One of Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s very own, Rehabilitation Technician Jessica Bowditch, RVT, CCRP, won Best Presentation for a case report she gave during this year’s WVC Conference in Las Vegas, Nev. She was one of six participants in the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) Technician Case Report Session held February 20.
As part of her role in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Jessica provides clinical casework and teaches fundamentals of physical rehabilitation to students in the College’s Veterinary Nursing Program. Her presentation focused on the case of a police K9 officer named “Sheriff Bruno,” who came to the Physical Rehabilitation service in 2016, following a bilateral femoral head and neck osteotomy performed by the Hospital’s Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery team. At the time, Bruno was a three-year-old American Bulldog that worked for the Lake County, Indiana Police Department as a comfort K9, meaning he would attend funerals and fundraisers supporting police, military officers, and their families around the country. In her presentation, entitled “Sheriff Bruno Receives Bilateral Comfort,” Jessica described Bruno’s journey through rehabilitation after his surgeries.
The NAVTA Technician Case Report session gives veterinary technicians the opportunity to submit and present their own cases at the WVC Conference. Through the program, veterinary technicians are able to gain valuable experience in public speaking and making presentations to large groups. Each presentation received critiques from judges on how the presenters could improve their speaking and presentation skills. Jessica was judged the best of the six presenters who participated.
Jessica received her associate of science degree in veterinary technology at Baker College in Jackson, Mich., in 2013. She began working at Purdue in the rehabilitation service as a registered veterinary technician in 2015. Two years later, she received her certification in canine physical rehabilitation from the University of Tennessee. She currently is working on pursuing her veterinary technician specialty (VTS) in physical rehabilitation.