The Vet Tech Cafe's Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Vet Tech Taproom 53 Aug 24, 2025

Show notes

As Dave and Jeff prepare for IVECCS they had one final Taproom before heading to San Diego! What are your thoughts on Space vs. Ocean? Which is scarier?

We've got a lot of great guests coming up in the next couple months!

HiVE Anaheim: https://navc.com/hive/vet-nurse-and-tech/

Illinois Veterinary Technicians: https://www.isvma.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ISVMA-Title-Infographic-7.25-10.pdf

Union organization shutdown: https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&catId=617&Id=12798538

Vet Tech Cafe - Chelsey Vanetten Episode Aug 10, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, are you ready to laugh and hear cool stories?! We recently had Chelsey Vanetten over at the Vet Tech Cafe, and she is a VTS in Anesthesia and Analgesia. She told us all about anesthetizing fish, researching large mouth bass, and how she utilizes her knowledge and expertise to elevate anesthesia in veterinary practices in which she provides relief services, and training and education. This is an incredibly fun episode you don't want to miss!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

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Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Vet Tech Taproom Episode 52 Aug 03, 2025

Show notes

Been a while since we had a taproom! We're retiring our "state of the profession" quiestion for all our guests, but we had to let it go out with one last hurrah. We talk about respect, patient:tech ratios, and surviving in the field.

Vet Tech Cafe - Amanda Kriesel Episode Jul 27, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, does anyone on your leadership team have an advanced, non-veterinary, degree in something to do with leadership? If not, we highly recommend listening to this episode with Amanda Kriesel. She has a Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and did her thesis on OTJ veterinary technicians. This made for a fascinating discussion about leadership. She is also very active with the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians and worked with her group to recently get title protection in their state. We cover a lot of ground in this one, and there are some other really raw emotions in this one, so make sure to give it a listen!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Vet Tech Cafe - Andrea Crabtree Episode Jul 13, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, do you know what benefits you receive? Do you understand there are various federal and state protections you're entitled to? Do you understand your benefits package or know where to find the information in your employee handbook? Do you even have one of those? In this episode of the Vet Tech Cafe, we sat down with Andrea Crabtree Wood who is a CVPM and has several HR certifications as well, to talk all things employee benefits. Oh, and if you're provided a benefit for work and are not allowed to use it, you can't be retaliated against either. There's a lot to unpack in this one, but a lot of really valuable information.

Show Links:

https://www.pawsitiveleaders.com/

http://www.furpawsconsulting.com/

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Vet Tech Cafe - Kelly Foltz Episode #2 Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, this is a HEAVY episode. But it is one you ABSOLUTELY need to tune in to. You may remember our episode with Kelly Foltz from 2023 where she touched on the idea of futile care and has since been involved in researching this topic (link below). In this most recent discussion we try to define and label this idea, which proves to be very tricky and as yet is still undecided. But the fact remains, as evidenced by her research, we all have, or will, experience futile care in veterinary medicine. That "why are we doing this" patient. This episode starts that discussion and hopefully many more because we need to be preparing all future veterinarians and credentialed technicians for this. We need to learn to identify it, talk about it, and develop steps to mitigate it because it is not going away. DO NOT miss this episode.

Show Links:

The first paper by Peterson et al focused on clinicians: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/260/12/javma.22.01.0033.xml The paper I co-authored focused on technicians: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/263/4/javma.24.10.0659.xml; published this year. Today's Veterinary Practice article, may be more accessible than the research papers: https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/practice-management/recognizing-futile-care-in-veterinary-medicine/ Hastings Center For Bioethics article by Dr. Peterson and Dr. Boyd: https://www.thehastingscenter.org/veterinarians-often-provide-futile-care-doing-so-comes-at-a-cost/ Marie Holowaychuk blog post: https://marieholowaychuk.com/2022/08/03/futile-care-and-the-impact-on-wellbeing-in-veterinary-medicine/ Practical Bioethics from 2023: https://www.practicalbioethics.org/whats-new/three-definitions-of-medical-futility-and-how-to-balance-them/ Human paper from 2005: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16159066/ AMA paper from 2007: https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/medical-futility-legal-and-ethical-analysis/2007-05

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Vet Tech Cafe Inge Breathnach Episode Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, let's talk oncology. And let's have that conversation with Inge Breathnach! Inge (@oncologyrvn) came by the Vet Tech Cafe recently (TWICE due to technical issues!) to talk all things oncology. We discussed the importance of alignment, ethically speaking, between the oncology nurse and the oncology veterinarian, the importance of celebrating your wins no matter how small they may be, and flipping the script from the difficulty that comes with a cancer diagnosis to the impact we can make in helping the patient feel better and improve their quality of life, and give the owner more time with their pets. We covered a lot of ground in this one, but not nearly as much ground as Inge has covered in her career from Ireland to Australia to the UK-more on that in the episode!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Vet Tech Taproom Episode 51 Jun 08, 2025

Show notes

Taproom 51! Jeff has a new baby! We discuss Vet Tech title protection in Illinois and recap of our May episodes. We also discuss time off.. paternity, bereavement. What else do you get for time off? Our upcoming episodes are getting scheduled. Onco, futile care and shelter medicine coming up soon!

Vet Tech Cafe - Kelly Drescher Johnson Episode 2 May 25, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, you may remember we recently spoke with Kelly Drescher Johnson and talked about end of life care and grief, and the company she started, Veterinary Chaplaincy Services. During that discussion she mentioned the idea of the "World's Worst Cocktail Party" and grief. We decided to make that a whole episode for Mental Health Awareness Month! This discussion was fascinating and made so much sense how we move through grief and how that applies not only to ourselves, but pet owners in our hospitals as well. This episode had no script-just an incredible discussion about grief and how we move through it, and resources for pet owners. Don't miss it!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Vet Tech Cafe - Lynn Blake Episode 2 May 11, 2025

Show notes

Caffeinators, you may remember when we had Lynn Blake on in the Summer of 2024. There were a few points in that discussion that made us think she'd be a perfect fit for our May episodes where we focus on mental health in our field for Mental Health Awareness Month. Lynn cam back recently to tell us what she's doing now and we discussed mental health in our field from several different angles, including those that are a result of the current political landscape in the US. There are some difficult moments in this one, but, if you're in a leadership role, I can't recommend this episode enough as we discuss QPR training at length, and Lynn shares when she had to utilize that training, and so much more.

Show Links:

988 Lifeline https://988lifeline.org

QPR Training https://qprinstitute.com

The Trevor Project https://www.thetrevorproject.org

RAINN https://rainn.org

ACLU Know Your Rights https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe