Kristen Cooley, BA, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia/Analgesia), VCC

Founder and CEO of Veterinary Anesthesia Support & Training (VAST)

Kristen is a highly-skilled, compassionate veterinary technician with over 20 years of experience in the field. She is recognized globally as a specialist in veterinary anesthesia, pain management, and cannabinoid medicine.

She has vast experience teaching and training veterinary students, technicians, residents, and veterinarians, as well as lecturing and running workshops nationally and internationally. She is a published author and illustrator of veterinary anesthesia-related textbooks.

Kristen is very passionate about working with people and animals and enjoys educating and providing the highest quality care possible.

What VAST has to offer

The VAST team is dedicated to providing the highest level of veterinary anesthesia care possible!

• Expert-level, outsourced veterinary anesthesia services for small, exotic, and large animal species
• Veterinary anesthesia training, coaching and consultation for veterinary practices nationwide that want to develop or enhance their in-house anesthesia skills

Through individually tailored planning, specialized patient supervision, anesthesia risk mitigation, and advanced perioperative monitoring, we alleviate staff and client apprehension surrounding anesthetic events to help ensure positive outcomes.

Benefits of working with VAST

• A valuable and much-needed service for worried pet owners who might otherwise decline a needed procedure for their pet
• Achievement of better outcomes for higher-risk pets undergoing procedures requiring anesthesia
• Peace of mind for veterinarians and staff concerning higher-risk anesthetic events
• The ability of the veterinarian to focus on the procedure at hand and free up the staff to perform other tasks
• The opportunity to offer a higher level of care than other veterinary practices
• Specialized veterinary anesthesia service expertise at an affordable cost and without the overhead of additional staff

When should veterinary practices utilize an anesthesia specialist?

Anesthetic procedures are never risk-free and certain medical conditions can significantly affect a patient’s overall anesthetic risk level. Examples of medical conditions that warrant the use of our highly trained anesthesia service specialists include:

• Coexisting disease
• Heart disease
• Liver disease
• Kidney disease
• Respiratory disease
• Geriatric patients
• Neonatal patients
• Obesity
• Complex procedures that require the veterinarian to focus completely on the surgery rather than the anesthesia
• Pet owner concerns
• Fear of the anesthetic procedure
• Previous adverse anesthetic event for the pet
• Exotic pet species

VAST Veterinary Anesthesia Services

Specialized Anesthetic Case Management
Veterinary Anesthesia Support and Training provides specialized Anesthesia Case Oversight for higher-risk patients and for pets whose owners are nervous about anesthesia.

A VAST Veterinary Anesthesia Service Specialist can travel to your clinic and provide individualized anesthesia care. We utilize the drugs available at your facility but bring our own monitoring equipment if needed. We perform a pre-anesthetic evaluation, help the veterinarian design a plan tailored to that pet’s needs, and care for the patient from premedication through recovery. A detailed anesthetic record will be provided for inclusion into the patient’s medical record.

Advanced Veterinary Anesthesia Training
Your staff and doctors will greatly benefit from the anesthesia training modules offered by VAST and PEAK Veterinary Anesthesia Services. From classes and workshops on anesthesia drugs to monitoring to advanced case management for patients with concurrent disease, the training offered by VAST/PEAK will enhance and improve the level of anesthesia care your facility provides. This is a great way to advance the anesthesia training for hospital staff and set your clinic apart from the competition!

Expert knowledge and training to better your practice
Madison, Wisconsin-based VAST provides expert-level, compassionate, outsourced veterinary anesthesia service services to practices in Wisconsin and northern Illinois (travel outside this area is also available for some services). Customized advanced training to enhance in-house anesthesia skills is available nationwide.<

Customized Training
Webinars, in-house lectures, classes, and workshops are available on a variety of anesthesia and pain-related topics. On-the-floor case management and skills training are available to help elevate the practice. Each program is customized based on the organization’s specific needs.

Topic Rounds
Topic rounds are one-hour sessions covering a specific topic in a collaborative atmosphere. Morbidity and mortality rounds are also available to help staff understand anesthetic loss and learn how to avoid future complications.

Case Management
Patients with co-morbidities can prove to be a challenge for any hospital. Providing clients and staff with the option of specialized anesthesia service can impart significant peace of mind. Clients and colleagues will view the practice as offering a higher standard of care!

Protocol Evaluation
From anesthetic drugs to monitoring equipment, veterinary anesthesia is a dynamic field. Kristen can assist clinics in understanding the best way to use what is already present as well as make suggestions for improvement.

Evaluation of Anesthetic Practices
Evaluating your clinic’s anesthetic practices can provide insight into what changes can improve efficiency and decrease cost. Set your clinic apart from the competition by learning how to provide high-level anesthetic care and allow patients to thrive post-surgery.

Pain Management Consultations
Kristen is passionate about pain management and has significant training and experience in this specialty. She is available for consultations regarding cases, staff training in new treatment paradigms, and evaluation of current techniques. Kristen is also a Certified Veterinary Cannabis Counselor and is able to provide education and harm reduction consultation for cases where cannabis therapy may be of benefit.