Video Interview

Technician Update: Interview With Travis Otremba

As with many people who provide equine care, Travis Otremba, LVT, CVT, has been a long-time horse owner, so it made sense he would gravitate toward equine medicine. Mr. Otremba is an anesthetist at the Ocala Equine Hospital, in Ocala, Fla., and the immediate past president of the American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians and Assistants.

“Equine medicine is a bit of an interesting animal when it comes to veterinary medicine. Equine is somewhere between companion animal medicine and farm animal or livestock medicine,” he said, adding that veterinary technicians help bridge the gap between the veterinarian and the client.

Most horse owners understand some medicine, because the veterinarian tends to be a distance from the stable, and they might have to make a horse comfortable before the veterinarian arrives. It is important to understand where owners are coming from—they only want to help the horse.

“Being able to effectively communicate with them and extrapolate information about what they’ve given, how much and when, really does help us. As the liaison between a veterinarian and a horse owner, it is our job to just take any judgment away,” Mr. Otremba said. Afterward, technicians can teach owners better ways to help the horse.

The relationship between the veterinarians and the technicians also is crucial, and education is one way to maintain that. Veterinarians and technicians must trust each other. “I think trust is huge. I make my veterinarians’ priorities my priorities. I work with 3 surgeons, and being able to anticipate what each one wants makes me valuable to each one of them,” he said.

“At the end of the day, they are in charge of the situation, and I know that I am here to help them in any way that I can.”

Technicians can garner that trust by remaining curious and be continuously learning, he said. “We want to hone and create skills that are sought after and make us valuable to a practice,” he said. MeV