Appreciating technicians for National Veterinary Technician Week

Veterinary technician content is sponsored by Elanco for the month of October.

The 30th anniversary of National Veterinary Technician Week begins in less than 10 days. From October 15-21, veterinary technicians will be honored and celebrated for their continued contribution to veterinary medicine and the veterinary team. In an interview with dvm360, Vicky Ograin, MBA, RVT, VTS (Nutrition), scientific communication specialist at Hill's Pet Nutrition, shared her ideas of how to better utilize veterinary technicians and how to show appreciation for the hard work they do. She also discussed what she hopes to see for the future of this profession.

The following is a partial transcript of the video.

Vicky Ograin, MBA, RVT, VTS (Nutrition): There's so many different opportunities for technicians out there, so I really think it's important for us to be recognized for all the things that we bring. In practice, those skills that you bring really help your patients and navigate how you're caring for them. To me, I think that's really important. A very simple thing that can be done is to say, 'thank you.' Thank your technicians. That goes a long way.

I've been in this profession for many, many years and I do feel that things are better than when I first started many years ago. We are progressing. I feel, really honestly, the future should be that we are fully being utilized for all the skills that we bring to the table and that credentialing is certainly recognized.