The Veterinary Technology program at Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC) is taking part in a worldwide effort to train Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians in the most current, evidence-based emergency life-saving techniques for cats and dogs. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the RECOVER Initiative extended a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training to students of accredited universities and colleges with veterinary training programs at no cost to the students or their institutions. The RECOVER Initiative is a non-profit, volunteer-based program within the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) and Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (VECCS) dedicated to conducting high-quality education, evidence search, and guideline creation.

As of May 2020, over 160 schools in 23 countries had registered with the program and 18,507 students enrolled in the online evidence-based canine and feline CPR training, the signature program of the RECOVER Initiative. As of July 15, 2020, 83% of SRTC’s Veterinary Technology current program students and 100% of the recent graduates had completed the training. 

“We had already covered canine CPR in our labs, but this training deepened my knowledge and confidence in emergency care for cats and dogs,” said SRTC Vet Tech student Savannah Maton.

The online training module covers Basic Life Support (BLS) consisting of five modules including concepts in assessing a non-responsive patient, performing chest compressions and ventilation during CPR, as well as team communication, and Advanced Life Support (ALS) consisting of three modules detailing concepts in patient monitoring, vascular access, drug administration, and defibrillation. The next step towards becoming a RECOVER Certified Rescuer is participation in the in-person training and skills assessment.

“The Executive Board of the RECOVER Initiative believes that CPR training is essential for students in veterinary training programs,” said Jamie Burkitt, DVM, DACVECC who is a co-chair to the RECOVER Initiative. “We hope that our online training modules help students continue to learn these critical skills in our new, virtual world.”