What is an ACA? - PowerPoint Presentation

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What is an ACA?

A Day in the life of an animal care assistantSlide2

Did you know……..

Animal Care Assistants

are employed in a variety of animal care environments; these include veterinary clinics, animal shelters which may lead to a career in animal cruelty investigations, pet stores, research colonies, grooming salons, and wildlife facilities.

Animal Care Assistants take a one year diploma program at an accredited college. The skills graduates bring to their place of employment will help to increase both the quality and scope of the services provided to animals and their owners.So how do I become one?Slide3

Applying to the Animal Care Program

An applicant to the Animal Care Assistant program must complete the Ontario

Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with the majority of Grade 11 and 12 courses at the C, U or M level including the following prerequisites:

Grade 12 English at the C or M levelGrade 11 Math at the C, U or M levelSlide4

While in College…

This is a one-year, hands-on program focus­ing on the skills required to work in careers involving animal care. Students spend a large portion of their time working with

small and large animals

. Lab time is also spent learning surgical sup­port techniques and basic clinical laboratory procedures which aid in the diagnosis and treatment of disease in domestic animals.Slide5

What does an ACA do at a hospital?

Puppies and Kittens oh my! Yes our job can be full of rewarding cuddles and kisses, but what many people don’t know is what goes on in the treatment room of our clinic. Here is a sneak peek into the heart of our industry, and why we love what we do!Slide6

Morning Prep

We arrive on shift and check to see who is in hospital. We prepare our mop bucket for the day and ensure all the animals in the kennels have clean dry bedding, food, and water.

We walk around the clinic and make sure everything is tidy and clean for appointments to being.

We go through all of the appointments for the day and record on a list which vaccines are due and other pertinent information to make the appointments flow easily.

Nicole is making a list of the appointments for the day and reviewing each patients record to ensure the day flows smoothlySlide7

Appointments begin…

Every appointment that comes through our doors is checked in by reception first. We introduce ourselves and weigh the patient.

We create what’s called a “SOAP” which is a structure we use to record medical history. “SOAP” stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan.

This is Finn. He was here for an ear cleaning and treatmentSlide8

Subjective information is gathered…

We ask the owners a specific set of questions for each visit reason whether it be vomiting, allergies, laceration, anal gland abscess, or just a regular vaccine appointment.

We then excuse ourselves and relay all of this information to the Doctor in what we call a “brief”.

Nicole is relaying to Dr. Anna the details in brief of her appointment she just loadedSlide9

Treatment time…

If the pet is here for vaccines, we draw them up for the vet and record the pets information in their health record.

If the pet requires a treatment, the Vet will ask us to bring the patient back for the treatment.

We collect them from the exam room and bring them to the treatment area for the tech to perform their treatments.

Our position is the most hands on, as we must restrain the pets in a safe manner, while protecting them, us, and the technician.

Here Christine is performing a nail trim on

Moose. He is an Old English Sheepdog and weighs over 120 lbs!Slide10

Restraint techniques for Cats

Nicole is demonstrating how to restrain for a

cephalic

blood collection

Here she is showing us how to restrain for a

jugular

blood collectionSlide11

Restraint techniques for Dogs

Nicole is demonstrating how to restrain for

cephalic

blood collection

Here she is showing us how to hold Sierra for

saphenous

blood collection

And lastly, this is how she restrains for

jugular

blood collectionSlide12

After we have completed the appointment we clean the exam room and sanitize it thoroughly.

We intake the next appointment and keep on going throughout our day until it’s time to go home.

Throughout the day when there is a lull in appointments, we are responsible for the upkeep of the clinic. We sweep and vacuum the floors, sanitize all surfaces of the hospital, stock up products such as syringes and bandaging materials, and assist the techs with their duties.

We also mentor and train the high school co-op students that we have each semester and teach them first hand what it’s like to be an ACA.

Post Appointment

Nicole is spraying down the exam table with an antiseptic cleanserSlide13

At the end of our day after everything is clean, we round with the next shift and let them know what’s been completed on our task list.

We check with the tech and the Vet to make sure they do not need anything either, and then sign out for the day. Until next time!

End of ShiftSlide14

If we are scheduled to work a surgery shift, our day begins and ends very differently. We come in at 7:30 am and intake all of the surgical admits, creating estimates for them and signing consent paperwork.

We set up all of their beds and assist the techs with pre-anesthetic bloodwork and sedation

We make a list of surgeries the night before and prepare everything we can in order to provide efficient and smooth admits in the morning

Surgical Assistant

Christine is creating an estimate for a surgical admitSlide15

Next we have to set up the surgical suite. We begin by calibrating the CO2 laser to ensuring it’s performing properly.

We turn on the heating blanket for the surgical table, and place a towel over it to protect the patient from surface contact.

We then turn on the oxygen and the scavenger fan. We set up the prep tables with all of the supplies the technician needs such as IV catheters, gauze squares, skin scrub, alcohol, tape, and vet wrap.

Surgical set-up

This is the tech tray with IV catheters, gauze squares, sterile skin prep solution, alcohol, and clippers

Jessica is surgery ACA today. She is calibrating the laser to ensure it is performing properlySlide16

Next we open all of our packs. Depending on which surgery is being performed, there are certain instruments which are required. We have basic surgical packs for spays and neuters, and specialized hand instruments for abdominal exploratory surgery, cystotomies, and C-sections.

We must open the packs in a sterile fashion and be sure not to touch anything inside. We then place a scalpel blade and suture material into the sterile pack.

Next we must open our gown packs. We open them the same way as the instrument packs, and now we place gloves, a sterile hand towel inside.

Surgical table set up

This is a sterile surgery pack with suture material and a scalpel blade

This is a gown pack with a sterile gown, hand towel, and surgical glovesSlide17

Next we prepare a cap and mask for each person in surgery, as well as sterile booties that are worn over our shoes to prevent contamination.

The Vet will scrub their hands with a special antiseptic brush and soap for 10 minutes and clean underneath their nails before they dry off with a sterile hand towel and gown up.

We now gather suture materials, IV lines, IV bags, and any other materials for the patients need.

This display shows what sort of accessories we need for each surgery such as suture material, scalpel blades, a surgical mask, sterile shoe covers, and IV fluids for the patient

Dr. Anna is scrubbing up for surgery using a sterile hand brush and fingernail cleanerSlide18

We now have to set up our scrub bins. We fill the sink with hot water and apply an antiseptic instrument cleaner. We fill the first bin with a second antiseptic rinse, and the second one with surgical milk. The milk is what protects the instruments from rusting.

Time to begin! We hold all of the patients for the tech to administer sedation and induction agents, place IV catheters, and intubate the patients.

We then transfer the patients into the surgical suite and perform a final prep on the surgical site. We operate the vacuum which evacuates the smoke plume from the laser out of the building.

All our surgery patients receive a complimentary nail trim and ear cleaning while under anesthetic

This is the scrub sink where all of our instruments are sterilized and washed thoroughly

Dr. Anna is observing Marta prepare the patient for surgery while remaining sterile Slide19

After the surgery is completed, we recover the patient in their bed and ensure they are warm and cozy.

We pull out their ET tube when they are awake and beginning to swallow, and we can ensure they are safe to breathe on their own.

We continue this process until the end of the day. In between surgeries we clean our instruments and pack them into a two layer wrap with an indicator strip.

We place our packs into the autoclave and they are sterilized at a very high temperature with steam.

Christine is recovering our patient Hershey after her spay. She still has her endotracheal tube in

This is our autoclave where we sterilize all of our surgical packs and hand instruments with steamSlide20

Next we start clean up. We empty all of the parts from surgery into a bin in the freezer. They are picked up by an outside service and cremated.

Next we turn off the oxygen and sterilize the surgical suite.

We remove the patients from IV fluids and take out their IV catheters. We give them some breakfast and fresh water, and take them out to use the washroom.

After clean up is all done we check with our technician and ensure all of our duties are complete and head home.

This is a two way door system we have from the surgical prep area directly into surgery so whomever is sterile can remain sterile when taking instruments out of the cabinet

Jessica is scrubbing the surgical instruments and then she will pack them up and sterilize themSlide21

Yes we get many cuddles and kisses from our patients but the most rewarding thing is knowing they were well cared for and we did everything we could to help them while they were here. That’s why we love coming to work each day

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This is Penelope. She was found on our clients doorstep pregnant and in rough shape. She was brought in with worms, fleas, an upper respiratory infection, and a bite wound on her neck. Four months later she is a happy healthy Mom of six, and doing great at home

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