Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith | Learning & Development Lead
Queensland Veterinary Specialists

Day 1 @ 12:00

So, you want to be a VTS?

What the VTS really is; are you ready?; the application simplified; studying without burning out; what to expect for exams; after the letters, what's ne

Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith, Learning & Development Lead, Queensland Veterinary Specialists

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Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith / So, you want to be a VTS?

Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith, Learning & Development Lead,
Queensland Veterinary Specialists

Bec is the Learning & Development Lead at Queensland Veterinary Specialists and a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Anaesthesia & Analgesia. She is dedicated to elevating clinical standards through structured education, practical skills training, and evidence-based teaching for...

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Day 1 @ 12:00

Mastering Radiographic Imaging Using PALACE Approach

- Positioning
• Why positioning is everything for diagnostic quality
• Key directional terms + quick landmark checks
• Common positioning mistakes (and how to fix them fast)

  A - Alignment

• Ensuring the area of interest is centred and straight
• Avoiding rotation: quick visual cues before you shoot
• Tricks for aligning challenging patients (painful, fractious, obese)

  L - Labeling

• Correct side markers: why they matter medicolegally
• Preventing mix-ups in multi-view or multi-patient imaging
• Digital vs physical markers — when each works best

  A - Artefacts

• Rapid identification of the most common artefacts
• Patient, equipment, and handler artefacts: how to troubleshoot
• Quick fixes before repeating the shot

  C - Collimation

• Radiation safety + image clarity benefits
• How to judge correct collimation quickly
• Avoiding cut-off anatomy and unnecessary retakes

  E - Exposure

• Fast approach to choosing correct exposure settings
• Recognising overexposure vs underexposure at a glance
• Adjustments you can make without re-positioning

  Putting PALACE Into Practice

• Live walk-through of a case using PALACE
• How to mentally run the checklist in <10 seconds
• Building muscle memory for consistently diagnostic images

Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith, Learning & Development Lead, Queensland Veterinary Specialists

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Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith / Mastering Radiographic Imaging Using PALACE Approach

Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith, Learning & Development Lead,
Queensland Veterinary Specialists

Bec is the Learning & Development Lead at Queensland Veterinary Specialists and a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Anaesthesia & Analgesia. She is dedicated to elevating clinical standards through structured education, practical skills training, and evidence-based teaching for...

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Day 2 @ 15:30

Understanding Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring

Why Use Invasive BP?
• Gold standard for accuracy vs NIBP limitations
• When IBP truly matters: critical patients, unstable anaesthesia, vasoactive drugs
• The clinical value of waveforms (not just numbers)

  2. Arterial Catheter Placement Basics

• Common sites: dorsal pedal, radial, auricular, coccygeal
• Quick anatomy review of chosen sites
• Aseptic prep & cannulation technique
• Securing the line to prevent movement/occlusion

  3. Setting Up the Transducer

• Components: catheter → tubing → flush bag → transducer → monitor
• How to zero the transducer (and why it matters)
• Leveling at the phlebostatic axis
• Ensuring proper fluid flush pressure
• Common setup errors and fast troubleshooting

  4. Anatomy of a Waveforms

• What a normal arterial waveform looks like
• Systolic, diastolic, MAP - what they truly represent
• Damping vs underdamping: how to spot and what to do
• Artefact recognition (movement, air bubbles, clotting, kinked line)

  5. Caring for the Arterial Line

• Maintaining patency (continuous flush, minimising blood backflow)
• Preventing complications: thrombosis, bleeding, infection
• Dressing changes and monitoring the insertion site
• When to remove the line

  6. Blood Sampling from an Arterial Line

• Step-by-step sampling technique
• Preventing dilution, contamination, and air bubbles
• Ideal for blood gases: rapid, accurate, repeatable

  7. Rapid Clinical Application

• Real-world examples: shock, anaesthetic instability, respiratory failure
• How IBP monitoring changes your case management in real time
• When to escalate intervention based on trends

Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith, Learning & Development Lead, Queensland Veterinary Specialists

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Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith / Understanding Invasive Blood Pressure Monitoring

Rebecca Brangwynne-Smith, Learning & Development Lead,
Queensland Veterinary Specialists

Bec is the Learning & Development Lead at Queensland Veterinary Specialists and a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Anaesthesia & Analgesia. She is dedicated to elevating clinical standards through structured education, practical skills training, and evidence-based teaching for...

CloseMore