Registered vs Unregistered Technicians

[Catlady711]

I'm not positive, but I think there are some states that a tech has to pass an exam to be certified (even without schooling) but does not have to be licensed. As far as I know even they are not allowed to do surgery, prescribe meds, or diagnose.

In my state techs have to be licensed and board certified then they can do dental cleanings with vet on site (but not pull teeth), give vaccinations (except for Rabies), and draw bloods but no surgeries or stuff like that. I know there's other things they do, but that's the biggies off the top of my head.

I'm not a tech, I'm an assistant so I don't even have the liberties that a tech does. I'm not allowed to do dentistries at all, give any shots or draw bloods. I do get to do alot of things that a plain kennel help person doesn't get to do though.

I wouldn't mind a certified vet tech helping within the law on my animals, however whether certified/licensed or not I wouldn't want a tech operating on my kitties!!

[kt_luvs_kitties]

I agree with cat lady... I was a vet tech assistant and vet assistant. I was allowed to draw blood, give shots, x rays, HELP in surgery,prescribe drugs, assist in dentals, BUT NEVER EVER EVER allowed to operate! I think that is irresponsible on the vets part. Legal or not!

[Jessika]

I'm speaking more in terms of insurance liability -- I understand some states you aren't allowed to become a tech without passing your boards or some sort of equivalent exam, but my point is that eventhough THIS IS THE LAW, some clinics STILL hire people on as "understudies" to the vet where the vet "Trains" them to become a tech with hands-on training, then "calls" them a tech, eventhough they have no former schooling OR certification. These techs then may or may not perform surgeries, but if you aren't licensed you shouldn't even be able to do stuff with animals such as give shots or draw blood because it's a HUGE insurance liability.

[Shelteez2]

I dunno... there's a lot of vets out there that I wouldn't let touch my pets. I wouldn't have a problem with a tech doing some things to my pets if they weren't certified, as long as they had been taught how to do said things by a vet I trusted. I do understand how you are appalled at the leagalities behind it all though.
When I worked at a vet clinic, quite a few years ago, the techs were allowed to do the cat neuters with a vet near by. I always thought that was kinda cool.

[slleipnir]

I'm actually trying to get into a school to be a VT.

I'm not positive but isn't the only difference between a reg'd tech and not is that you need to write an exam to become registered? I think none registered techs still have all the same training???

Also, I don't know how legal it is for a tech to preform those surgeries...unless it's a rat possibly.

(edit) Read some of the other posts...I see what you mean about vets hiring people off the streets and train as Techs...although I don't think they can be called a Tech until they have training? I know a girl who has done that. She is working in a clinic and does Tech work but has no training. She is still going for the course so she can be labeled as a Tech and be able to be hired by other practices if needed. You can go through the course (I think) and still be unregistered

[Jessika]

I'm actually trying to get into a school to be a VT.

I'm not positive but isn't the only difference between a reg'd tech and not is that you need to write an exam to become registered? I think none registered techs still have all the same training???

Also, I don't know how legal it is for a tech to preform those surgeries...unless it's a rat possibly.

(edit) Read some of the other posts...I see what you mean about vets hiring people off the streets and train as Techs...although I don't think they can be called a Tech until they have training? I know a girl who has done that. She is working in a clinic and does Tech work but has no training. She is still going for the course so she can be labeled as a Tech and be able to be hired by other practices if needed. You can go through the course (I think) and still be unregistered

I am going through training, but graduating alone won't get me certified. Like with a nurse, you have to pass your boards exam. I believe you can take the boards whether you've gone through school or not, but the boards is the ONLY determining factor on whether or not you become certified. Each state's is different, too, so if I want to become licensed in Missouri and Illinois, I will have to take and pass both Missouri's AND Illinois' boards.

I do not feel comfortable with an unregistered nurse working on or performing surgery on a family member, which is completely illegal, and likewise feel the same about unregistered techs and my pets (which may or may not be illegal).

[luckies4me]

I'm speaking more in terms of insurance liability -- I understand some states you aren't allowed to become a tech without passing your boards or some sort of equivalent exam, but my point is that eventhough THIS IS THE LAW, some clinics STILL hire people on as "understudies" to the vet where the vet "Trains" them to become a tech with hands-on training, then "calls" them a tech, eventhough they have no former schooling OR certification. These techs then may or may not perform surgeries, but if you aren't licensed you shouldn't even be able to do stuff with animals such as give shots or draw blood because it's a HUGE insurance liability.

Giving vaccines and drawing blood is not a huge liability. Performing surgeries yes, but giving routine vaccinations is not. For instance, say a non licensed tech gives a dog a vaccine and they have a reaction. The dog swells in the face and requires a longer stay to monitor his allergy, and the owners have to fork out more money for hospitalization, benadryl shots etc. Is that the non licensed vets fault? No. Any dog, no matter who gives a vaccine, can have a reaction.

A non licensed tech gives the vaccine in the wrong area of the body. So. A licensed tech can do the same thing. It doesn't matter if the person has a license or not, and to me it makes no difference. These people are trained to give vaccines. They just don't stick animals. They are trained the same way you could be trained if you went to school. There is no difference, except you are paying for something or getting something for free. Plain and simple.

A non licensed tech does a blood draw. The vein blows and the dog bleeds for a minute. Same can happen to a licensed vet, and it does happen, all the time.

Here in Oregon you do not have to go to school to become a tech. It's pointless really. Oregon state is a great school, but everything you learn in school you can learn in your free time studying the recommended books and working under a veterinarian who will do all your training. Why pay for school? It is a lot better to get hands on training then wait until you are out of school and pushed into the world of veterinary medicine, and a doctor calls on you to perform a duty you were NEVER taught in school, and wants it done stat, and you just stand there wanting to cry. All you need here to take the state board exam is the 4 years of working in the back (as a tech, doing tech work) under a licensed veterinarian who then verifies your employment for that four years as well as your studies and things you were taught. Then you go off and take the exam and become licensed. The same as going to school, except you are already used to being in that setting. If you do the work without a license you should be referred to as a technician's assistant, with license, LVT. We are not licensed, and referr to ourselves as "pet nurses".

I feel very comfortable with assistants and non licensed techs working on my animals. In fact, every clinic I've worked at since the age of 18 (I'm now 28) has only had about two licensed techs at the hospital, and where I work now, Banfield Pet Hospital, none of us our licensed. However, we have had EXTENSIVE training, both online in studies that have to be passed and reviewed by our corporate office, and at the hospital. Certain criteria needs to be met before we can draw blood, prep for surgery etc. Veterinary assistants draw blood, give vaccines, give exams everyday. We would NEVER be allowed to do a surgery ever. That is unethical, unsafe, and just plain stupid on the clinics part. I don't know what clinics you've been to or heard of, but I have never heard of any technician being allowed to do surgeries.

At Banfield our job as petnurses (we do not refer to ourselves as technicians) is to gather information from the client before the exam is performed by the veterinarian, draw blood and run blood on the CBC machine etc so blood work is ready when the doctor arrives for surgery in the morning, get the tono on dogs, fecal exams, temp, etc. During surgery we monitor patients anesthesia, blood pressure, pulse etc while the doctor does the work. We do generalized prep for surgery, like scrubbing the spay patient etc. One thing we are not allowed to do? Insert catheters. We used to be able to, but Banfield changed their policy as well as Oregon law, and we no longer put the catheters in.

When I started going to vet school I actually stopped. It was a waste of my money as I pretty much new most of everything already. Going to school for something I already know? Nope. Not gonna waste money on that, that's for sure! I do plan on going to vet school at Oregon State soon, but that's completely different territory. That is going to be extensive training. Heck, in all honesty I do not know if I'll be able to get through it.

People give vaccines to their pets themselves all the time. You can buy them at any feed or pet supply store that sells them. It's not regulated at all, and people do this every day. I vaccinate all my rescue kittens myself. There's no way I'm going to fork out 100 bucks for each pet when the routine care can be done for 20. I know all too well the ways in which clinics overcharge their clients, as I've been doing this for 10 years. As much as people don't want to believe this, 90% of vets are in it for the money, not to help the animals. It's horrible.

At Banfield we cannot take rediographs without a trip up to Portland for schooling on how to do so, and then we recieve a certificate through the state saying we are competent enough to do this.

The same as dental cleanings. We have to go to Portland again and take a class on how to do this, with massive training before we are allowed to do this, unless of course, we can prove we've been doing this for ages. We don't just throw people into it, that's horrible. However, some clinics do, and that's the sad part.

The first clinic I worked at was the worst. We had a non licensed vet there performing surgeries on animals every day. He was from Pakistan and licensed there, but not in the US. AND, the doctor who works with him now works for Banfield! I hated that place. They made me assist in surgeries all the time, when I knew absolutely nothing about what they were doing. I was basically a slave to them. These are the clinics you are talking about. A few years after I quit, the practice shut down. I wonder why.

I remember them doing an abscess surgery on my cat and she started to wake up during the surgery. They just kept going! That is what made me quit. I didn't want to be involved with people like that. Plus, Dr. Goraya pretty much just gave me his cat as he didn't want it. The cat was used as a blood donor for the cats who needed blood, and when he wasn't good enough to be used anymore they basically kicked him out the door. It's not only the techs and assistants you need to watch out for, it's also the veterinarians.

I would never allow a tech to do surgery on my pet. I would be absolutely furious! I plan on taking the state exam some time or another, but it won't change anything for me. I already know all the information, and here, getting a job is so easy that it doesn't matter if you're licensed or not, and the pay still stays the same. The reason being is that it's cheaper for a clinic to hire someone who is unlicensed than someone who is. If I became licensed and left Banfield I would have a heck of a time finding a job at another clinic in town, because they'd be too afraid to hire me because of wage earnings. It's all about the money. Hopefully one day it will be all about the animals.

When I'm done with vet school I do not plan on hiring non licensed techs. Everyone of them will be licensed, and the assistants will not be allowed to do the techs work, just basic care, like kennel cleaning, assisting in restraining etc.

Sorry for such a long post, but I feel that people like us deserve respect for all the hard work we do. Most of us recieve most of if not more of the training that is received in school, and work very hard to get where we are. I would never do anything to put a animal in harms way, and I'm pretty sure neither would anyone I work with.

[Jessika]

I'm sorry if my post has offended you in any way, as that obviously isn't my intention. However I have to be honest and say I'm just not comfortable with an unlicensed technician working on my animal. I KNOW you don't have to be licensed to draw blood or give vaccinations (if vaccinations were the case they wouldn't have the "DIY" kits being sold).

My point is just that there is a lot more technical aspects that go into being a technician that being an understudy just won't cover. That covers procedures but really nothing else... I'm sure you learn as you go, but I certainly wouldn't want someone learning on my dog as they go... do you kinda see what I'm saying?

Almost the same concept as, for example, anyone off the street is pulled into a hospital and follows around a doctor and calls themselves a nurse. Would you feel comfortable with your loved one in the care of that "nurse"?

I'm sorry that I just don't feel comfortable with it. I do know that many veterinarians/clinics are now hiring only certified technicians from schools because they get trained in how to perform blood work (not just draw blood samples and make smears) as well as touch base on dentistry and just... holy cow, after three weeks of material in school, I would never want to just "jump into" it without learning it beforehand.

Plus I'm not sure about other schools but with mine I know I will become certified to give anesthesia (not sure if that's all technicians or not or that you HAVE to be certified to give anesthesia, but again, I just wouldn't feel comfortable with doing it without prior training first).

I guess I'm looking at this from a pet-owner's view. I just wouldn't want my dog to be someone's practice on drawing blood or giving a vaccination or whatever, you know?

EDIT:Please don't think that I'm questioning your knowledge or ability, I'm just not comfortable with an unlicensed tech working on my animal.

[slleipnir]

I don't see the problem with an unregistered nurse or tech doing work so long as they have the training...

[Jessika]

I don't see the problem with an unregistered nurse or tech doing work so long as they have the training...

My question though is how do you KNOW they have the training if they've never taken classes and/or aren't certified to be doing what they're doing? For all you know they could be learning/practicing on your animals. What if they make a mistake? I'm aware that anyone, with or without training, can make a mistake, but it's less likely to happen to someone who's taken classes and had instruction versus someone just shadowing a vet. Does that make sense?

[Catlady711]

As much as people don't want to believe this, 90% of vets are in it for the money, not to help the animals. It's horrible.

I've seen similar comments like this all over the place and I've come to the conclusion that the area I live in must either have more than their share of good vets (cares for the animals) or everyone else has more than their share of bad vets (money grubbers).

Not having worked at all the other vet hospitals and clinics in our area, but just going by what me, my family, and our clients have experienced at other vet hospitals & clinics in our area...I'd have to say our ratio is more like 40-60% or better, meaning 40% that may be gouging prices with varying levels of care for the patients, and 60% that care for the animals and only charge what is necessary to stay in business and make a living, going above and beyond in patient care.

From all the bad vet things I've read around here, I hope I never have to move out of the area because I don't think I could handle the horror stories I hear about on here about vets. Not that we don't have a few of them in our area too, but not so many of them compared to the flip side of the coin.

On the vet tech thing...

I've only ever been called a tech by the big boss man when it comes to seminars. Some seminars I'm very interested in, or the boss thinks would be beneficial to me, but are limited to techs & vets only. So in those situations for a day I get to be a tech in name only. Once in a while some of the info is a bit over my head but mostly I understand the seminars and get alot of useful info from them.

On the job I'm often a 'jack of all trades' meaning I help out all over the hospital if we are short handed, someone is sick or on vacation or something like that.

Most of the time I'm just doing vet assistant stuff which does include helping in surgery. I can't operate on anything, I can't do dental cleanings, I can't do the anesthesia, I can't do blood draws. I can't do basically anything involving poking or cutting into an animal with anything, well except for nail clippers on toenails or the hair clipper on fur. I do get to clean out ears on anesthetized animals though, just the basic cleaning like you'd do at home, I can't do ear flushes or stuff like that. Other times I only assist in the exam rooms or the lab. On a good day I get to do all at some point during my shift.

Of course there are days I get the people who keep insisting I look at their animal for what they percieve is a 'simple' thing (which usually isn't) and I have to keep telling them, 'trust me you don't want ME diagnosing/treating your animal, I'm not qualified, you'll have to wait for an open appt. slot for the vet to see the pet'.

Although I confess when I'm working the lab or exam room I like to guess what the problem is just to see if I'm right. Sometimes I'm dead on including which med to treat, sometimes I'm so far off it reinforces the reason I'm not a vet! LOL

[luckies4me]

Of course there are days I get the people who keep insisting I look at their animal for what they percieve is a 'simple' thing (which usually isn't) and I have to keep telling them, 'trust me you don't want ME diagnosing/treating your animal, I'm not qualified, you'll have to wait for an open appt. slot for the vet to see the pet'.

Don't you love those people? We have people come in all the time that want us to tell them what is wrong with their pet. Our suggestion? SEE A VET! If your pet has diarrhea there are several things that can cause this. How the heck are we supposed to know?

And then you get the lovely people who know something is really wrong, but avoid treating the pet at all costs. Like today, we had a young woman come in with an 8 week old lab mix puppy. The dog was extremely bloated, and even vomited, much to my friends digust, roundworms into the trashcan. She got the dog for free outside of a Winco. She was telling me how tomorrow she is going to donate plasma to earn 45 bucks, as she has no money. If you have no money why would you adopt a puppy? It's just beyond me. Now, that poor dog is probably going to sit there for months with worms, or get some deadly disease like distemper or parvo all because she took the dog in knowing she couldn't care for it. In fact, earlier she tried taking the puppy to the pound, but she said the pound wouldn't take it because they were full. The truth is, she couldn't take the dog to the pound because they charge a $45 dollar fee to surrender an animal, as the shelters here are very full this time of year. It's very sad.

[Sparklecoon]

As a registered nurse I think of it in terms of my job. Those nice girls at a doctors office are NOT nurses (for the most part), at best their medical assistants with some training. They know there basic skills (though many don't take blood pressures correctly IMO) but they don't know why they do the things they do. There is theory and research behind everything in the medical field, things you learn with a formal education. Just because you can perform the manual task doesn't mean you understand why your doing it or what your looking for. Would I want them doing much more than drawing blood from me? No.

I assume if a VT performs a spay (completely negligent and illegal on the vets part) they know the procedure but do they know all the rules of sterile technique (trust me there is quite a few) and the intricasies of anesthesia?
If a VT perscribes meds do they know about interactions with other meds, labs that need to be monitored, even how the drugs themselves work? I highly doubt it. These are things veterinarians go to school for 7+ years to learn not something on the job training is going to impart.

If I were going to a vet the allowed a tech to perscribe or perform surgeries I'd be finding a new vet and writing a letter to their state board.

[Jessika]

As a registered nurse I think of it in terms of my job. Those nice girls at a doctors office are NOT nurses (for the most part), at best their medical assistants with some training. They know there basic skills (though many don't take blood pressures correctly IMO) but they don't know why they do the things they do. There is theory and research behind everything in the medical field, things you learn with a formal education. Just because you can perform the manual task doesn't mean you understand why your doing it or what your looking for. Would I want them doing much more than drawing blood from me? No.

I assume if a VT performs a spay (completely negligent and illegal on the vets part) they know the procedure but do they know all the rules of sterile technique (trust me there is quite a few) and the intricasies of anesthesia?
If a VT perscribes meds do they know about interactions with other meds, labs that need to be monitored, even how the drugs themselves work? I highly doubt it. These are things veterinarians go to school for 7+ years to learn not something on the job training is going to impart.

If I were going to a vet the allowed a tech to perscribe or perform surgeries I'd be finding a new vet and writing a letter to their state board.

Yup, I agree with you 100%, both with the nurses and about the VTs hehe

I know that most clinics that hire unlicensed VTs won't let the VTs perform routine operations, but it's still unsettling to me to think that my dog could be that person's "practice dummy". I won't want someone to practice on my children medically, and I sure as heck wouldn't want someone practicing on my dog who already "claims" to be a VT. I don't care if it's something as small as a vaccine or blood draw or something big like an operation. I don't want them touching my dog period, and if I ever found out my vet employed unlicensed VTs, I would be out the door and finding a new vet pronto.

It's nothing personally against the individuals themselves, but moreso the vet for not taking all precautions in ensuring my pet's safety and health.

[luckies4me]

I guess I'm looking at this from a pet-owner's view. I just wouldn't want my dog to be someone's practice on drawing blood or giving a vaccination or whatever, you know?

EDIT:Please don't think that I'm questioning your knowledge or ability, I'm just not comfortable with an unlicensed tech working on my animal.

I know what you mean. I guess I'm just used to the fact, as I've only worked with a few licensed techs. I definately understand where you're coming from.

I do plan on taking the state board exam. It's just going to be tough finding a job here. Oregon is one of the toughest places to find a job unfortunately.