Page 18 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

2 Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant

and emergency care. Patients are transferred to these medicine, or perform surgery. Veterinary technicians
facilities for around the clock care, thereby freeing gen­ are educated to perform the same tasks as human nurses,
eral clinic and hospital practices to focus on general surgery technicians/nurses, anesthetic nurses, labora­
care. What this means is that whatever the type of clinic tory, dental, and radiology technicians on animals in a
or hospital, it requires staffing. Let’s discuss the staffing veterinary practice. In addition, they play an integral
required in a veterinary practice. part in client education and communication.
A veterinary practice consists of many staff members. It There are several ways to become a veterinary techni­
takes the specialized skills of each to provide the compe­ cian. One way is to attend an AVMA accredited veterinary
tent care that pet owners expect for their pets. The veteri­ technology program. This is a program that has met strin­
nary assistant is just one member of the veterinary team. gent guidelines for didactic and medical skills training.
Synchronization of their duties with those of other mem­ Most programs offer an Associate degree that can take
bers of this specialized team requires an awareness of the from two to three years to complete and is offered in
responsibilities of each. Understanding how the assistant community, technical, or private colleges. There are also
fits into the complex pattern is crucial to successful several bachelor’s degree veterinary technologist pro­
coordination of patient care and implementation. grams across the USA that are offered in public and
Every practice requires at least one veterinarian. This private colleges and universities. This may seem like over­
person can either be the owner of the practice or an kill; however, if you change your mind about working in a
employee. To become a veterinarian one must complete veterinary practice a bachelor’s degree opens the door to
an undergraduate course at a college or university. It usu­ jobs within industry, business, research, and government.
ally takes four years to complete the undergrad require­ Another path to becoming a veterinary technician is to
ments, with most receiving a bachelor’s degree in the enroll in an AVMA accredited online program. You can
subject of their choice. Then students must be accepted work at your own pace and utilize a veterinary practice as
at a college of veterinary medicine which is another four your training facility. Once a person has graduated from
years of education to receive either a Doctor of Veterinary an accredited program most states require the graduate
Medicine (DVM) or a Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris to sit for a credentialing exam, the Veterinary Technician
(VMD) depending on the college of veterinary medicine National Exam (VTNE), administered by the American
attended. In order to practice veterinary medicine, new Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), and is
graduates must pass a licensing exam for each state in recorded by a state veterinary medical board. A few states
which they wish to practice. Without this they cannot offer voluntary credentialing which is recorded by either
practice in a state even with a degree in hand! Some vet­ the state veterinary technician association or the veteri­
erinarians chose to specialize in a specific area of veteri­ nary medical association. There are also some states that
nary medicine which involves additional years of study don’t require any sort of credentialing. The credential
and another round of exams administered by an organi­ designation also depends upon the state. Those states
zation dedicated solely to that field of study. For example, that recognize veterinary technicians that have passed the
a DVM interested in ophthalmology does everything VTNE grant them the designation of Certified, Registered,
required by the College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists or Licensed Veterinary Technicians. This creates much
and passes their exam to become a Diplomat in Veterinary confusion especially as all states that offer credentialing
Ophthalmology. But the learning still isn’t finished! The utilize the VTNE offered by the AAVSB. To address this
state the veterinarian is practicing in, and if specialized confusion the National Association of Veterinary
the “College,” requires several hours of continuing edu­ Technicians in America (NAVTA) has initiated a move to
cation per year to maintain their license to practice in have all states recognize veterinary technicians and tech­
that state and their diplomat status as a specialist. nologists as Registered Veterinary Nurses. It is hoped that
The role of a veterinarian in practice is generally one with this change in terminology the confusion when
that provides a diagnosis, prognoses, prescribes treat­ moving from state to state will disappear and the public
ments and medications, and performs surgery on ani­ will more readily recognize the role that the veterinary
mals. The mission of the American Veterinary Medical nurse plays in a veterinary practice.
Association (AVMA) is to lead the profession by advo­ NAVTA offers specialty recognition to those techni­
cating for its members and advancing the science and cians that are interested in various areas of practice, usu­
practice of veterinary medicine to improve animal and ally within veterinary specialty practices. There are
human health. It provides a Model Veterinary Practice currently 16 Academies that offer training and testing
Act that succinctly spells out the duties performed by a for technicians that are interested in obtaining a spe­
licensed veterinarian. In addition, the veterinarian is held cialty designation.
legally responsible for the safety of all employees and all Veterinary technicians are often included in state prac­
actions of each employee within the practice. The final tice acts. The AVMA has included veterinary technicians/
word on the treatment of a patient is the veterinarian’s. technologists in their Model Veterinary Practice Act.
According to the AVMA Model Veterinary Practice Veterinary assistants are important members of the veteri­
Act, technicians cannot diagnose, prognose, prescribe nary practice team. They are often the “right hand person”