What Is a Veterinary Technician and What Do They Do?

You may be wondering: “What is a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) and What Do They Do? What is their role in veterinary medicine and in animal hospitals?”

To start, we like to always answer our most frequently asked question:

What is the difference between a Registered Veterinary Technician and a Veterinarian?

A Veterinarian is a doctor of veterinary medicine, a Registered Veterinary Technician is a nurse in veterinary medicine.

Working with animals doesn’t always mean days filled with cuddles and kisses. RVTs are known to have strong communication skills, a deep passion for animals, and a strong interest in medicine. Registered Veterinary Technicians are formally educated and trained (3) professionals who graduated from an accredited 2-4 year program and successfully completed the Veterinary Technician National Exam. They work under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian and are integral to a successful animal hospital. You may also hear Registered Veterinary Technicians casually referred to as animal nurses, veterinary (vet) nurses, or pet nurses.

RVTs are not “veterinarian’s in training”, but have a keen interest in a particular set of skills in veterinary medicine and have chosen a specific career path to achieve those unique skills. They are qualified in performing a range of challenging tasks and play many roles in the hospital. Some hospitals are small, whereas they have their RVTs taking on additional roles as the veterinary assistants and receptionists as well.

Now that you have a better understanding of what a Registered Veterinary Technician is, you’re probably wondering, “Okay, well what exactly do they do?”

RVTs are qualified in performing a range of tasks that include:

• Collecting samples and performing diagnostic laboratory tests (hematology, clinical chemistry, cytology, and urinalysis)
• Educating clients and pet owners
• Providing nursing support to hospitalized pets
• Performing basic physical exams
• Taking radiographs (aka x-rays)
• Phlebotomy (taking blood samples)
• Microbiology
• Dentistry (understanding of dental structures and different causes and stages of dental disease, executing teeth cleanings)
• Performing as pharmaceutical technician
• Restraint and safe handling
• Surgical preparation and assistance
• Anesthesia administration and monitoring
• Knowledge of pet nutrition and educating pet owners on their pet’s dietary needs
• Animal behaviour and welfare
• Animal anatomy and physiology
• Exotic, pocket pet, and large animal medicine
• Emergency and first aid practices

Registered Veterinary Technicians also have the ability to book “RVT appointments” with clients and pet owners to help relieve veterinarians of basic tasks such as:

• Administering follow-up vaccines
• Ear cleanings
• Anal gland expressions
• Nail trims
• Client demonstration and education
• Diet plan follow-up
• Post-surgery follow-up
• Removal of stiches or staples
• Bandage changes
• Subcutaneous fluid administration
• Administering injections/medications
• Collecting samples for diagnostic testing
• In-Home Services

Registered Veterinary Technicians take on a lot of roles in veterinary medicine, so more hospitals are starting to hire Certified Veterinary Assistants (CVAs) to primarily support Registered Veterinary Technicians. I had the opportunity to work in an animal hospital that hired CVAs to assist RVTs and it truly was a game-changer for the amount of time and care we could dedicate towards in-hospital pets, communicating with clients, the overall team workflow, and prioritizing our mental health.

Outside of animal hospitals, you can find RVTs working in zoos, research facilities, content creation, telehealth, virtual services, writing, teaching facilities, training and behaviour, and even overseas with exotics! A few Registered Veterinary Technicians have taken the entrepreneur route, performing in-house services for pet owners with training and behaviour, medication administration, and basic pet care needs.

What Can’t a Registered Veterinary Technician Do?

• Prescribe medications
• Diagnose conditions
• Perform surgical procedures

Challenges Registered Veterinary Technicians Face

• Compassion fatigue
• Burnout
• Injury
• Toxic work environments (long hours, no breaks, no vacation, gossip)
• Low wages
• Stressed clients
• Euthanasia

Benefits of Becoming Registered:

• Title protection to be called a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
• RVTs continue to learn, grow, expand their knowledge, and keep up with current trends in veterinary medicine by completing mandatory annual continuing education credits
• Membership perks and benefits, such as promo codes and discounts to gyms and retail stores
• Access to mental health and suicide prevention support
• Annual conferences in the province/state you are registered in
• Invitations to members-only groups and events
• Professional Liability insurance
• Internationally recognized legal credentials
• Appear on a public registry confirming registered status

What is the difference between a Veterinary Technician and a Veterinary Technologist?

In Canada, there is no difference; It all depends on where you are located. Veterinary technician is used in the Eastern Canada and veterinary technologist is used in the Western Canada. (1)

In the USA, “a veterinary technician is a graduate of an American Veterinary Medical Association Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities(AVMA CVTEA)-accredited or Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)-accredited program in veterinary technology. In most cases the graduate is granted an associate degree or certificate. A veterinary technologist is a graduate of an AVMA CVTEA-accredited or CVMA-accredited program in veterinary technology that grants a baccalaureate degree.”(2)

Storytime

The word “technician” tends to throw most people off. I once had a friend that was too embarrassed to ask exactly what it is I do, and made the assumption that a veterinary technician is someone who goes around and fixes cages in animal hospitals. We definitely had a good laugh about it, but that conversation made me realize that there must be other people out there who aren’t quite sure what a veterinary technician actually does.

I hope this blog post gave you a better understanding as to what a Registered Veterinary Technician does! What did you think a vet tech’s role in veterinary medicine was? Let me know in the comments below!

Sasha, RVT, Elite Level 2 FFC

One More Thing

If you enjoyed this post, I  highly recommend checking out these 2 articles to get a more personal understanding on all the wonderful ways Registered Veterinary Technician’s contribute to the veterinary field:
The Role of the Veterinarian Technician
These heroes wear scrubs: the important work of Registered Veterinary Technicians 

Resources:

• (1) https://rvtcareernavigator.ca/faq/#:~:text=In%20Canada%20there%20is%20no,and%20a%20Registered%20Veterinary%20Technologist.
• (2) https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/avma-policy-veterinary-technology
• (3) https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/media/a1jfcwfp/exploring-the-value-that-registered-veterinary-technicians-bring-to-ontario-companion-animal-practices.pdf