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Spotlight: Jan Walters

Jan Walters knows her way around Joliet Junior College. The veterinary medical technology instructor has been here before—as a graduate of JJC's first vet tech class, as an adjunct faculty member, and most recently as the vet tech facility manager. Now the Channahon resident leads the next generation of vet techs through the challenging curriculum, one she said rivals the human nursing and technology fields.

"I can really relate to the students well. This is a tremendously stressful program; it is extremely difficult," Walters says. "When you think about it, our students have to know not just how to be a nurse to one species—they have to know how to do nursing care for everything from snakes to rodents to horses to cows. And they're not just doing nursing care. They're doing laboratory work, radiologic technology, and dentistry. They are doing all of these, whereas in human medicine you would specialize in just one aspect of health care."

When she was in the program, Walters worked 30 hours a week and went to school full time, something nearly all vet tech students do. She says her experiences on both sides of the desk have enabled her to be more than just an instructor, but also a cheerleader and a counselor to her students. Walters describes her style of teaching as, "casual but firm. I try to be really approachable, but I take what I do very seriously. And I want the students to take it seriously."

Because her students are training to make decisions that have life or death consequences for the animals they treat, Walters says the tension and stress of the program can be overwhelming. She tries to put her students at ease using fun distractions like her candy prescriptions. Students learn to fill out scripts when they make one for themselves for access to Walter's chocolate stash. She also rewards her future vet techs "for conduct above and beyond" with "Pawsitive Person" awards.

"It's important to keep it light and fun, while reminding them of the serious nature of what they are doing," Walters adds.

Though her course load keeps her busy, Walters also finds time to delve into two areas of veterinary medicine about which she is passionate—pain management and behavior. Walters says past pain management techniques consisted of keeping the animal quiet and immobile so it wouldn't hurt itself. But thanks to advancements in pharmacology and changes in treatment procedures, the difficulties in assessing and treating pain in animals has become a more successful and humane endeavor.

"We have such good options. We use the same drugs that they use in human medicine," she says. "It's something veterinary medicine is making a lot of progress on."

Walters also feels strongly about behavioral issues and cites a startling statistic—the number one killer of dogs and cats under two years old is euthanasia because of behavior problems.

"If people don't know how to deal with their pets guarding the food bowl, inappropriate elimination, or too much barking, they give up and say they can't live with it, even though they love the animal. Sadly, most times the animal is euthanized. All of these behaviors can be dealt with and vet techs can teach people how to do that," Walters explains.

Her goal is to train all of her students to be behavior resources because she believes this knowledge can save an animal's life. Walters has worked with Dr. Scott Keller, department chair of veterinary medical technology, to build this into the curriculum through the kennel management courses.

"Jan is a great addition to the JJC faculty. She is a natural when it comes to working with animals, both the four-legged and two-legged kind," Dr. Keller says. "She has a lot of compassion. Combine that with her great nursing skills and you can see why the students look up to her."

In addition to staying abreast of the changes in animal behavior and pain management, Walters has completed her bachelor's degree in organizational leadership at the University of St. Francis and has written many pet-related articles for the Joliet Herald News.

"I love my job," she says. "I absolutely enjoy every minute of it."