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 here at Appalachian State. The program's new. How long have you been on board here at App? Jen Serling: So, I started here at App the end of January, so not too very long. I've now kind of feel like I got my feet wet and I'm ready to go. I'm in the groove. Super excited we're starting our first cohort, classes are starting in fall of '22, so the train has left the station. We are barreling. We're ready to go. Dave Blanks: Well, so you've had plenty of experience in the world of veterinary medicine, technicians, technology, when did you know that this was going to be your calling? Jen Serling: So, it's funny, I started off thinking that I wanted to go to vet school. When you talk to the guidance counselor in high school, they're like, "Oh, you like animals. You like medicine. You like science. Well, you should be a veterinarian." During that time, when I was doing my undergrad, you had to do a certain amount of hours working in a veterinary clinic before you could apply to veterinary school. ...
