Vet Tech Talk

On this episode of Vet Tech Talk we welcome Leigha Wright. Leigha is the Clinical Coordinator at App State’s Veterinary Technology Program. She is an award-winning veterinary technician and teacher, as well as being an avid supporter of her students dedicated to creating a productive environment for their learning. She and her two Airedale terriers live on a Texas. Transcript Dave Blanks: Hello there. Welcome to Vet Tech Talk! I'm Dave Blanks, and I work here at App State in University Communications. On this episode, we're joined by Leigha Wright. Leigha started her veterinary technology career in the Appalachian mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Her career has taken her across multiple states while working in diagnostic laboratories, veterinary schools, and veterinary technology schools. She is a credentialed technician in Texas and was awarded the Licensed Veterinary Technician of the Year Award from the Texas Veterinary Medical Association in 2021. Leigha worked as the Clinical Coordinator for a veterinary technology program in Texas for 3 years prior to joining Appalachian State. Wright earned a Teaching Excellence Award from the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development in 2020. She works with the Texas Airedale Rescue Team and has two Airedale Terrier mixes of her own, along with two cats that she rescued while in veterinary technology school. Here’s my conversation with Leigha Wright. Dave Blanks: Leigha? Leigha Wright: Yes. Dave Blanks: Do you want to do a podcast with me? Leigha Wright: Yes, please. Dave Blanks: Let's do this thing. Leigha Wright, you are the clinical coordinator for the Veterinary Technology Program. And where do you live? Leigha Wright: I live in Texas right now. Dave Blanks: All right. Leigha Wright: But I'm from Eastern Kentucky. Dave Blanks: Okay. Leigha Wright: We can't be mistaken for a Texan. Dave Blanks: Well, it's a different accent, right? Leigha Wright: It is. It is. Dave Blanks: But Texans have an accent as well. Leigha Wright: They do. Dave Blanks: Yeah. Leigha Wright: They get a little confused with mine because they're like, you ain't from around here. Dave Blanks: Oh, really? Leigha Wright: But you kind of sound like you might be. So what's going on? Dave Blanks: All right. So you're the clinical coordinator, so that means you're in charge of what? What is your gig here at Appalachian? Leigha Wright: My job as clinical coordinator is I will match all of our vet tech students with the clinical site where there is a credential technician or a DVM. So a veterinarian, that will help them to obtain those hands-on psychomotor skills. Dave Blanks: Psychomotor. Leigha Wright: Yeah. Fancy, right? Dave Blanks: That sounds cool. Leigha Wright: So they get those skills. They learn how to do them at a clinical facility during their clinical externship, and that way these students, yes, it is an online program. So they get those, they get the didactic knowledge. They get it in class. It's online. We're still a community. We're still a team. But then I also help to provide them with teams in the field. So they get to make those connections, make those interactions. And my happy place is matching students to these clinical sites. Dave Blanks: Nice. Leigha Wright: So we match their personalities and everything. Dave Blanks: I gotcha. Wow. Okay. Cool. Well, that sounds very comprehensive. Can you tell me how you came into veterinary technology, veterinary medicine? What was your journey that led you to that? Leigha Wright: Yes. Dave Blanks: Did you always love animals? Leigha Wright: Oh, yes. Dave Blanks: Yes. Leigha Wright: I missed my last day of eighth grade to help my dog give birth. Dave Blanks: Aw. Leigha Wright: So it's always been in my mind. I grew up not knowing what a veterinary technician was. I grew up in eastern Kentucky. I'm from Pike County, Kentucky, deep in the mountains, and I did not know what a vet tech was. I know what a veterinarian- Dave Blanks

Hannah Huff joins us for this episode. If you are going to be a student in the Vet Tech program you will most assuredly be talking to Hannah or another Academic Advisor here at Appalachian State. Hannah shares the ways in which she supports her students as well as her advice for navigating this fully online program. Transcript: Dave Blanks: This is Vet Tech Talk, a podcast about Appalachian State University's online four-year Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology degree program. Hello there. I'm Dave Blanks, and I work here at App State in University Communications. On this episode, we're joined by Hannah Huff. Hannah has been affiliated with Appalachian State for the past seven years as a student, a graduate assistant, and now an academic advisor as well. She graduated in 2019 with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Human Services, and then returned to App in 2020 to pursue graduate school. She graduated in 2022 with her Master of Arts in Student Affairs Administration, and she has a background in academic advising from her graduate assistantship in the Advising and Orientation Center, as well as experience serving college students using theory-to-practice frameworks, which we get into in the conversation today. In this role currently, Hannah is very excited to expand her advising skill set to learn about the veterinary profession and to support students as they navigate this fully online program. Now here is my conversation with Hannah. Hey Hannah. How's it going? Hannah Huff: Hi, good. How are you? Dave Blanks: I'm great. Thank you for coming down today. We appreciate you being here. Let's start out with what's your job at Appalachian State? What do you do here? You're an academic advisor, but specifically for the Vet Tech program, correct? Hannah Huff: Right. So I am an academic advisor for the Vet Tech program, which is in the College of Arts and Sciences. So, my position is actually pretty unique in that I am split between the College of Arts and Sciences and what's called the Cash Office, and then the Vet Tech team. So, I have my own caseload of Vet tech students, but I also get to learn all of the roles that go into the College of Arts and Science advising and work with second degree students, work with readmission students and learn all the processes and procedures there as well, so I get a good, well-rounded set of skills with this. Dave Blanks: Gotcha. So with Tech, you're advising 70 students. That seems to me like a lot of people to be advising, but I understand it's kind of a small caseload for you. Hannah Huff: Yeah, it's generally pretty small. In my previous role as a graduate assistant, I had at one time about a hundred, maybe a little bit more than that, but 70 right now, and that'll probably increase over the coming semesters when we have more students join the program and more students actually officially declare their major. Dave Blanks: Gotcha. Hannah Huff: Right now I'm coasting at 70, but we'll get a little bit more over time. All right. Dave Blanks: Good plan. So I'm a student, or I want to be a student in the Vet Tech program. How would I encounter you? Hannah Huff: Yeah, so generally, I will be the one who reaches out to students in terms of making appointments. I do have students who reach out to me with general questions that they have, either about their classes or about things at App State and how things kind of work here at the school because- Dave Blanks: These are students already enrolled? Hannah Huff: Already enrolled. Yes. And there were students who were interested in the program who weren't yet enrolled, who were still contacting me, asking me questions. So, I would be able to point them in the right direction or give them whatever answer I could to help them. Obviously, we want them to join the program. We're very excited about it. And anything I can do to encourage them to apply or encourage them to enroll in their classes, I'm going to help them do. Dav

On this episode of Vet Tech Talk, we welcome Jen Serling to the studio. Jen is the assistant program director of the Appalachian State University veterinary technology program. Dave Blanks: Welcome, Jen. I'm going to give a little history on you, but I'm glad you're here. Jen Serling: Thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. Dave Blanks: I'm glad you found the place. Thanks for visiting. Jen Serling, you are a credentialed veterinary technician and you have been since 1992. Jen's specialty is large animal nursing. However, she's had quite a bit of experience encompassing all facets of veterinary medicine, and she's been a veterinary technician educator since 2007. Jen, you were also the program director for a veterinary technician school in Tucson, Arizona. And you did that for 11 years, correct? Jen Serling: Correct. Dave Blanks: All right. I told you I was going to just do your thing- Jen Serling: You are. Dave Blanks: ... And then talk to, but I keep bringing you back into the conversation. Jen Serling: It's good. Dave Blanks: You're rolling with it good. Now, you've joined Appalachian State University and our program, which we will discuss today. Jen has written two veterinary technician textbooks for bluedoor Publishing on pharmacology and large animal medicine and nursing, as well as contributed to several other textbooks. In addition to teaching and writing, she's a firm believer in giving back to the community and serves on the board of directors for three animal welfare and rescue groups, as well as donating her time to several veterinary charity events throughout the year. And she is the current president for the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators, or the AVTE, and also a founding member of the Academy of Veterinary Technician Specialists in Education, AVTSE, and holds the advanced certification of veterinary technician and education specialist, VTSE. She currently resides in Tucson, right? Correct? [inaudible 00:01:44]. Jen Serling: Yes. You got it. Dave Blanks: All right. In Arizona, she has a dog, she has a cat who we will learn about, and two grown human boys as well. Welcome, Jen Serling. Jen Serling: Thank you so much. Dave Blanks: Yeah. So, let's start it out by introducing the animals that are in your life. Jen Serling: Yes. So, my two favorite animals... Don't tell my children this, although they know it. So, I have this- Dave Blanks: Wait, are you saying your children are animals too? Jen Serling: Yeah. Well, they're all boys, boys. Yes, they are. Dave Blanks: Then they're wild animals. Jen Serling: But they accept that. But yeah, so I have a dog and a cat now. I used to have a horse, but I've definitely downsized since then. Yeah. So, my cat, his name is Marshall Meowthers and he's an alley cat that I ended up adopting. Initially, his name was called, not my cat, because he came into the school, he kept showing up in the back door and he would just walk in and make himself at home. And I would take him home on the weekends because I didn't want to leave him at the school, and I'm like, "He's not my cat. He's not my cat." And then the weekend kept expanding longer and longer, and so now, I think four years later, he's not my cat. Dave Blanks: Aw. That's awesome. Jen Serling: But he's amazing. He's just this big gray alley cat. And then my absolute favorite child is my golden retriever, named Daffy. Yeah. So, she'll be eight this summer and the kids realize she is my absolute favorite child ever. Dave Blanks: You can't hide it, right? Jen Serling: Yeah. She's dumb as a brick, but she's the best dog ever. Dave Blanks: Aren't Golden's supposed to be relatively intelligent? Jen Serling: Oh yeah, they are. Not this one. There's air in her skull. Dave Blanks: But she's got a good heart, right? Jen Serling: Oh, she's the best. She's the sweetest dog ever. I love her. Dave Blanks: Oh, Daffy. Jen Serling: Yeah. Oh, Daffy. Dave Blanks: Well, you're new to the program h