Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This is the second term of a sequence of three consecutive courses which will be taught fall, winter, and spring terms of the second year.  The purpose of this sequence of courses is to provide the students with the technical knowledge and skills in order to enable them to properly and safely anesthetize, monitor, recover, perform the necessary pre-op, operative, and post-op procedures, and other aspects of anesthesia, and surgical and medical nursing.  In the second course, the student will get a lot of “hands-on” experience in anesthesiology, surgical patient prep, surgical assistance, circulating nurse duties, and dentistry.   

This is designed for second year veterinary technology students and is a graduation requirement for the Associates Degree in Applied Sciences in Veterinary Technology.  Credits in this course are not transferable to a four-year school towards a baccalaureate degree.  

The text required for this course is Small Animal Surgical Nursing by Diane Tracy.

Upon successful completion of the course, the short term outcome will be that the student will have satisfactorily accomplished the goals and objectives of this course content guide and confirmed as provided in the assessment above.  The long term outcome desired is for the student to gain sufficient skills and knowledge of veterinary anesthesiology, surgical assistance, dentistry, and laboratory animal diseases and procedures to successfully pass the National Veterinary Technician Board Examination and effectively utilize the knowledge gained in their Cooperative Education Experience and as a practicing veterinary technician upon graduation.  The course content guides are developed by college-wide subject area faculty and approved by the administration.  

Laboratory tasks with an asterisk indicate tasks the student must be able to perform since they are listed as “essential tasks,” and tasks with two (**) asterisks indicate tasks considered to be “recommended tasks” by the Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  Tasks with no asterisks are considered neither “essential” nor “recommended,” but are taught based on instructor, SACC, and/or advisory committee recommendations.  This course content and outcome guide specifies which tasks students are required to perform (as indicated in the task description) and the tasks on which they have been educated and have observed but individual performance is not required.  

1.0  PRE-OPERATING ROOM PROCEDURES  

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal is for the student to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the procedures used during the preoperative phase.

2.0  METHODS OF STERILIZATION 

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal is for the student to develop a comprehensive knowledge of all the considerations concerning sterilization procedures.

3.0  OPERATING ROOM PROCEDURES  

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal is for the student to gain a comprehensive knowledge and skills in the proper procedures used in the operating room.

4.0  SUTURE MATERIALS AND NEEDLES  

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal for the student is to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the types of materials and suture needles and their uses in veterinary medicine.

5.0  SPECIAL SURGICAL PROCEDURES

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal is for the student to develop a comprehensive knowledge in the principles concerning special operating room and surgical procedures, also, the various problems commonly encountered in the operating room.  

6.0   VETERINARY DENTISTRY

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal is for the student to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the proper methods of dental scaling and polishing, dental pathology and how to recognize the common dental problems.

7.0  LABORATORY ANIMAL MEDICINE AND PROCEDURES

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL:  
The goal is for the student to learn the various restraint techniques, nursing procedures, disease processes, husbandry, and veterinary procedural techniques in laboratory animal species, which includes the rat, mouse, rabbit, gerbil, hamster, ferret, and the guinea pig.  

8.0  LABORATORY COMPETENCIES  

INSTRUCITONAL GOAL:  
The student should demonstrate the ability to perform adequately the necessary tasks required of the veterinary technician.

This course is designed to be a lecture and laboratory course.  It is a four-credit-hour course that meets for two-lecture hours per week and six laboratory hours per week.  All students will meet for lab one and one half-hours to learn those skills necessary as a surgical technician.  In the other four and a half hours of lab, each students will rotate through the following duty assignments for one lab session each: anesthetist, circulating nurse, surgical assistant, and dental technician.  This means each student will be in this part of the lab for a total of 4 weeks.  In the other six weeks, the students will be in a lecture and lab devoted to the study of laboratory animal diseases and procedures.  

Lecture will cover fundamentals of asepsis, preparation for surgery, surgical instruments, surgical materials, electrosurgery, special surgical procedures, and dentistry.

Grades will be based on the student’s understanding of the course content as demonstrated by periodic examinations, a task proficiency check-off sheet, a comprehensive final exam that includes a proficiency examination, and by attendance.  To receive a passing grade, the student must have attended a minimum of 80 percent of each of the lecture and lab classes.