A 182-member group of veterinary technicians certified in anesthesia has changed its name and updated its logo. The Academy of Veterinary Technician Anesthetists is now the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia (AVTAA). The change, announced Monday, follows a similar move by the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia (ACVAA), with which AVTAA works closely. ACVAA until 2014 was known as the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists. “While our name has changed, our mission has not,” the technician organization stated. “We continue to be dedicated to promoting patient safety, consumer protection, professionalism and excellence in the provision of anesthesia and analgesia to veterinary patients.” AVTAA advised its certified veterinary technician specialists to use the credentials VTS (anesthesia and analgesia) or VTS (anes/analgesia). AVTAA, which started in the early 1990s as the Veterinary Technician Anesthetist Society, hosts certification tests once a year at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium. The 2015 conference will be held Sept. 18 to 22 in Washington, D.C. A majority of the 182 members work in the United States. The others are based in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The organization’s president is Kristen Cooley, CVT, VTS, an instructional specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.
