(Note: The term "veterinary technician" is used throughout this article. The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) recognizes a growing number of employers are using the title "veterinary nurse" to be synonymous with "veterinary technician." NAVTA supports and encourages this movement.—A.S.)
Why do "veterinary technicians" seem to be moving forward in our profession, but our wages and recognition do not?
I believe there are many aspects contributing to this, but I wanted to dive into one of the core reasons—title protection. Title protection across our profession lacks continuity. The guidelines for this vary across the United States, which creates a huge misunderstanding from within the profession as well as consumers. How can anyone keep up when our title is protected in one state but not even recognized in another? The answer is, we can't. So, we need to work together to bring the "big" issues to the forefront. This is the entire basis of why the NAVTA Veterinary Nurse Initiative (VNI) committee was formed and continues to strive to change our nation's biggest issue for veterinary technicians: to standardize title protection, scope of practice, professional recognition, reciprocity, proper utilization, and unified credential.
