Increasing Confidence in Anesthesia (October 2025)

[Technician Program]

Course Date: October 4, 2025 
Course Location: Bark City Veterinary Specialists | Park City, Utah

Course Description This 8-hour, didactic/interactive course is designed to deepen your expertise in caring for sedated and anesthetized patients. We begin with anesthetic equipment preparation and troubleshooting, challenging participants to identify common pitfalls with machines and monitoring devices. Core modules then focus on the primary monitoring modalities: oxygenation (optimizing pulse oximetry), ventilation (capnography), and cardiovascular monitoring (ECG interpretation and non-invasive blood pressure).

Participants will gain knowledge on anesthesia emergencies (recognition, prioritization, and treatment algorithms), a concise, practical pharmacology review of commonly used agents and their physiologic effects during anesthesia, and a myth-busting discussion to replace persistent misconceptions with evidence-based practice. A structured hands-on lab covering anesthesia machine and ventilator setup, maintenance, oxygen flow paths, leak/pressure checks, mode selection, troubleshooting, and “tips & tricks” for real-world efficiency.

Learning Objectives

• By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
• Confidently assemble anesthesia machines and ventilators, select appropriate breathing circuits, and perform routine checkout (leak/pressure tests) and basic maintenance, tracing oxygen flow and identifying failure points.
• Configure and troubleshoot ventilators (mode/setting selection, alarms, fresh-gas flows) for common canine/feline scenarios.
• Recognize and avoid equipment and monitoring errors that could result in patient harm.
• Interpret pulse oximetry, capnography, ECG, and NIBP—differentiating normal from abnormal waveforms/values and enact appropriate responses.
• Identify, prioritize, and treat anesthetic emergencies (e.g., hypoxemia, hypoventilation/hypercapnia, hypotension, arrhythmias, airway obstruction, apnea/cardiac arrest) using practical algorithms and CPCR principles.
• Apply anesthesia pharmacology, comparing commonly used premedication, induction, maintenance, and analgesic drugs (e.g., dexmedetomidine, opioids, benzodiazepines, ketamine, propofol/alfaxalone, inhalants), and anticipate their effects on hemodynamics and monitoring.
• Replace common anesthesia myths with evidence-based practices to improve safety and outcomes.

This unique facility is nestled on 1.4-acres in the quaint mountain town of Park City and is home to the Bark City Veterinary Specialists practice and Nexus Park City. The property has been newly renovated but retains its rustic mountain charm. Bark City is home to the renowned veterinary orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Brian Beale.

Included in Your Experience

When participating in a course at Nexus Park City, you can expect the following amenities to be included.

• Complimentary lunch
• All general/specialty instrumentation used in each course
• Instructor’s course notes

Visit Us 5373 UT-224, Park City, UT 84098 Call Us 435.200.2161 Email Us ce@nexus.vet