VIN PRAC142-0719: OSHA Module 3 - Medical Hazards

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Enrollment is closed.
Presenter: Phil Seibert, CVT
Course Open: July 29-August 29, 2019
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Mondays, August 5, 12, and 19, 2019; 9:30-11:00 pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians/technologists, and veterinary support staff actively interested in understanding medical hazards in a veterinary practice.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians/technologists, and veterinary support staff. This course is approved by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 22-37071) This course has been submitted to VHMA for CVPM credit.

Course Information:
The three OSHA modules (PRAC140-0419, PRAC141-0619, PRAC142-0719) are designed for the Practice Owner, Manager or Administrator who desires to understand OSHA's Standards as well as practical ways to implement them in a veterinary practice. We attempt to avoid debating the merits of any particular requirement and focus on how to achieve compliance! This course will cover ALL aspects of a hospital safety program, not just the Hazard Communication Standard. The participants will be provided with many downloadable resources, including the actual text versions of applicable standards.

The third of three modules, this course covers some of the medical hazards of a veterinary practice - anesthesia, lasers, animal handling, radiology, medical waste solutions, and the special rules for doing chemotherapy in a veterinary practice. We'll reveal what OSHA has to say about these common issues and discuss ways to solve problems.

Week 1 (Real Time Session August 5, 2019): Medical Procedures I - Anesthesia, Lasers and Animal Handling
Presenter: Phil Seibert, CVT
Format: Audio
Required Reading (prior to August 5, 2019 Real Time Session):
From the text: The Complete Veterinary Practice Regulatory Compliance Manual
  • Animal Husbandry & Handling (pages 72-72)
  • Personal Hygiene (page 73-73)
  • Zoonotic Diseases (pages 76-80)
  • Inhalation Anesthetics (pages 82-89)
  • Compressed Gas Cylinders (pages 90-91)
  • Lasers (pages 91-92)
Homework Assignment:
  1. Prepare a written anesthesia plan for your practice's Hospital Safety Manual.
  2. Prepare a Laser Safety Policy for your practice's Hospital Safety Manual.
  3. Establish a system to train all staff members on the proper use of the anesthetic machines and the procedures for recovery of the patients.
  4. Ensure all anesthesia machines have been checked for leaks by the users each day and inspected by a qualified service person at least annually.
  5. Prepare a written animal handling plan that includes the steps the practice will take to ensure staff members are trained or credentialed.
  6. This may take you a little while because the veterinarians will likely have to come to a consensus on this one, but you should start working on a written "animal handling policy" for the practice.
  7. Ensure there is adequate restraint and capture equipment available in the practice and that the staff knows how to utilize it.
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • develop and implement an animal handling safety plan for the staff.
  • develop and implement an infection control plan for animals with contagious or infectious diseases.
  • recognize and understand how waste anesthetic gasses get into the work environment and how they affect workers.
  • develop and implement a waste gas anesthesia safety plan.
  • understand the risks associated with surgical and therapy lasers.
  • develop and implement a laser safety plan.
Week 2 (Real Time Session August 12, 2019): Medical Procedures II - Radiology and Medical Waste
Presenter: Phil Seibert, CVT
Format: Audio
Required Reading (prior to August 12, 2019 Real Time Session):
From the text: The Complete Veterinary Practice Regulatory Compliance Manual
  • The Biomedical Waste (pages 25-27)
  • Sharps (page 27-28)
  • Radiology (pages 92-98)
Homework Assignment:
  1. Develop a written Radiation Safety Plan for your practice.
  2. Ensure there is a system to regularly inspect radiographic protective apparel by x-ray analysis.
  3. Ensure there are adequate types and styles of radiographic protective equipment available for staff members to use.
  4. Ensure all staff members who take radiographs have been issued and wear a dosimetry badge.
  5. Review, revise or develop a needle use and recapping policy for your practice.
  6. Obtain a copy of your state's medical waste regulations.
  7. Review the chart on page 26 of your textbook to ensure all medical waste materials are properly classified in your practice.
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • properly identify biomedical waste based on state regulations.
  • develop and implement a biomedical waste handling plan to include proper needle and sharps safety measures.
  • understand the risks associated with low-level, chronic x-ray radiation exposure likely found in a veterinary practice.
  • develop and implement a radiation safety plan to include the use of machine safeguards, protective equipment and proper procedures.
Week 3 (Real Time Session August 19, 2019): Medical Procedures III - Chemotherapy and Dangerous Drugs
Presenter: Phil Seibert, CVT
Format: Audio
Required Reading (prior to August 19, 2019 Real Time Session):
From the text: The Complete Veterinary Practice Regulatory Compliance Manual
  • Chemotherapy (pages 99-106)
Homework Assignment:
  1. Develop a written Chemotherapy Safety Plan for your practice. If your practice does not perform chemotherapy operations, you should state that in writing in your HSM. Examples are in Appendix B.
  2. Prepare a list of hazardous drugs used in your practice along with procedures that staff must follow when handling them.
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • understand the risks associated with hazardous drugs in a medical workplace and the precautions necessary for staff protection.
  • develop and implement a Dangerous Drug Safety Plan.
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Presenter:
Philip Seibert is a Certified Veterinary Technician concentrating as a full-time practice consultant to the profession and is Director of the VIN OSHA Center. Phil's extensive clinical and managerial background enabled him to become the first veterinary technician to evaluate over 1000 veterinary hospitals in the United States and Canada for the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Phil has taken the lead in "deciphering" the regulatory agency rules affecting the veterinary profession and continuously offers advice to veterinary technicians, hospital managers and practice owners on compliance with the regulations. Phil is the founder and managing editor of the profession's only safety-specific newsletter, The Veterinary Safety and Health Digest. He is the author of many articles dealing with veterinary hospital administration which have appeared in national publications such as Journal of the AVMA, AAHA Trends, Veterinary Forum and the Practice Journals.

Total CE Credit: 4.5

Tuition: $159 ($149 early bird special if enrolled by July 15, 2019)
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on August 5, 2019 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
  4. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

"This program (22-37071) is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 4.5 CE Credits, with a maximum of 4.5 CE Credits being available to any individual veterinarian or veterinary technician/technologist. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Non-Medical, using the delivery method of Interactive-Distance: (Web-based, Teleconference or Audio-Conference). This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements."

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357