This week is National Veterinary Technician Week and at Amherst Veterinary Hospital we thought we would recognize our technicians by writing about them!
Veterinary technicians are the busy bees behind the scenes of a veterinary hospital. Their role in the hospital often goes unrecognized by our clients, but is well known to your pets. Although you don’t often see our veterinary technicians, you’d be surprised at how well they know your pets. They are the nurses of the veterinary world.
Kristina, reading some slides.
Registered veterinary technicians go to school for 2-3 years depending on the program. They are extensively trained in many areas of the veterinary field such as laboratory analysis, administering and monitoring anesthesia, nursing care and surgical nursing, radiology and drug administration, phlebotomy (blood collection), and dentistry.
Maryann, administering intramuscular sedation to a patient prior to surgery.
On a daily basis our certified vet techs are the ones responsible for taking blood samples, placing intravenous catheters, administering intravenous and oral medications, taking x rays, administering and monitoring anesthetics and recovering your pets after a surgical procedure.
When your pets are staying with us in hospital, our techs are the first to notice and alert us if your pet is uncomfortable or not well. I cannot recount how many times I see our technicians holding an anxious cat or dog in their arms or lap while working at the computer or microscope because the pet needed extra cuddling to feel better.
They also help to keep us veterinarians on task and organized to keep our pet patients safe and comfortable. I once worked at a veterinary hospital that did not hire certified technicians. It didn’t take me long to recognize that I could not do my job well and provide the care that our pets needed without qualified technicians. I did not stay at that job for long!
Happy National Vet Tech Week and thank you technicians of Amherst Veterinary Hospital for all you do!
Erin, Amanda and Kristina celebrating tech week!