Vets Now’s much anticipated Emergency and Critical Care UK Congress 2024 takes place at Royal Armouries, Leeds, on November 7 and 8. It’s the 21st annual ECC Congress and it has over 70 hours of CPD available from an unrivalled line-up of world-renowned speakers. With six learning streams, there is something for everyone.
Find out more about this year’s Congress here.
Steph Timmons BVM&S PgCertSAECC MRCVS, an Area Clinical Manager with Vets Now, is one of the speakers will hear from. She tells us what her sessions will involve.
What’s your current role Steph?
As an Area Clinical Manager, I oversee the clinical and professional standards within the out-of-hours clinics, while also still doing a little clinical work. In addition, I’m actively involved with internal education within Vets Now, including Cutting Edge and AdvantEdge. I’ve also done lecturing and practical work with Surrey Vet School and have other practical CPD sessions for qualified vets scheduled for later in the year.
So, you have two CPR sessions, one each day, tell us about those.
I’ll be doing them with David Owen and Stevie-Leigh Egerton and it’s for both vets and nurses. It will be a mix of didactic training and practical simulations. We’ll be talking through the latest RECOVER guidelines, some of the theory behind approaching a CPR or crash situation and letting the delegates run through some simulations and real-life roleplay. It’s very relaxed, chilled and a lot of fun.
Who do you see it as being aimed at?
I think it’s for everyone, no matter the level of experience. Those who currently work in emergency clinics or who have a lot of ECC knowledge will find it a great refresher. And for those without much experience and who find these situations really scary or intimidating, we’ll be talking through everything step-by-step. It really is very inclusive for all levels. Although David, Stevie-Leigh and I will be leading the sessions, there’s a great opportunity for others to share their experiences and talk through situations they’ve come across. We can also take time to answer any more advanced technical questions anyone may have while the practical sessions are going on..
What’s your particular interest in CPR?
It’s quite frightening for a lot of people and I like demystifying it a little and breaking it down into bite-sized chunks. That makes it more accessible, and you can get the whole clinic working together as a team. It’s very satisfying to teach. Of all the things we provide training in, CPR is always what we get most feedback about. We are always getting emails and pictures of patients that have crashed and, as a result of the training they’ve had, the vets or nurses have had a good outcome. It’s lovely to see people gain confidence after the training and it’s always nice to hear those success stories. Everyone remembers their first, worst and best CPR case outcome.
What about the Nursing forum?
I’ll be one of those taking part in this along with two other speakers, and the session will be a case-based discussion, where each speaker will talk through a complex case that includes an ethical dilemma. The audience will be actively encouraged to join in with the discussion.
What do you think attendees can get from Congress?
I’ve attended as a delegate and also addressed Congress as a speaker, on CPR last year, so I’ve seen it from both sides. We always look at what works and what might be best changed, so it’s forever evolving. I know what I used to take from it as a delegate and it’s nice to pay that forward, Congress really is a lovely blend of up-to-date training and a relaxed social side. Because it is specifically for ECC and is a bit smaller than other big veterinary events, there is a greater opportunity for networking. It’s lovely for those who have a shared and vested interest in emergency medicine to all come together, without there being a mix of other disciplines.
