tech vs nurse vs assistant

[lostbunny]

What is the difference and how do you decipher this, say for a job interview or for applications?

I'm originally from Canada, and our vet technicians are qualified with a 2-3 year college (another Canadian term... college vs uni.. 😛 ) degree that specializes in spitting out "Veterinary Technicians". Vet techs can put in IV catheters, do dentistries, anesthesiology.

On this board, and some of my American friends say that they've worked as 'vet techs', but it seems like thats more of a position that you can work based on your experience, and what we would call a 'vet assistant'. So in America- do you have a qualification that's essentially what a human nurse is to a human doctor?

We have 'Vet assistant' programs as well, but for the most part if you've got tons of experience you can work as a vet assistant. Vet assistants can give subQ injections, generally they restrain animals, assist the tech, assist in surgery... they're useful in doing minion jobs that no one else wants to do 😉

I've also been employed as a 'kennel student' which I guess is the title for the job where you clean cages, sweep floors and stock up the hospital when you're 16.

Finally, vet nursing here in Australia seems to be a combination of the two. I haven't done a ton of research, but I've noticed that there are different levels of vet nursing, and its offered as a uni program.

So- whats the difference, and do schools take into account the different 'meanings' of the job titles? Obviously I'm assuming they'll look at the things you wrote as experience, but generally, saying you worked as a vet tech or vet nurse is looked higher upon and sounds better then saying you were an assistant.

Note:
we all know that depending on your experience and the time you've spent at a clinic, the rules are bent and "non registered"/"non-officially quailfied" techs/vet assistants get the chance to do things they're not 'technically' allowed to do... but this post is just generally speaking... say you were explaining it for someone who has no idea what any of the terms mean.

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[heylodeb]

Vet assistant - unregistered technician (commonly referred to as a tech just for convenience sake). Most people are hired without much experience and are trained on the job

Vet technician - person who went to approx 2 years of school to earn a certificate or AA and has passed a state licensing test. Training occurs in school and on the job. This is closest to a "nurse"

Each state differs with what it is legal for a assistant to do versus what technicans can do.

Banfield calls their assistants/tech "nurses" but they are not anything different.

 

[david594]

Each state differs with what it is legal for a assistant to do versus what technicans can do.

In many states in the US, there is no legal distinction between the roles of unlicensed and registered(or licensed or certified) technicians and that is where you come across the majority of people on this board who have worked as "Technicians".

I worked in massachusetts where this was the case and as such I could do anything allowable by non-veterinarians that the vet handling the case was comfortable with me performing.

 

[jmo1012]

My guess is that they don't really distinguish via title. At least at VMRCVM, the people reviewing are told to assume NOTHING.You're supposed to literally tell them everything that you did and they're not allowed to assume that if you drew blood you ran tests for example or vice versa. So if the assistant and the tech write the same description/duties, they get the same amount of points.

 

[lostbunny]

My guess is that they don't really distinguish via title. At least at VMRCVM, the people reviewing are told to assume NOTHING.You're supposed to literally tell them everything that you did and they're not allowed to assume that if you drew blood you ran tests for example or vice versa. So if the assistant and the tech write the same description/duties, they get the same amount of points.

good to know! thanks!

 

[SilverSpyderGT]

Unless you are licensed, it is probably safest to call yourself a "veterinary assistant" and explain your job responsibilities in your resume or application.

The term "nurse" is becoming increasingly protected and should generally only be used in reference to a human medical position...

<sarcasm>

...(unless, of course, you are associated with Banfield, who tends to make their own rules pertaining to the terminology and medical care of "Pets").

</sarcasm>

 

[deleted266066]

.

 

[twelvetigers]

Off topic, but the little DVM icon is so cute.

 

[that redhead]

If you're concerned about applying to vet schools and how the schools will understand your duties, no worries! There are special boxes where you detail your experiences no matter what the job title. I would say job title doesn't matter as much as what you highlight in your description box. If your job title was "floor sweeper" but you regularly gave injections, drew blood, monitored post-ops, etc it shouldn't really matter.

 

[SilverSpyderGT]

Off topic, but the little DVM icon is so cute.

Thanks! 🙂 I just got approved for it last night.

 

[pooter]

I've been called a tech when I was doing the job of an assistant, but most places that hire both tend to distinguish between the two. I think part of it is that policy (and the law) differ from clinic to clinic and state to state. So, at one place I could only restrain, at another I could do SQ injections, at another I could do IV catheters but no IV injections, ect.

The use of "nurse" seems to be pretty rare, although Penn seems to use this title for their techs (which I actually like because it implies a person who cares for patients as opposed to a person who operates machinery). One of the first LVT's I worked with was a trained "animal nurse" from Penn, although her job title at the time was technician. The association with Banfield is unfortunate.

 

[Bill59]

"Veterinary technician" should be reserved fro graduates of a 2- to 3- year veterinary technician program (as per AVMA).

Unfortunately, a lot of people use the term erroneously to refer to lay people working in veterinary clinics. I think this seriously diminishes the recognition of how valuable veterinary technicians are to the team.

The same thing happens with "intern" and "internship".

 

[rugbychick16]

"Veterinary technician" should be reserved fro graduates of a 2- to 3- year veterinary technician program (as per AVMA).

Unfortunately, a lot of people use the term erroneously to refer to lay people working in veterinary clinics. I think this seriously diminishes the recognition of how valuable veterinary technicians are to the team.

The same thing happens with "intern" and "internship".

👍


There's also a "veterinary technologist"-used to refer to someone who has graduated from one of the 20ish colleges/universities in the US who offer 4 year bachelor's degrees in veterinary technology. Also sometimes used to refer to a tech who has advanced training in a specific field-anesthesiology, emergency/critical care, etc.

 

[Chinola]

Both states that I've lived in (FL and NJ) do not require techs to be licensed. The practice I worked at in NJ was a relatively large 4 doctor practice. Not a single technician there, including the head tech, was licensed. I don't think it would be accurate to refer to everyone there as a veterinary assistant because the techs are doing IV catheters, all types of injections, intubating, etc.

I think the term should be based on what the person knows how to do in states that don't require techs to be licensed. I consider myself a vet tech and so does every employer that I've had in both states because of the skill set that I possess. All of my training has been on the job. I've never had any formal training through a program.

 

[Psorophoraferox]

For the most part it's semantics, though every state has its own rules and regulations concerning what licensed and unlicensed persons can/can not do.

Personally, I prefer to define the roles like this:

Kennel assistant: Cleans kennels and runs, feeds and orally medicates boarding/day admit animals as instructed, does basic baths/ear cleans/nail trims, wrangles laundry; any more advanced grooming and I think you should be honored with the title of "groomer" too

Veterinary assistant: Restrains animals, enters notes, fills meds, gets vitals (temp, pulse, respiration rate, weight), but is still learning the hands-on/patient care/laboratory aspects of "nursing"

Veterinary nurse: Performs assistant duties but also collects samples (blood, urine, fecal, etc.) and runs tests, able to place basic IV catheters, give SQ fluids, gives SQ or IM injections, is able to do some client education; "advanced assisting", if you will

Veterinary technician: May or may not have any or all of the on-the-job training listed above, but HAS completed a technician education course AND is officially licensed as regulated by their state

I do question if "veterinary nurse" is the best term to use for that third role, but I feel there should be some middle ground between glorified restraining/poop scooping and fully educated and licensed technicians. (I'm not questioning the importance of either restraining or poop-scoopin', btw -- both are vital components of a well-functioning hospital!)

Like others have said, I think as long as you describe what your abilities are and mention if you have any official licensure/registration, you won't have a problem.

 

[SilverSpyderGT]

I did some digging and found the official AVMA policy statement on terminology for these positions:

http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/veterinary_technology.asp

A veterinary technician is a graduate of a two- or three-year AVMA-accredited program in veterinary technology. In most cases the graduate is granted an associate degree or certificate.

A veterinary technologist is a graduate of a four-year baccalaureate AVMA-accredited program in veterinary technology.

Veterinary assistant: The adjectives animal, veterinary, ward, or hospital combined with the nouns attendant, caretaker, or assistant are titles sometimes used for individuals where training, knowledge, and skills are less than that required for identification as a veterinary technician or veterinary technologist.

and

The AVMA does not accredit veterinary assistant programs.

To me, this means that unless you have graduated from an AVMA-accredited program in veterinary technology, you are a veterinary assistant (or any combination of the terms listed under "veterinary assistant" above). This may seem like a broad "catch-all" term, but without credentialing, there is no way to set a standard for what someone with 5 years of experience from Clinic A should know versus what someone with 5 years of experience from Clinic B should know. Note that "nurse" is not a term used by the AVMA to describe the position of any of these support staff members.

Where a kennel assistant falls into the classification is comparing apples to oranges, because I would imagine a kennel assistant would be someone whose job would be the same regardless of whether the kennel at which they work is attached to a veterinary hospital or freestanding (i.e. limited or no healthcare-related activities).