Veterinary technicians — professionals who work closely with veterinarians to care for your pets — now specialize in four medical fields.
   Their efforts to enhance the veterinary care provided are paying off for clients and patients across North America, and it creates a new career path for ambitious professionals.
   “Technicians are extremely passionate about what they do,” said Lori Renda-Francis, MA, BBA, LVT, at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan. “Once they hit a plateau, they want to take it to that next level. Veterinary technician specialists [VTS] are much more involved with patient care. Because of that, they feel much more job satisfaction.”
   Currently technicians specialize in emergency and critical care, anesthesia, dentistry, and internal medicine. To earn specialty status, technicians spend more than three years earning credentials recognized by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA).
   Requirements differ by specialty but all VTS candidates must be credentialed veterinary technicians, which means they are certified, licensed, or registered, depending on where they live.
   “Credentialed means you’re either a CVT, RVT, or LVT. It depends on what state you’re in. You’re a CVT in Colorado; in New York, you’re an LVT. The catchall term is ‘credentialed,’” says Denise Mikita, MS, CVT, executive director of the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT).

What do those letters mean? CVT: Certified veterinary technician credentials are provided by nongovernmental organizations and are not required to perform veterinary technician responsibilities. In states like Colorado, where licensing or registration is not required, CVT credentials indicate a person met the standards of the awarding organization. RVT: Registered veterinary technician credentials indicate a technician is on a list of practitioners maintained by a governmental agency. LVT: Licensed veterinary technician credentials are awarded to a veterinary professional who earned the right to work as a veterinary technician in a state where nonlicensed practice is prohibited by law.

   All candidates must also have extensive work experience (3,000 – 6,000 hours) in their chosen field, complete several hours of continuing education, provide comprehensive patient case histories, get two letters of recommendation, and pass a certification exam administered by a specialist academy.
   Angela Randels, CVT, VTS (Emergency and Critical Care), worked as a technician for about 14 years before becoming a specialist. Her additional coursework and study has helped her in numerous ways.
   “I can think of a number of cases where, after taking over patients and going over their charts I’ll think of recommendations for tests we could do or of something we should monitor that others haven’t thought of yet. [Veterinary technician specialists] have the skills to do the extra monitoring and nursing care required for really critical cases.”
   Anna Worth, VMD, at AAHA-accredited West Mountain Animal Hospital in Bennington, VT, appreciates the expertise that technicians as well as specialists provide.
   “Veterinary technicians are essential to our practice. We all work together to give the highest level of our care to our patients. I wouldn’t want to work without them, that’s for sure.”