Why Support the Emergency & Critical Care
Residency Program in Santa Barbara

Prior to July 2003, Santa Barbara residents had to travel throughout Southern California to access board certified veterinarian specialists.  This was an added stress and expense to companion animals and their families as specialty veterinary care necessitated travel to various hospitals in Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties. The same is true for 24-hour care for critically ill animals.  In order to meet the needs of critically ill and/or injured animals, they would frequently be transferred from Santa Barbara’s’ then available overnight emergency clinic (open from 6 PM until 8 AM) to their primary care veterinarian (typically open from 8 AM until 6 PM) and then back again, repeating this cycle until they were stable enough to go home.  Imagine, in human medicine if an individual were to undergo major surgery for a trauma, be transferred to their primary care doctor for treatment during the day, and each evening had to have their family transport them back to the hospital for overnight care.  Not only does it not provide continuity of care, it’s painful to be moved when you are hurting, and it’s stressful (at best) for the pets’ families who had to provide the transportation to and from the hospital and primary veterinarian each morning and each evening.

Given the need for 24-hour emergency and specialty medicine, C.A.R.E. Hospital was founded in July 2003.  At inception, C.A.R.E. Hospital began with 24-hour emergency and critical care, surgery, and dermatology.  In 2004, internal medicine and grief counseling for pet loss were added.  In 2006, the oncology service was added and in 2007, a second internal medicine doctor was added.  The demand for services is clearly present.  Concurrently, the animal care community continues to assess and identify needs.  While C.A.R.E. Hospital addresses emergency and specialty medical needs, our very talented pool of primary care providers manages the task of proving care throughout the pet’s life span.  Together, the primary care providers work with the emergency and specialty hospital, in complementary fashion, to provide round the clock care... from preventative care to specialty medicine.   

The need for highly skilled emergency and critical care veterinarians (and technicians) providing continuous care is a challenge for all communities.  As in human medicine, staffing is always a challenge – especially the overnight and weekend shifts.  Arguably, the best trained ER and ICU doctors are those who have advanced training – especially as they must work with greater independence during the shifts that they work.  Therefore, it is within our communities’ best interest to attract, educate and retain as many ER/ICU doctors as possible so that our pets – when needing urgent care - are treated with compassion and skill.

The following information describes the comprehensive three year residency program in Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at C.A.R.E. Hospital.  In an effort to maintain the highest quality medicine in Santa Barbara County, C.A.R.E. Hospital has created an American College of Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care (ACVECC) standard residency program.  In order to meet the criteria as a “standard residency program,” the C.A.R.E. Hospital program has met the highest degree of standards that The College endorses.  Once the three year residency program has been completed, the veterinarian must then pass the board certification process from The College before being considered a “specialist” or “board certified” in emergency and critical care medicine.

The hope is that not only will the resident obtain advanced training and board certification, but that he or she will also come to enjoy our community and chose to reside on the Central Coast upon completion of their residency program.  Currently, there is one board certified specialist (at C.A.R.E. Hospital) in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.  There are two board certified specialists in Ventura County.  Undoubtedly, our community will benefit from additional specialists given the demand for quality emergency and critical care medicine.

As one can imagine, the cost to educate each resident is great.  In order to reside in Santa Barbara for their three year training, a resident must be compensated beyond what is typical of comparable programs in less expensive areas.  This alone increases the cost to attract a resident to our area.  Further, employing and attracting specialists to provide training, supplying state of the art equipment (that is dictated as available to the resident by The College) and the expense of staffing such a facility is prohibitive for most hospitals.

Your participation in sponsoring a resident and/or contributing to the residency program will help increase the probability that specialty medicine will remain a staple of the veterinary medical community in Santa Barbara County.  If you’d like to make a donation to Shiva’s Center’s Educational Fund, please do so by sending your check or money order along with your indication that these funds be earmarked for the residency program.  If you have questions about the residency program, please contact Shiva’s Center.  Thanks in advance for your support of veterinary education in our community.

 

Best Regards,

Dr. Trish Lane

President & Founder, Shiva’s Center for the Human-Animal Bond