How the Profession is Suffering

By Jennifer Lettich-Snyder, CVT, CCRP, Fear Free Certified Professional

It’s hard enough these days to find good candidates for employment. It’s even harder to find qualified individuals that are certified or have significant experience. Education is extraordinarily important, it’s the “why” in what we do and provides an excellent understanding for a certified technician/ nurse to make individual decisions and help bring top-notch quality care to pets and enhanced revenue for the practice.

Veterinary medicine is suffering significantly, but it does not give us an excuse to provide a lower standard of care. We need to continue to provide gold standard medicine with qualified individuals on our teams. When we empower these individuals, they have a great sense of belonging and provide a more stable team. The team members who are happy and feel utilized in turn stay in the profession longer and will typically find satisfaction and return it to future students or employees. These individuals also create a powerful impact in our communities and pave the way for professional veterinary growth opportunities.

Is it fair that we have the young lady down the street who is a manager of the local donut shop be hired at a veterinary practice and be called a veterinary technician with zero education? In human medicine, we would never substitute someone and call them a registered nurse. Do you want someone who has zero veterinary-related education taking care of your pet while it’s under anesthesia?

We are in a time in this world when education is more accessible. There are online programs and there are more reputable veterinary schools, technician schools and assistant programs popping up throughout the United States. Why are we using excuses to hire these individuals without the correct skill sets? Do clients know the skill set of your employees? Why would you want your veterinary practice to have that type of reputation?

Practice owners and practice managers need to practice self-discipline when it comes to hiring individuals without certification or underlying education. Some states do have laws in place under their practice act that enforce these things. According to Today’s Veterinary Nurse magazine, there are 41 states that have established licensure whether it be in the realm of registration, licensing, or certification.1 We need to push forward with this as educated professionals, as we dedicated ourselves to adhere to the Veterinary Technician Oath. Pennsylvania needs to get on board and push for the positive change.

I’ve witnessed an individual giving themselves the title veterinary technician, attempt to monitor anesthesia without understanding the equipment, understanding planes of anesthesia or the patient and due to their lack of training and education, the animal woke up during the surgery with its intestines out. Horrified by the incompetence, I rushed over to intervene. That individual should not have been in that position in the first place. I should not have been put in that situation either. Is it to save money paying a salary? The pet’s life is worth more than that.

Finally, this is why creating guidelines across the state and nation for veterinary technicians/nurses to graduate from an AVMAaccredited program will be the biggest foundation in having consistent skill sets and training.

Reference:

1. Today’s Veterinary Nurse Journal Volume 5, Number 1 Winter Edition 2022.

About the Author: Jennifer Lettich-Snyder, CVT, CCRP, Fear Free Certified Professional.

Since entering the veterinary field in 2003, Jennifer has held a variety of roles in the profession. Her experience and motivation led her to find her many passions for canine rehabilitation, client education, patient care, improving the veterinary field and mentoring. Jen is currently a part of the Anthracite Animal Clinic and Sunbury Animal Hospital team.

Jen has completed the Canine Rehabilitation Program offered through the University of Tennessee, June 2013. She also has completed the Fear Free Certification Program. Jen continued on and attended the Veterinary Practice Management Program at Penn Foster College in 2019. She completed the PVMA’s Power of 10 Leadership Academy in 2022. Jen has a strong devotion to the profession. Jen is happily married with 9 dogs, 2 rabbits, chickens and 1 horse. She also enjoys volunteering in the community and is involved with the fire department. She is a K-9 handler for Pennsylvania Canine Search and Rescue, Middle Creek Search and Rescue and SCPASAR with her dogs, Charlotte, Penelope, and Dingo. She is a member of PVMA, HSVMA, NAVTA and PSWAF. Her passion is teaching, helping others, and bettering the veterinary profession.