Veterinary Technicians Over Time: A Dynamic Role
In honor of veterinary technicians nationwide, and in celebration of the 31st National Veterinary Technician Week this October, Clinician's Brief presents an historical snapshot to recognize all that veterinary technicians do. These veterinary professionals have the expertise and client skills that are at the frontiers of veterinary medicine and an integral part of practice success.
1908
The Canine Nurses Institute opens in England; veterinary technicians and technologists are referred to as nurses in Europe to this day.
1960
The American Association of Laboratory Animal Science certifies research technicians who received on-the-job training.
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1963
The first class of animal technicians graduates in the U.S. from the State University of New York at Delhi.
1968
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) urges state veterinary medical associations to consider establishing animal technician training.
1972
The AVMA votes to accredit animal technician training programs.
1973
The AVMA accredits the first 2 animal technician program sat Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan) and Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (Curtis, Nebraska).
1981
The North American Veterinary Technician Association (NAVTA) is established.
1986
The first national examination for animal technicians is held in Maine.
1989
The AVMA approves changing terminology from animal technician to veterinary technician.
1994
NAVTA forms a specialty certification committee; emergency and critical care is the first approved specialty two years later.
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1999
The AVMA issues its definitions of veterinary technician and veterinary assistant as part of the model practice act.
2000
Two distance-learning programs are accredited for veterinary technician education, along with 84 brick-and-mortar schools.
2002
NAVTA changes its name to the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America.
2010
An AVMA study published in 2010 showed a positive relation between vet techs' contribution to veterinary business revenue, stating, “The use of credentialed veterinary technicians revealed a positive relationship between the number of credentialed technicians employed and gross practice revenue."
2013
More than 80,000 veterinary technicians practice in the U.S.
2016-17
NAVTA forms the Veterinary Nurse Initiative (VNI). According to VNI's site, the current veterinary technician credentials and credentialing systems, which vary from state to state, have led to confusion for the veterinary consumer and within the veterinary profession. The VNI has four goals:
Promote a standard credential with educational standards in the U.S.
Establish professional identity through public education and title recognition to contribute to public safety/protection
Clarify the value, scope of practice, and title, delineate the credentialed veterinary technician/nurse role
Define the role of the profession in all areas of practice to maximize potentials
2020
During the pandemic, veterinary technicians were challenged by inadequate support staff availability, unmanageable work hours, communication with clients, and COVID-specific personal protective equipment that made work duties more difficult. In addition, animal owners treated veterinary technicians worse during COVID.
2023
According to the U.S. Bureau and Labor Statistics, 125,700 veterinary technologists and technicians work in the U.S. as of 2023. The projected employment for 2033 is 150,000.
2024
Today, over 140 veterinary technology programs are accredited; accreditation is handled by AVMA's Committee on Veterinary Technology Education and Activities (CVTEA). Specialty certifications, which earn the appellation VTS through NAVTA's Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialities (CVTS), are now available in anesthesia, behavior, clinical practice, clinical pathology, dentistry, emergency and critical care, equine medicine, exotics, internal medicine, nutrition, surgical nursing, zoological medicine, and more.
The profession may be relatively new, but it has grown fast. As Dr. Doug Aspros, 2012–2013 AVMA president, said: “Many of the advances we’ve made in clinical practice would have been unthinkable without veterinary technicians.”
Editor's note: This article originally appeared in Veterinary Team Brief in October 2013, and has since been updated to reflect new changes in the profession.