Vitally Important - British Columbia Veterinary Technologists Association

Do you know how vitally important RVTs are to the veterinary field?

Registered Veterinary Technologists are college and university educated and highly trained paraprofessionals, working in many different veterinary settings, performing challenging and important tasks, and participating in big-picture patient care alongside doctors of veterinary medicine. Unfortunately, veterinary technology is not widely recognized or understood within the general public.

We often know what a Registered Nurse, Dental Hygienist, and Paralegal does in relation to the Doctor, Dentist, and Lawyer respectively, but not as much about how the Registered Veterinary Technologist relates to and supports the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. It is often our pets that get the most facetime with these caregivers, and they don’t ask many questions!

RVTs are like the dark horses of veterinary care. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a dark horse as “a person who keeps their interests and ideas secret, especially someone who has a surprising ability or skill”. Although we’re not keeping it a secret on purpose, RVTs have an exceptional breadth and depth of skills, abilities, and responsibilities in their practice.

What RVTs are:

college and university graduates
highly trained
paraprofessionals
work under supervision of a Veterinarian
participate in clinical decision-making
work with multiple species
work in many different settings
can perform many procedures, except in the areas of diagnosis, surgery, and prescription of medications, which can only be performed by a licensed Veterinarian

What RVTs can do and/or specialize in:

anesthesia and pain control procedures
sample collection and laboratory procedures
radiology procedures
nursing care for hospitalized patients such as comforting a patient after surgery, changing bandages, and providing nutrition through a variety of methods
dentistry such as dental cleaning, scaling, polishing, radiographs, and pain control
emergency medicine
surgical assistance
surgical equipment sterilization and preparation
physical rehabilitation
massage therapy
client education
behaviour consultation
nutritional consultation
practice management

There are many more! A complete list of all Veterinary Technologist Specialities can be accessed here: https://navta.net/veterinary-technician-specialties/

RVT soft skills often include:

work ethic
team-building
decision-making
communication
time management
empathy
working well in challenging environments

Where RVTs can work:

veterinary practices (small animal, food animal, equine)
feedlots/ranches/dairy farm (herd health)
wildlife parks
wildlife rehabilitation centres
animal shelters
zoos
research facilities
government veterinary laboratories
veterinary pharmaceutical sales
pet food sales
teaching

What kinds of animals RVTs can work with:

small animals such as dogs and cats
large animals such as horses, cattle, and other farm animals
laboratory animals such as rats, mice, and guinea pigs
exotic animals such as birds, monkeys, snakes and other reptiles

In most Canadian provinces, RVTs are regulated, which means they are internally governed by a professional college. In BC, while we are not currently a regulated profession, the title Registered Veterinary Technologist is a protected title under the Societies Act. This term indicates that the individual using the title is a member of our organization – the British Columbia Veterinary Technologists Association – and meets the eligibility requirements.

So the next time you meet a Registered Veterinary Technologist in BC, you can rest assured that the individual has attended an accredited veterinary program, completed a national licensing exam, and is required to continue to attend education and training to ensure their skills and knowledge remain current.

You will also know how vitally important this individual is to the veterinary field.