronger statistical methods and introduces new data." according to Randall J. Nett, MD, MPH; Tracy Witte, Ph.D.; Elizabeth G. Spitzer, MA; Nicole Edwards, MS; and Katherine A. Fowler, Ph.D. at the CDC. (1)
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The study confirmed that male veterinarians are 1.6 times and female veterinarians are 2.4 times more likely to commit suicide over the general population. For the first time, a study like this included veterinary technicians and technologists and found that males were 5.0 times and females were 2.3 times more likely to commit suicide over the general population. However, veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers showed no higher likelihood than the general population. The study showed that while the veterinarians in the study died commonly use pentobarbitals to aid their deaths, while veterinary technicians and technologists more ofter died due to opioid poisoning. The study showed that most veterinary technicians and technologists had a history of suicide attempts. Nearly 30% of all decedents had told someone, 55% had a history of receiving treatment for mental health, and 42% were receiving mental health or substance abuse treatments at the time of their fatal events. (1)
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Many factors attribute to a team member's decision to take their own life with may include but are not limited to "demands of practice, such as long work hours, work overload, and practice management responsibilities. Ever-increasing educational debt-to-income ratio. Poor work-life balance. Also, access to euthanasia solution used for animals and the training to calculate a dose that could also be lethal in people."(2)
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If you feel like you are in crisis, please get help right away by calling the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Or you can call (919) 870-4487 or 1-877-588-8089 for a program available to North Carolina Veterinarians and RVTs suffering from chemical dependency or substance abuse.
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The following things are what you can do to help if someone is threatening suicide
1) If you are with the person, don’t leave him or her alone. Try to remain calm and tell them that you love and care about them and don’t want them to die. 2) Get help from a trained professional as quickly as possible. Encourage the person to call a suicide hotline number (800-273-TALK or 800-273-8255) to reach a trained counselor. If he or she refuses, and you are on the phone with them, remain on the line, but text someone else to call 911. 3) If you can, ask the person if you can take them to the nearest hospital emergency room. The person may need to be hospitalized until the suicidal crisis has passed. 4) Offer to go along. Encourage your family member or friend to give his or her permission for you to speak on their behalf to an emergency, primary, and behavioral health care providers. 5) If they refuse to get help at that moment, ask them to postpone the decision. Tell them they may feel different tomorrow or even next week. Sometimes, the immediate crisis will pass, but it’s important to encourage them to talk. If possible, and if they are not at immediate risk of harming themselves, try to bring up the subject by saying, “I’m worried about you — you mentioned the other day that you felt like ending your life. Do you still feel that way?” Then ask them if you can help them arrange to see a professional. (2)
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We all got into this business because we love animals and know all life is precious. Our lives are important too. Please, take care of yourself. Reach out if you are depressed or burnt out. Take time to take care of yourself and watch out for your fellow teammates. Lately, with the stress of Covid-19 changes to our world, the owners and clients have become more demanding and less compliant resulting in our already high-stress jobs have become even more so. Now is the time to mindful of your emotions and your co-workers. We care about each one of you and wish you health and happiness.
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Resources:
1.) "Suicide Risk for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians" (September 4, 2019) by Randall J. Nett, MD, MPH; Tracy Witte, Ph.D.; Elizabeth G. Spitzer, MA; Nicole Edwards, MS; and Katherine A. Fowler, Ph.D. Retrieved from https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2019/09/04/veterinary-suicide/
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2.) "Suicide in the Veterinary Profession: Warning Signs and Prevention Tips" (2020) by Patricia Wuest Retrieved from https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/articles/suicide-in-the-veterinary-profession-warning-signs-and-prevention-tips/
TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD
With all the gloom and doom in the world and the fears over viruses and economical upsets, we all need to hear something good. So, we are offering a chance to be featured in this part of the newsletter. Submit a story or case study that brought you happiness. Submissions can be uploaded to the "Tell Me Something Good" sections on our social media sites. If you aren't following us, just use the links below and connect with us.
join the ncavt
executive board
Are you interested in joining the NCAVT Executive Board? We are currently accepting resumes and nominations for our NAVTA Representative position!
If you are a Registered Veterinary Technician in North Carolina interested in making a difference in your community, representing our profession, and encouraging career development, the NCAVT Executive Board is perfect for you! To become a board member, you must be an active member of NCAVT. Note - for this specific position, you must also be an active member of NAVTA.
So, what does the NAVTA Representative do?​
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Serves a two-year term position with NCAVT
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Responsible for being aware of the national trends in the Veterinary Technician and Veterinary Assistant fields
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Acts as a liaison between NCAVT and NAVTA when needed and submit short articles regarding NCAVT activities and conferences for publication in the NAVTA journal
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Attends the NAVTA Leadership Conferences and represents the NCAVT
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Works closely with the Public Relations Officer to help promote National Veterinary Technician Week
NCVMB UPDATE
Did you see the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board June 2020 Regulatory Bulletin?
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We would like to thank the NCVMB for their continued support of Registered Veterinary Technicians. We are incredibly grateful that our profession is supported and recognized, and that our title is protected by our veterinary medical board.
Do you have something you would like to share in the newsletter?
Email info.ncavt@gmail.com
Summer 2020 Newsletter