VPN Plus+ ExclusiveVet technicians need and want title protection; why so inconsistent?March 3, 2022By Ashli Selke, RVT, CVTTitle protection across our profession lacks continuity. The guidelines for this vary across the United States, which creates a huge misunderstanding from within the profession as well as consumers. How can anyone keep up when our title is protected in one state but not even recognized in another? The answer is, we can’t. So, we need to work together to bring the “big” issues to the forefront.
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VPN Plus+ ExclusiveProgress in reclaiming a profession in crisisDecember 30, 2021By Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (nutrition)NAVTA President, Ed Carlson, focuses on what is being done to advance the profession, as well as the groups working on potential solutions to some of these ongoing problems.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveAre we making headway or losing ground?October 28, 2021By By Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (nutrition)Veterinary technician underutilization, lack of job satisfaction, lack of professional respect, limited career advancement, low wages, and lack of employee benefits have been reported in multiple surveys for decades as the primary reasons individuals leave the field. I contend these are also reasons we do not have more individuals entering the profession.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveTech Talk: A look at advanced degreesSeptember 2, 2021By Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (nutrition)I am a huge supporter of increasing credentialed veterinary technician wages, optimal utilization, credentialing requirements, title protection, and defined scope of practice in all states. However, my question is: Do all these issues need to be addressed in every state before creating a new role?
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveTech Talk: Is there really a veterinary technician shortage? A profession in crisisFebruary 19, 2021By Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (nutrition)Unfortunately, no statistics are provided for the number of veterinary assistants employed or other individuals working in a veterinary technician capacity. Given these numbers are of individuals self-reporting as veterinary technicians, it is doubtful it represents only credentialed veterinary technicians. So, does this make a difference?
$200k in grants available for veterinary technicians, nursesMay 21, 2020Veterinary technicians, nurses, and assistants facing financial hardship amid the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for the AVMF’s COVID-19 Disaster Relief Grant program.
NAVTA adds team leadersNovember 18, 2019A nonprofit organization that supports veterinary technicians across the U.S. has taken a significant step in advancing its representation of the profession.
NAVTA and AVMA to continue partnership through 2019January 15, 2019The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will continue to provide association management and other support services for the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA).
NAVTA announces diagnostic imaging as 16th specialty for vet techsSeptember 14, 2018The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) has announced a 16th specialty academy for veterinary technicians, the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Diagnostic Imaging (AVTDI). The AVTDI comprises veterinary technicians who wish to perform higher-level diagnostic imaging, including digital radiography, fluoroscopic special procedures, CT, MRI, ultrasonography, and nuclear imaging. The organizing committee for the AVTDI worked diligently to meet the NAVTA Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties (CVTS) standards for the association's specialty recognition, according to Ed Carlson, interim chair of the CVTS. The AVDTI joins the existing 15 NAVTA-recognized veterinary technician specialties: dentistry, anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency and critical care, equine nursing, zoological medicine, surgery, behavior, clinical practice, nutrition, clinical pathology, dermatology, ophthalmology, laboratory animal medicine, and physical rehabilitation. The NAVTA CVTS, formed in 1994, provides guidelines to veterinary technician organizations to form specialties and assists the existing academies. Academies develop pathways and advanced standards that candidates must complete and maintain in order to be awarded the designation of veterinary technician specialist in a specific discipline.
Veterinary groups support protecting, strengthening licensure requirementsAugust 30, 2018The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) have released a joint statement in support of standardizing and improving licensure requirements and standards for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Licensure ensures veterinary professionals meet a necessary level of competence through recognized educational programs and successful completion of an examination, said the organizations in a statement. Additionally, licensure ensures that veterinarians are properly trained to comply with state regulations on controlled substances such as opioids. "Veterinarians take care of our pets, protect our food supply, defend against bioterrorism and prevent diseases that threaten public health," said John de Jong, DVM, AVMA president. "It's important we ensure that each member of the veterinary profession, including veterinary technicians, is armed with the necessary knowledge to do these jobs effectively. Strong licensing standards help us do that." "Professional licensure goes to the heart of protecting the health and wellbeing of people and animals," said Andrew T. Maccabe, DVM, MPH, JD, AAVMC CEO. "It also affects the future development …
