Courtney Waxman, MS, CVT, RVT, VTS (ECC)

Courtney specializes in emergency and critical care.

cwaxman@purdue.edu

Bio

Courtney Waxman, CVT, RVT, VTS(ECC) is originally from Arizona and found her passion for emergency and critical care medicine after completing an internship during her technician schooling. She has spent over 12 years working in private emergency/specialty practice, and her areas of special interest include CPR, mechanical ventilation, one-on-one case management, critical care nursing, critical thinking, and technician training. Courtney currently works as an Instructional Technologist for Purdue University's Veterinary Nursing Distance-Learning Program and in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital's emergency and ICU departments.

In addition to Purdue, she is the NAVTA District-6 Representative, the President-Elect for the Indiana Veterinary Technician Association, on the Veterinary Nurse Initiative advisory team, is a RECOVER Certified BLS & ALS Instructor, a national speaker on ECC topics, and has been published in several veterinary technician/nursing journals.

Off duty she enjoys world ravel with her husband, reading, yoga, and spoiling her two dogs, Biggs and Ollie.

Past Presentations

Any/all ECC topics for veterinary technicians/nurses: I'm interested in speaking on any ECC-related topic.

Examples include triage, shock, CPR, Kirby's Rule of 20, ICU/ER bootcamp, ICU/ER procedures, mechanical ventilation, fluid therapy, analgesia, anesthesia, heatstroke, sepsis, anaphylaxis, acute kidney injury, traumatic brain injury, toxicology, or multi-parameter monitoring.
RECOVER BLS & ALS Rescuer Certification: This hands on workshop is for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and DVM/nursing students who have completed the online course, "CPR: Basic & Advanced Life Support" (8.5 hr CE).

The hands on portion will use CPR simulators to review the important concepts of basic and advanced life support. Participants will practice running arrest scenarios in groups. The lab will conclude with an assessment of BLS and ALS skills. Upon successful completion, participants will receive certificates documenting their status as a certified BLS and ALS Rescuer through the RECOVER Initiative and the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care.
Tools for Success: The Path to VTS: Discuss the process for veterinary technicians/nurses to advance their careers and achieve professional fulfillment by obtaining their Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS).

Explain what a VTS is and review the 16 specialty academies approved by NAVTA.

Breakdown the general requirements for specialization (diploma/license, work experience, CE, letters of recommendation).

Review what's expected for case logs and case reports.

Discuss the challenges and the journey of obtaining your VTS, drawing from my own personal experience as a two-time VTS applicant, one-time appealer, and four-time exam taker.

Go through what's expected for studying for the exam, including breaking down the test content, utilizing study groups, and taking advantage of podcasts and other "alternative" study materials.

Discuss what opportunities (both in and outside of a clinical setting) are available once you have your VTS (i.e. training, teaching, speaking, publishing).

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