I just love the puzzle of anesthesia and pain management. I love creating an anesthetic and analgesic plan for a patient based on their specific pain management goals and coexisting disease processes. But above everything else, I love talking with other veterinary professionals about anesthesia and pain management.
When I created the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds group on Facebook it was purely for selfish reasons. I simply wanted to geek out with others on veterinary anesthesia topics. I wanted to learn new things and grow as a technician to benefit my patients. What started out with myself and 15 friends has grown to a community with over 8,900 members from across the globe. How awesome is that?
Well, it gets even more awesome! About a year ago I met Dr. Andi Looney , DVM, DAVCAA and she just got me. She understands how important anesthesia and pain management education is to veterinary team members. Then we joked about having our own “Anesthesia Nerds” conference where it’s nothing but anesthesia topics all day every day. That dream led to a conversation, which lead to planning, and organizing, and with some help from VetBloom online veterinary education we are actually having our Anesthesia Nerds Symposium in Chicago in October of this year!
Right about now the theme from Flashdance should be playing…”Take your passion and make it happen!”
And, because I’m incredibly passionate about dexmedetomidine (best drug ever BTW) I got it tattooed on my arm. Then through the magic of the interweb and a You Tube video professing my love for DexDomitor:
I got invited to Espoo, Finland where they manufacture DexDomitor! It was fantastic! I got the inside scoop on Sileo before it was even approved in the States. I had a rare behind the scenes tour of the manufacturing facility. I was even invited to speak about how I use dexmedetomidine in practice at the international sales meeting. I had started by giving talks to a handful of technicians in our break room upstairs at the clinic, and here I was now discussing dexmedetomidine with veterinarians from Poland and Denmark!
So kids, take home message is this: Veterinary medicine is amazing, and we are doing great things. You may not make any money, but you may create something even better.
And if you’re an anesthesia nerd and want to geek out with me in Chicago this fall, I hope to see you at the Anesthesia Symposium!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tasha is a Certified Veterinary Technician form Glenside, PA. She is also a certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and works closely with the IVAPM to educate the public about animal pain awareness. Tasha loves to lecture on various anesthesia and pain management topics around the globe. In her spare time Tasha enjoys reading, spending time with her son, and trying to figure out “what kind of game is Petyr Baelish playing anyway”.
