by Dawn Hickey
Technician Liaison

For those of you that do not know it, there are many good reasons to join the AARV as a technician member. There are valuable resources available for your continuing education, knowledgeable people to receive advice from, classified pages for employment opportunities, grant opportunities and many more. As a technician, you are a full-fledged voting member of the association and we want your voices to be heard. The veterinarian members also serve as a resource for mentorship for veterinary technicians wanting to earn a VTS in Physical Rehabilitation! If you are a veterinarian and have rehabilitation technicians that work with you, make sure they know about the benefits of belonging to the AARV!

Speaking of technicians, have you heard of the Veterinary Nurse Initiative? The North American Veterinary Technician Association (NAVTA) is spearheading an effort to develop a national credential to bring uniformity to the credentialing status of veterinary technicians. Depending on the state you live in, right now a technician might be a:

• Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT)
• Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
• Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
• Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician (LVMT)

And in some states, there's no credentialing requirement at all.

Many small animal veterinary offices and clinics refer to veterinary assistants, who have on the job training, as "technicians." Some states even have title protection for the term veterinary technician, however it continues to be inappropriately used. Granted, many of these "technicians" have years of experience and excellent skills but to elevate the credentialing status of veterinary technicians to the level it should be, the term, whether it is "veterinary nurse" or "veterinary technician" should be limited to only those individuals who have received a degree in the field and passed a national board exam. The public deserves to know who is working on their animal and what level of education or experience that individual has.

NAVTA and many working technicians feel a national title change will clear up confusion with the general public because so many people have no idea what a veterinary technician is or does. Every single one of us has had to reply, "It's like a nurse, but for animals" and then the general public understands. Several states have begun the process of bringing a bill up before their legislature to accomplish this change. As with any change, opposition is coming from the human nursing population, who have worked hard to gain recognition in their field. NAVTA has found that the biggest issue is ignorance as to what education we possess as veterinary technicians. In Tennessee, the assembly had to table the bill until next year because of the opposition, clearly needing to get more education out to the public so they would understand what we are trying to do. Veterinary technicians are trying to change the title to "registered veterinary nurse" and it would only apply to current licensed veterinary technicians, but there were still people at the hearings each week who were misinformed.

My hope is that each of you will share the information in this newsletter with people who do not know what a veterinary technician is and does. Many people do not realize that technicians, like human nurses, have either an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree in veterinary technology. These technicians may then go on to work for a minimum of 5 years and apply and sit for a specialty exam. Many, many hard hours of study, training and testing are involved, and these individuals are dedicated professionals. They deserve the recognition, respect and title protection that a "registered veterinary nurse" would give them.

I have compiled a summary of what we are trying to do and have also included a link to the NAVTA page with more information. Please familiarize yourselves with this issue and help us educate others!

The national Veterinary Nurse credential initiative

• The goal of the initiative is to standardize the credential for our profession in terms of credentialing requirements, title, and scope of practice throughout the nation.
  
• A standardized title should be used in all 50 states; in addition, a standard should be set in all 50 states for maintenance of credentials.
• A standardized credential will unify the profession and grow professional recognition.
• The veterinary consumer needs to understand what credentialed veterinary technicians/nurses do on a daily basis in regards to patient care.
• Pet owners are demanding qualified veterinary nursing personnel, which leads to consumer protection and patient care.

For more information click here: http://www.navta.net/?page=VeterinaryNurse