Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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NAVTA, The National Association of Veterinary Technicians Posted: 21 Mar 2010 10:29 AM PDT I was lucky enough to meet Andrea Ball, the Executive Director of NAVTA at this year's Western Veterinary Conference. We had an interesting conversation and, as usual, I learned something I didn't know, this time about the world of Veterinary Technicians. For those of you that might not know, Veterinary Technicians are analogous to Nurses, and like Nurses, Vet Techs are key members of the medical team at Veterinary Hospitals and biomedical research centers around the world. Veterinary Technicians receive a minimum of two years of specialized training at over 100 American Veterinary Medical Association accredited facilities across the country. In a former life I traveled to many of these schools giving Nutrition lectures and I was always impressed by what I saw.   The better Veterinary Hospitals around the country practice "Team" medicine. This approach allows hospital staff to function in their area of expertise. Members of the team include the Receptionist and front office staff, Office or Practice Manager, Veterinary Technicians and the Veterinarians themselves.   The Vet Techs perform a number of duties including, physical exams, taking patient histories, client education, giving medication and performing patient care, laboratory procedures, radiology, anesthesiology and surgical assisting. Some Technicians with business skills perform practice management duties too. In many practices, just like in many human hospitals, the majority of the patient care is done by the Technician.    The Team approach is a much more efficient way to run a business and provide the best care possible to our critters. Veterinarians are allowed to do what they do best; diagnose, prescribe treatment and perform surgery. Technicians, in many cases, do the rest.   Many Technicians go on to specialize in a particular area of interest. After completing additional education and training they are awarded the designation of Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in any one of eight areas. The areas include Dentistry, Anesthesiology, Radiology, Behavior, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Emergency and Critical Care and Zoological Medicine.    Being a Veterinary Technician can be a great career for anyone with a love of animals and an interest in biological science. If you know someone that fits that description tell them to check out the NAVTA website. They will find all the information they need to see if this career path is a fit for them.   I know one Technician that went on to become a star Blogger. You might know her, too. It's Yvonne, of course.

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