Small Animal/Exotics 20TH ANNIVERSARY Compendium September 1999

Highlights and Horizons in

the Expanding Role of
Veterinary Technicians
Teresa Sonsthagen, BS, LVT
Instructor
Veterinary Technology Program
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota

n the early 1960s, as technologic and

I medical advances were improving veteri-

nary medicine, pet owners began to de-
mand a higher quality of care from their
veterinarians. Veterinarians realized that to meet this demand, they needed
trained staff members to assist them in their daily clinic activities. Thus the “ani-
mal health technician” was born.

Education and Accreditation

The first animal health technician educational program was offered by the
State University of New York, Delhi, New York, in 1961. By 1968, colleges and
universities to the south and west had begun to offer similar programs. Today,
there are 76 American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)–accredited vet- Teresa Sonsthagen, BS, LVT
erinary technology programs in the United States and a number of other pro-
grams are being started, including a few online. 1977 the AVMA contracted with the
The first veterinary technology programs were opposed by many veterinarians Professional Examination Service to
who feared that formally trained technicians would become too independent provide an entry-level professional
and begin “quacking!”1,2 To address these concerns, the AVMA established the examination to graduate technicians
Committee on Accreditation of Training for Animal Technicians (later renamed in six states. Currently, 45 states use
the Committee on Animal Technician Activities and Training) in the early the Veterinary Technician National
1970s; its focus was to develop an accreditation process for animal health techni- Examination, which is still adminis-
cian programs. In 1989, this council was renamed the Committee on Veterinary tered by the Professional Examina-
Technician Education and Activities, which coincided with the professional title tion Service but is developed by the
change from animal health technician to veterinary technician. Veterinary Technician Testing Com-
Because of an increasing demand for regulation and recognition of veterinary mittee of the American Association
technology, the need for a national credentialing examination was realized. In of Veterinary State Boards. There is

1963 1973 1980 1981

ENDIU
MP 1980 1983
19
Members of the first The first animal health Animal Health North American

1985
formal college-level technology programs are Technician® Veterinary
M’

20th

CO

training program evaluated and accredited by (later renamed Technician

1981
S

for animal the American Veterinary Veterinary Association

1 9 7

ANNIVERSARY
9 - 1
9 9 9

1979
health technicians
(eight students)
are graduated
1982
Medical Association (AVMA)
Committee on Accreditation of
Training for Animal
Technicians

1984
Technician®) is
launched
(NAVTA) is
formed
19
 Compendium September 1999
increasing consideration to require
that all veterinary technicians take
the examination and eventually to
limit the test to graduates of accred-
ited veterinary technology programs.
As with many professions, contin-
uing education is an important as-
pect in the career of veterinary tech-
nicians. The AVMA first offered a
1-day continuing education session
specifically for technicians at their
annual meeting in 1978; in 1997,
veterinary technicians were included
in the planning of those sessions.
Today, 32 states require veterinary
technicians to earn continuing edu-
cation credits to maintain their cre-
dentials. To fulfill this need, both
technician and veterinary associa-
tions plus regional and national asso-
ciations offer multiple-day continu-
ing education programs.
Getting Organized
In 1981, a group of technicians rep-
resenting 20 U.S. states and Canadi-
an provinces met in East Lansing,
Michigan. Their goal—to improve
the professional and public recogni-
tion of veterinary technicians—led
to the formation of the North Amer-
ican Veterinary Technician Associa-
tion (NAVTA).3 NAVTA represents
and promotes the veterinary technol-
ogy profession; it “provides direc-
tion, education, support, and coordi-
nation for its members and works
with other allied professional organi-
zations for the competent care and
humane treatment of animals.”4
In 1993, representatives from 13
countries met to help organize the
International Veterinary Nurses
Congress (renamed the International
Veterinary Nurses and Technicians
Association. The United States was
987199019921982
1995
Animal Health
1990
The
1998
Technician® becomes AVMA/NAVTA
1991
the official liaison committee
1994
journal of is created
19891993 1997
NAVTA
986
20TH ANNIVERSARY
represented by NAVTA, and Canada
was represented by the Canadian Asso-
ciation of Animal Health Technolo-
gists and Technicians. This organiza-
tion strives to collect and disseminate
information, foster and promote
high standards of education, pro-
mote the interests of the profession,
and provide advice to professional
associations.3
In 1994, NAVTA began to devel-
op guidelines for recognizing vari-
ous veterinary technician specialty
groups. The Academy of Veterinary
Emergency and Critical Care Tech-
nicians and the Academy of Veteri-
nary Technician Anesthetists were
granted provisional recognition by
NAVTA in 1996 and 1999, respec-
tively.
In the 18 years since its inception,
NAVTA has provided support to its
members by initiating the formation
of the AVMA/NAVTA liaison com-
mittee. This committee has accom-
plished a number of major goals: It
developed a position statement rec-
ognizing veterinary technology as an
integral part of veterinary medicine;
defined the terms veterinary techni-
cian, veterinary technologist, and vet-
erinary assistant; recommended the cri-
teria for technicians serving on disaster
response teams; and helped place a
technician on the AVMA’s Wellness
Committee.
The Future
The future holds some critical
junctures for the profession. Among
these are the debate over titles, re-
sponsibilities, education, and qualifi-
cations—issues that need to be re-
solved for the profession to continue
advancing. In addition, whereas some
veterinarians believe there is a short-
1993
NAVTA represents the
United States at an
organizational meeting of Veterinary
the International Veterinary Technician
Nursing Congress
Small Animal/Exotics
OWNERS’ OUTLOOK
■ Education is Key. Veterinary
technicians play an important
role in the clinic setting. A 1999
Veterinary Technician market
profile study showed that 90%
of veterinary technicians are
responsible for client education
and 83% are responsible for staff
training.
■ Purchase Power. Today’s
veterinary technicians have
significant input into what
products their clinics purchase. A
1994 veterinary sales representative
survey (conducted by Veterinary
Learning Systems and tabulated by
Data Vision Research, Princeton,
NJ) discovered that veterinary
technicians have almost as much
influence on purchasing decisions
(46.4%) as practice owners do
(54.1%).
age of qualified technicians, many
technicians argue that the problem is
a shortage of well-paying technician
positions. A significant number of
technicians are moving to higher pay-
ing jobs in sales, industry, and re-
search or leaving the profession en-
tirely, thus contributing to this
perceived shortage. In reality, the
number of accredited veterinary tech-
nology programs is on the rise; also,
most veterinary technology programs
have waiting lists and are therefore
increasing class sizes to meet the in-
creasing demand for education.
A 1994 NAVTA utilization survey
documented that most veterinarians
are still performing tasks that techni-
cians are educated to do (e.g., col-
lecting blood samples, taking radio-
graphs, placing intravenous catheters,
1994
The first
1998
NAVTA hosts the first state
National representative workshop for
leadership training
Week is Academy of Veterinary
1999
observed Emergency and Critical Care
Technicians administers its
first examination
Small Animal/Exotics 20TH ANNIVERSARY
administering anesthesia). This is likely to change as the
number of newly graduated veterinarians—people who
have been trained with veterinary technicians at their sides
and who better understand how to utilize the skills of tech-
nicians—increases.
Veterinary technicians have come a long way in a rela-
tively short time. Although there remain obstacles to over-
come, their accomplishments should not be overlooked.
Veterinary technicians play a vital role in the delivery of
animal health care, whether in private practice, university
settings, or industry, and they offer a valuable service to
veterinarians. By using technicians as part of a veterinary
team and taking advantage of their knowledge, experience,
Compendium September 1999
and abilities, veterinarians can see more clients (which in-
creases practice revenue) and those clients will receive
quality care for their animals.
References
1. Collins WE: Animal health technology: A focus on the past, present
and future (part 1). Compend Contin Educ Anim Health Tech 1(1):
5–9, 1980.
2. Collins WE: Animal health technology: Acceptance and utilization
of the animal health technician (part 2). Compend Contin Educ Anim
Health Tech 1(2):57–63, 1980.
3. Decker C, Navarre P: A history of the veterinary technology profes-
sion. Vet Tech 15(9):476–479, 1994.
4. Decker C: Resource Guide. Battle Ground, IN, North American Vet-
erinary Technician Association, 1999.