VTS (ECC) case studies
VTS (ECC) · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Veterinary Technician Specialist in Emergency and Critical Care, or VTS(ECC), is a specialty credential conferred by the Academy of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Technicians and Nurses (AVECCTN), the first organization recognized by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America as a veterinary technician specialty. AVECCTN describes itself not as a course or school but as a certifying body: candidates build eligibility through work experience over a three to five year period, continuing education, and documented advanced emergency and critical care skills, then apply through a rigorous process. The VTS (ECC) case studies are 5 cases and about 2,489 words.
1The Collapsing Cat with a Rate-Dependent Murmur
A 9-year-old castrated male domestic shorthair, 6.8 kg, is presented collapsed at 23:00. The owner reports a 3-day history of hiding and reduced appetite.
534 words, about 3 min2Post-Operative GDV: When the Numbers Don't Match the Dog
A 38 kg Great Dane is 6 hours post-gastric derotation and gastropexy for GDV. He is on LRS at 5 mL/kg/hr, has a nasogastric tube in place draining serosanguineous fluid, and is receiving maropitant and methadone.
525 words, about 3 min3The Bradycardic Trauma Patient During Transport
You are the technician on a mobile ECC unit called to a rural clinic 90 minutes from the referral hospital. A 4-year-old Labrador (31 kg) was hit by a car 45 minutes ago.
497 words, about 2 min4The Blocked Cat with a Potassium of 8.9
A 5-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair (5.2 kg) presents with a 36-hour history of straining to urinate. He is depressed, has a tense painful bladder, and is producing only drops of urine.
485 words, about 2 min5The Continuing-Education Gap: Choosing What to Learn Next
You are a credentialed veterinary technician in a 4-veterinarian general practice that sees emergencies on a walk-in basis until 10 pm. Over the past year, three cases went badly: a blocked cat that arrested during catheterization, a GDV that was stabilized but crashed during transfer, and a dog that developed pulmonary edema after a fluid bolus.
448 words, about 2 min