Terry Torres        
Animal Anesthetist  
University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine
Anesthesia & Pain Management Department
Gainesville, Florida

How long have you been working in your current career? What did you do before?
I have been an Animal Anesthetist for 17 yrs. but not all at the University of Florida. I worked at The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in the Anesthesia Service for 9 yrs and in between, I was a Veterinary Care Manager, here at the UF
Large Animal Clinic.  I was the supervisor of all the Veterinary Technicians that worked in the Large Animal Hospital.

Why did you decide to pursue this career? 
Not sure exactly, I always wanted to be a veterinarian but I did not have the discipline to study for 8 years.  I found out that I could work with animals by being a Veterinary Technician and there was a Veterinary Technician program at the junior college in the county where I was living.

What traits would you say make your job “humane”? 
I provide anesthesia and analgesia for patients that need surgical or diagnostic procedures.

What kind of education and training did you get before you started your first professional job? 
I obtained an Associate Degree in Applied Animal Science and my major was Animal Health Technology.

How did you find your first job in your profession?
I wanted to work at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois, which is in the town where I lived.

What are your duties in your current position? 
Anesthetize patients that need surgery or diagnostic procedures.  In addition, I assist the Anesthesiologist on duty with teaching junior and senior veterinary students that rotate through our service.

What do you like most about your job? 
I like that I am teaching future veterinarians the importance of alleviating pain in their patients.

What do you like least about your job? 
Sometimes we have to work long hours.  The operating day isn't over at 5 pm.

What’s a typical workday like for you? 
8:00 AM start to pre-medicate the first wave of anesthesia patients.  Assist/supervise the students with getting their anesthesia equipment ready.  Supervise the students with IV catheterization of the patients and then with the induction and anesthetic monitoring of those patients.  I usually check on the students periodically to make sure everything is going well with their cases and then may start setting things up for the next wave of cases.  Some cases leave the confines of the Prep Room and Operating Rooms.  These cases we escort around the hospital.
They may need dentals, or radiographs, or endoscopy, or CT, or a Neurology workup. Occasionally, we may escort a patient off site for RadioSurgery.  I may be required to anesthetize cases in the large animal clinic.  Most of these cases are horses, occasionally, we anesthetize goats, pigs, and llamas.

What types of training or experiences do you need to keep up-to-date in your field?
The Anesthesiologists provide continuing education lectures for the staff on topics that we have an interest in. Our faculty also conducts research that may be incorporated into the            anesthetic management of some of the cases that we anesthetize.  This gives us an opportunity to observe and use new drugs or techniques.  As a Licensed Veterinary Technician, I am required to obtain continuing education credit hours to keep my license. 

What keeps you motivated to keep doing your work? 
I am proud of what I do and I am lucky to be able to work in a discipline that is constantly evolving. Every day brings something new.  I might be asked to anesthetize a dog, cat, horse, tiger, or a deer.

What personal traits do you think someone needs to be successful in your field?
Patience, compassion, desire to keep learning.

What advice would you give to a college student or other young person considering entering your field?  What advice would you give to someone who’s changing fields and is interested in a career in your profession?
I would advise them to volunteer somewhere to see what really happens day to day in this field.  Also, make sure that they know that this is not a lucrative field if you are just starting out.  The pay scale for inexperienced techs is low but I think things are looking brighter for experienced and specialized technicians.

June 2005