Registered vs Unregistered Technicians

[Jessika]

Veterinary Technicians, to clarify.

I know you can be an "understudy" to be a technician but you are NOT a certified technician unless you take and pass your boards.

My question is... would you, as a pet owner, want an unregistered technician working on or with your animal?

Technicians are NOT legally supposed to diagnose, prognose, operate or prescribe. I read about some vet techs who never had any schooling and regularly perform routine surgeries such as spays, neuters, and declaws.

How comfortable are you with this???

Would you want an unregistered nurse doing "routine" operations on your child???

Not only that, but I'm not sure if it's technically illegal or not but having unregistered technicians working at a practice is a HUGE legal liability because if that technician does something wrong and hurts an animal and the practice gets sued, guess who is gonna be liable and lose in court? The Dr.

I just never understood how this poses such a humongous insurance liability yet some practices still allow unregistered technicians to do stuff like that! It makes me wonder now if the vets I've brought my pets to before, if I've been dealing with licensed techs or not. It's really kinda scary actually.

I WILL be registered, and I STILL won't be able to perform operations! Assist, yes, but perform, NO WAY!

PS: Sorry if this belongs in the dog house instead... wasn't quite sure where it would fit.

[sumbirdy]

My Aunt is not certified and she gets to do all the stuff you mentioned. I am studying to become a vet tech as well, and she wants me to work at the same place she is, but honestly, I'm not all too comfortable working at a place that let's uncertified vet techs do stuff like that. I really don't agree with it. And my Aunt only had 3 months of schooling and then she quit! I really don't want someone like that working on my animals. I totally believe in on-the-job experience but c'mon people have at LEAST a couple years of schooling first! Then at least you might have a clue as to what you're doing when you are ASSISTING with surgeries. I think it should be mandatory that all vet techs become certified before doing any kind of vet tech jobs.

I am going to become certified as well.

[Ginger's Mom]

To the best of my knowledge my vet does not allow the vet techs to do any of the things you mentioned. Obviously I do not know what goes on behind the closed doors, but outwardly it appears that the vet techs are there to assist and support only. As you said, ultimately, it is the doctor who is and should be held responsible for the care that the animal receives at his/her office. It all comes down to how much you trust your vet.

[Jessika]

It actually kind of angers me to think about it, because I'm payin thousands and thousands of dollars for my schooling and then you have people who just think "Oh I'll work at a clinic and get to play with dogs and cats and help the vet!" and don't ever pay a dime for schooling, and yet do stuff like perform routine surgeries! I'm not even talking about performing surgeries with the vet there, I'm talking about on their own!!!!! That absolutely APPALLS me that a veterinarian would allow something like that to happen in their clinic when THEY will be held responsible!!

So just as a warning to all you pet lovers and owners out there (well, all of us... lol) to maybe ask your vet about their technicians, make sure they're certified and make sure they are NOT performing any duties they are not legally allowed to be doing. If anything goes wrong, you can sue the living bejesus out of that vet for... well, malpractice.

[lizbud]

Well, I don't know about your state laws but, Techs can not prescribe
or dispense meds let alone perform operations in Indiana. My Vets even
display the Vet Techs licenses on the wall of the office.

[Jessika]

Well, I don't know about your state laws but, Techs can not prescribe
or dispense meds let alone perform operations in Indiana. My Vets even
display the Vet Techs licenses on the wall of the office.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal throughout the entire US... since it's regulated by a nation-wide program/association. Can't remember the name off-hand. Can look it up...

OK, it's the AVMA, American Veterinary Medical Association. Each state writes its own act, BUT the AVMA writes the Veterinary Practice Act, which basically helps to standardize the roles of the veterinarian, veterinarian technician and veterinary assistant.

The Veterinary Practice Act defines a technician's role as:

Veterinary Technicians may perform all duties of animal care and treatment EXCEPT:
1) Prescribe
2) Operate/Perform Surgery
3) Diagnose
4) Prognose

EDIT: The Veterinary Practice Act for Utah, I'm assuming: http://www.dopl.utah.gov/laws/58-28.pdf

[Alysser]

That's crazy. I didn't know you can legally become a vet technician if you aren't certified. I would NOT be comfortable with this at all. I'd much rather have a Veterinarian preform an operation on my animal then even a certified Vet tech. To my knowledge Vets go to school for 8 years, and Vet tech go to school for 4 years. I can't understand why someone would let someone who had no schooling operate on an animal, especially a pet, know matter how minor the surgery.

[Cataholic]

If anything goes wrong, you can sue the living bejesus out of that vet for... well, malpractice.

Actually, it is alot more than simply claiming something went wrong. You have to prove negligence, and that isn't a walk in the park. Second, in *most* states, the amount of your malpractice claim is directly linked to the cost of your animal. Nice, eh?