Meet Your Instructor
Jana Helgeson

With two decades of experience in both veterinary and human emergency care, I bring a unique and comprehensive skill set to my training programs. As a board-certified ER nurse with nine years in human emergency nursing and ten years specializing in veterinary ER, trauma, and ICU care, I’ve developed a deep foundation in critical and trauma care. My work as a TCCC CM/C instructor and an Air Force Reserves flight nurse has further sharpened my trauma and prehospital expertise, including valuable deployment experience.

Passionate about advancing the health and welfare of working dogs and pets, I blend my diverse background to deliver practical, effective, and impactful training. Throughout my career, I’ve worked in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Seattle, providing advanced emergency care for canine patients and supporting law enforcement K9 teams in critical situations.

In addition to clinical practice, I have taught veterinary surgical nursing, pharmacology, and emergency veterinary nursing at the collegiate level, guiding future veterinary professionals through the complexities of surgical procedures, anesthesia, critical pharmacology, and emergency response. This combination of hands-on experience and academic instruction allows me to offer a truly comprehensive approach to K9 casualty care training.

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STUDENT STORIES & REVIEWS

  • Jana is not only an exceptional instructor in the realm of canine casualty care, but she is an incredible person who really loves her job and her country. I took a canine casualty class from her and those skills and knowledge obtained from her course translated to when I had to actually perform canine care during a military deployment. Do yourself a favor and take her classes.

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  • Jana is a phenomenal canine casualty instructor with valuable knowledge and experience. Her lectures are engaging and she uses her personal canine for hands on anatomy familiarization as well as basic canine assessments - I believe this is the most beneficial aspect of her course. Jana's professional, yet friendly demeanor provides a complete, well rounded course that elevates her teachings above other canine medicine/canine casualty courses that I have taken previously.

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  • Jana is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to canine casualty care. No matter what your experience with canine's is, her instruction will prepare you for the worst case scenario.

    For the K9 officer conducting operations with their dog, she will teach you to save his life. For the pet owner, she will teach you the proper placement of any subcutaneous injections your pet may need. When you walk away from this training you will be more confident and have more assurance that you can perform the necessary first aid to save your best friends life.
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  • My wife and I recently took Jana’s dog CPR and first aid class, and it was fantastic! We learned so much—she was thorough, patient, and made sure we understood everything. Jana covered topics like choking, wound bandaging, CPR, and pulse checking, and ensured we were confident in our skills, even if it meant practicing multiple times. We can’t recommend Jana and TAC9 Medical Training enough! Her class has made us feel much more prepared and capable in case of an emergency with our dog.

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