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This year’s National Veterinary Technician Week (NVTW) has run from October 13 to October 9 with the 2024 theme of ‘Credentialed Veterinary Technicians Change Lives.’ The theme aims to underscore the remarkable difference that certified veterinary technicians make in the lives of their patients, clients, colleagues, and the community, whether that difference is recognized or not.¹

Veterinary technicians play a key role in the veterinary world as they bridge the gap between veterinarians and pet owners. These individuals offer patients care they need, often working on the frontlines. In emergency settings, veterinary technicians are instrumental for patient stabilization, monitoring, and more, playing a crucial role in these animals’ recovery.²

As the celebratory week comes to an end, dvm360 has asked veterinary technicians, including members of the New Jersey Veterinary Technicians and Assistants (NJVTA) organization and the team at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital (MLAH) in New Jersey, what makes them feel appreciated at work, as well as what NVTW means to them. It’s important, however, to continue celebrating these instrumental individuals year-round as they continue to tirelessly work for the wellbeing of animal patients.

Photo: Kristen Coppock Crossley/dvm360

From left: Karen Roach, RVT, VTS (ECC); Tasha McNerney, BS, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia); Jessica Marshall, CVT; and Margie Green, BA, CVT, LFDM-VH; are part of a large team of veterinary technicians working with patients and clients at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital in New Jersey.

What does vet tech week mean to you?

Jessica Marshall, CVT; MLAH: “Vet tech week means a lot. It means that the veterinary industry is recognizing us technicians for our work. I feel like a lot of times [our work] goes under the radar and, even with clients, [the] focus is usually on doctors. It's not put so much onto the technicians, and [there is a] high turnover rate and burnout rate with techs, and so having that week where the focus is on us, acknowledges that we do a lot. We're a little bit of everything in this in this field, in this industry, and what we sacrifice is really important.”

Margie Green, BA, CVT, LFDM-VH; MLAH: “I think that it's a time where technicians that sometimes maybe feel like we work really hard and we don't get a chance to sit and we don't get a chance to eat meals or take drinks or take care of ourselves, it's a time [when] we get be celebrated. Management and doctors often take some time to really help us to feel that we are essential parts of the team, which we know, but sometimes we're running and it's hard. So I think that it's just a time [when] we can kind of come together and say like, ‘Hey, this is a really important job that we’re doing.’”

Kelly Foltz, CVT, LVT, RVT, VTS (ECC): “I think, as a profession, we are often under-acknowledged. And when I say that, I mean that the majority of lay people don't really know what a veterinary technician does. They don't know how we're educated. They don't know how we're trained. Most people have really good cultural recognition of what a nurse does, or what a veterinarian does, what a fighter pilot does, what an astronaut does.

With veterinary technicians, I think we are still struggling to get to a point where the majority of people know what we do, and so this is really a wonderful time to have our hospitals and our colleagues show appreciation for what we do. I'm really excited to see that the industry is moving toward separate celebrations for customer service professionals— veterinary assistants and technicians—because I think for a long time, we've all kind of been lumped together into like a celebration of staff, and the roles are distinct, and they're all viable career paths, and so I'm really happy to see it get separated out. I love National Veterinary Technician week. It's one of the best weeks of the year.”

Lindsay Hallman, CVT, CCMT, VTS (Oncology); MLAH: It's just really nice...to have someone stop and say, ‘You know what, I do appreciate you. You are actually doing a great job, and we're really happy you're here.’ I know sometimes we can get into the thick of things, and just kind of cogs working in the machine. And so for the machine to stop for a second and be like, ‘You know what? You're a really important piece,’ [is] just really nice to hear. And sometimes everybody just needs to hear like, ‘Hey, great job.’”

Photo: Kristen Coppock Crossley/dvm360

Members of the New Jersey Veterinary Technicians and Assistants (NJTVA) organization recently attended the Fetch Coastal conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, including (from left) Amanda Gable, CVT; Michael Azzarello, MBA, CVT, LVT, and NJTVA president; Ray Butler, CVT, Latg; and Jessica Summers, CVT.

What makes you feel appreciated in your career?

Jessica Summers, CVT; NJVTA: “Having pet owners that come back and let me know what a difference I made, not just in their pet's life, but also their life, and just being able to understand and care for their pets in a better way and share the things that they've learned with other pet owners.”

Ray Butler, CVT, Latg; NJVTA: “The fact that you get the recognition from the owners for the work that you've done. I mean, it's great to have your boss or the doctor that you work with tell you you've done a good job—a lot of times that will make your day—but to have somebody come up to you and thank you for the work that you've done for their pets... Knowing that somebody else's life and the animal's life is better…is all the recognition I need.”

Amanda Gable, CVT; NJVTA: “I like when clients will specifically ask for me. They know that I explain things well. I do feel appreciated when they say, ‘wow, I didn't know that’ and really appreciate me going through everything with them.”

Kelly Foltz, CVT, LVT, RVT, VTS (ECC): “I think what would make me feel the best would probably be continuing to see technicians be brought into this circle as fellow professionals, right? So if we look at [a] feline pain example, how wonderful is it…when a clinician says, ‘What do you think about this cat's level of pain?’ We can have an intelligent, professional conversation about it. We can collaborate on what we feel like may work for this patient, and then we can move forward with making the patient feel better in a way in which no one feels undermined or belittled, no one feels kind of compartmentalized or judged because of their role, right? Like we both understand that we're both professionals and we're bringing different levels of knowledge and skill to that conversation, but both are essential for the well-being of that animal.”

References

1. Bautista-Alejandre A. NAVTA announces 2024 theme of National Veterinary Technician Week. dvm360. September 6, 2024. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/navta-announces-2024-theme-of-national-veterinary-technician-week
2. Bautista-Alejandre A. Malnutrition in critical patients: Guidelines for veterinary technicians. dvm360. October 16, 2024. Accessed October 18, 2024. https://www.dvm360.com/view/malnutrition-in-critical-patients-guidelines-for-veterinary-technicians