What Role Does the Vet Tech Play in Pain Assessment?

Mary Ellen Goldberg, BS, LVT, CVT, SRA, CCRA, CVPP, research anesthetist, certified veterinary pain practitioner specializing in pain management and physical rehabilitation, from Vet Med Team, discusses the role of the veterinary technician in pain assessment.

Interview Transcript (slightly modified for readability)

"Veterinary technicians play a large role in pain assessment simply because they are the ones that are interacting with the patient the most. In pain assessment, you're looking at behavioral signs, body language, facial expressions, and taking in the overall posture. You're also doing things like palpating if there's an incision or a painful area. Veterinary technicians are the ones that advocate for the painful animal and they're the ones that are going to the veterinarian, who is probably seeing clients, or in surgery, and saying 'This animal needs more pain medication. It's hurting.' So, they have a very large role in assessing pain and that's probably one of their primary roles."