On this episode of Vet Tech Talk we welcome Rebecca Newman. Rebecca is the Wellbeing Coordinator at App State’s Veterinary Technology Program. She is a frequent volunteer in the veterinary community, with a focus on wellbeing and advocacy. She and her husband live on a farm in rural Colorado with their 17 well-loved animals.

Transcript

Dave:

Hello there. Welcome to Vet Tech Talk! I'm Dave Blanks, and I work here at App State in University Communications. On this episode, we're joined by Rebecca Newman. Rebecca is new to App State and has taken on the role of Well Being Coordinator for the Veterinary Technology Program. Her passion for wellbeing began when she was a college student working with adolescents with substance use disorders. While pursuing graduate work in clinical psychology,

Newman worked as a therapist, primarily focused on anxiety and depressive disorders as well as eating disorders. Always an enthusiastic animal lover, Newman became a credentialed veterinary technician in

2016 and combined her passions for wellbeing, education, and veterinary medicine in her role as Student Services Coordinator and then Student Affairs Director at Bel-Rea Institute. Newman served on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians from 2018-2022. Rebecca and her husband live in Colorado on a ranch with so many animals. We’ll get into that in just a bit. Here’s my conversation with Rebecca Newman. 

Welcome to the podcast, Rebecca.

Rebecca Newman:

Thank you so much, Dave.

Dave:

Yeah, I'm glad you're here. So are you ready to get, can we get started? Is that cool with you?

Rebecca Newman:

I would love to.

Dave:

Let's jump in. So Rebecca Newman, your official title is the wellbeing coordinator for the Veterinary Technology program here at App State.

Rebecca Newman:

That is correct.

Dave:

All right. So have you been a wellbeing coordinator for a veterinary technology program before?

Rebecca Newman:

I have not.

Dave:

Oh, new experience. All right.

Rebecca Newman:

New experience.

Dave:

Excellent. So what does that entail, being a wellbeing coordinator? We'll get into a little bit about your background, but just brief overview, what's your gig here at Appalachian?

Rebecca Newman:

So it is a new role in veterinary technology programs,

Dave:

Okay.

Rebecca Newman:

And I believe App State has the very first wellbeing coordinator in the United States for a veterinary technology program. And this is huge because wellbeing is an area that has been kind of a side note in vet med, and we are bringing it to the forefront. App State is leading the way.

Dave:

Awesome. How, Rebecca, did you come into this position? Where'd you start? Was it in the world of veterinary medicine somehow,

Rebecca Newman:

Sure.

Dave:

Or?

Rebecca Newman:

Well, actually, my first career was in clinical psychology. I worked with college students at Rutgers University.

Dave:

Okay.

Rebecca Newman:

And I wanted to become a psychologist. My path changed over time and I actually went back to school to become a veterinary technician. So I am a,

Dave:

Really?

Rebecca Newman:

A certified veterinary technician.

Dave:

How uniquely qualified are you for this?

Rebecca Newman:

I have to say, Dave, these are three of my greatest passions. One, veterinary medicine, two, wellbeing, and three, education and working with students.

Dave:

Awesome. Wow. Okay. Well that's super interesting to hear. So let's see, how did you find out about this particular position?

Rebecca Newman:

Well, so I live in Colorado.

Dave:

Oh, okay. All right. Cool.

Rebecca Newman:

Yeah, I was student affairs director at a program there, and I left the program to spend a year working on my farm.

Dave:

Cool.

Rebecca Newman:

And,

Dave:

What kind of farm?

Rebecca Newman:

Oh, we basically take in as many old animals as possible. They don't make us any money, and that just provides extreme happiness to my husband and myself.

Dave:

That's great. Is it like agritourism in a way? Do you have people come by or volunteer or?

Rebecca Newman:

You know what, that's down the road.

Dave:

Okay. All Right.

Rebecca Newman:

Dream big.

Dave:

Yeah. Right. Yeah.

Rebecca Newman:

For right now it is a, we have 18 animals.

Dave:

Awesome.

Rebecca Newman:

And goats.

Dave:

Okay.

Rebecca Newman:

One-eyed horse, chickens, two cats.

Dave:

Okay. Have you seen, okay, there's this lady on Instagram, I feel like it's called Useless Farm, is what her name is.

Rebecca Newman:

Ooh. I should talk to her.

Dave:

She's a hoot. She's really funny. She has this super aggressive ostrich who, I'm think his name, Karen, and I swear that's what it's called. I'm just going to Google it right now. But yes, she's really, really funny and I highly recommend her. Some of it may be not safe for work type stuff, but isn't that what it's called? Useless Farm.

Rebecca Newman:

I would say we make no money.

Dave:

Anyway. Well, that's cool that you're doing that. I love that. So you're actively doing that, but now this is an online program, the veterinary technology program. So you can live in Colorado.

Rebecca Newman:

Exactly.

Dave:

Even though you're in studio in Boone. How many times have you been to Boone?

Rebecca Newman:

Ooh, this is my first time.

Dave:

What do you think?

Rebecca Newman:

I love it.

Dave:

We have more green than you all have,

Rebecca Newman:

Oh, yes.

Dave:

In Colorado.

Rebecca Newman:

Yes.

Dave:

But your mountains are super dramatic. I mean, there is that.

Rebecca Newman:

Our mountains are dramatic and yet maybe not as accessible.

Dave:

Yeah, they're not. I know. That's what I've heard. I had friends that moved to Colorado and they were like, God, I just missed the green.

Rebecca Newman:

Yes.

Dave:

I miss it being such a easy thing to do to get out on the trail. It's slightly more of an ordeal or you plan,

Rebecca Newman:

It is much more of an ordeal. I live on the eastern plains.

Dave:

Okay.

Rebecca Newman:

So very rural. I live on a dirt road, off of a dirt road.

Dave:

Love it.

Rebecca Newman:

And so I love coming to Boone and seeing the small towns around here.

Dave:

Oh, yeah.

Rebecca Newman:

And the mountains and the green that,

Dave:

Have you been to Grandfather?

Rebecca Newman:

Not yet.

Dave:

Oh, you got to go to Grandfather.

Rebecca Newman:

But I am planning.

Dave:

Okay, cool.

Rebecca Newman:

Planning it.

Dave:

That sounds like a interesting intersection of passions that have brought you into this position. So as far as you interacting with students, has that occurred yet? Because this program is brand new, so,

Rebecca Newman:

Right.

Dave:

Yeah. Have you started your work?

Rebecca Newman:

Well, one of the amazing things happened last night. We had an in-person meet and greet for our students.

Dave:

Here on campus.

Rebecca Newman:

Here on campus in the solarium.

Dave:

Nice.

Rebecca Newman:

And it was a great success. And when I say success, I am not talking about huge numbers of students.

Dave:

Right.

Rebecca Newman:

I'm talking about the connections that are made.

Dave:

Yeah. Right.

Rebecca Newman:

We met students who drove from two hours away, three hours away, because they wanted to make those connections.

Dave:

Yeah.

Rebecca Newman:

And that is one of the essential components of wellbeing and something that research has shown and we have seen in our field just help students thrive and leads to a sustainable career.

Dave:

Yeah. So how do you address that with an online program?

Rebecca Newman:

That,

Dave:

Because the connection,

Rebecca Newman:

Yes.

Dave:

Is in person that you made yesterday was it you said in the solarium.

Rebecca Newman:

Yesterday. Yeah.

Dave:

That's not going to always be easily achievable.

Rebecca Newman:

Correct.

Dave:

That's quite an interesting challenge for you.

Rebecca Newman:

Well, I love challenges.

Dave:

All right. Good.

Rebecca Newman:

And most importantly, I work with an amazing team here at App State. The vet tech team as well as all of the other faculty and staff that I've met on campus have been amazingly supportive. So,

Dave:

Hey, I'm on your side.

Rebecca Newman:

Thank You.

Dave:

All right. Yes.

Rebecca Newman:

Thank you.

Dave:

Yes.

Rebecca Newman:

So I'll tap into any resources I can.

Dave:

Please. Yeah. Whatever I can record for you, allow me to help.

Rebecca Newman:

I will say that during the height of the pandemic, I was kind of in charge of moving a vet tech prog