RVTs and CVAs
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AVMA Policy on Nomenclature:
"Veterinary technology is the science and art of providing professional support to veterinarians. AVMA accredits programs in veterinary technology that graduate veterinary technicians and/or veterinary technologists.
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.
from the AVMA websiteWhat about the term "veterinary nurse"?
The portion of the occupations code for the state of Texas that deals with nurses clearly states that a person may not use the term "nurse" unless they are a licensed nurse. Doing so can lead to legal action including fines. http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/OC/htm/OC.301.htm
What Do The Credentials Mean?
Unlike in the human medical profession, there are no legal requirements in Texas for performing veterinary medical tasks other than diagnosing, prescribing treatment or performing surgery. Those three tasks may only be performed by a licensed veterinarian. But there are many other tasks that are performed by other members of a veterinary health care team on a daily basis. These other tasks are a very important part of providing quality medical care to patients but currently in the state of Texas they may performed by anyone regardless of education, training or experience. These other tasks include such things as monitoring anesthesia, performing dental cleanings, providing nursing care, collecting samples for laboratory diagnostics, taking x-rays, etc.
There are however two types of voluntary credentials that indicate that a person has some level of specialized education and training in providing care for patients: Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) and Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVA).
Registered Veterinary Technicians
♦ must have at least an associates degree in veterinary technology from an AVMA accredited veterinary technology program. Course work includes topics such as pharmacology, anatomy and physiology, surgical assisting and anesthesia, laboratory diagnostic procedures, radiology, ultrasonography and veterinary nursing
♦ must pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam
♦ must pass the state jurisprudence exam
♦ must acquire at least 5 hours of approved continuing education each year
♦ may earn a bachelors degree in veterinary technology
♦ the title is indicated by the use of the letters "RVT"
♦ may earn specialty credentials
♦ are not certified or licensed in Texas but registered by the Texas Veterinary Medical Association
♦ credentials for veterinary technicians do not transfer from state to state but must be earned by meeting the requirements of the state in which the veterinary technician is practicing
Certified Veterinary Assistants
♦ complete a basic vocational training course which covers such topics as animal restraint, sanitation, medical terminology, animal care, etc
♦ certification programs may be offered by any number of groups or educational organizations therefore the may not all be of the same quality
♦ reputable sources for veterinary assistant certification programs are the Texas Association of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Care Technologies (which is partnered with TVMA in offering a CVA program), Cedar Valley College and other colleges in the state which offer CVA programs.
♦ continuing education may or may not be required to maintain certification depending on who certified the veterinary assistant
♦ indicated by the use fo the letters "CVA"
Veterinary Technician Specialization
Credentialed veterinary technicians who want to gain an even higher level of education, skill and experience in a particular area may specialize. Specialization requires an extensive amount of experience and detailed continuing education focused on a particular area of interest and then passing board exams to prove extensive knowledge in that area. Specialties are approved by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America.
Veterinary Technician Specialists are denoted by the use of the letters "VTS" after their veterinary technician credentials (RVT in Texas) and followed by an acronym that indicates the area of specialization. For example, TARVT's secretary is Marisa Rhyne, RVT VTS (ECC & SAIM) meaning that she is specialized in Emergency and Critical Care and Small Animal Internal Medicine.
A list of currently recognized specialties is:
The Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians
The Academy of Veterinary Technician Anesthetists
The Academy of Internal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians
The Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians
The Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians
The Academy of Veterinary Zoological Medicine Technicians
The Academy of Equine Veterinary Nursing Technicians
The Academy of Veterinary Surgical Technicians
The Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Clinical Practice
Did You Know?
The stuff (allergens) that people are allergic to in cats is a protein in cat saliva. When the cat grooms and the saliva dries it can become airborne. This protein is 1/3 the weight of ordinary house dust, so it can travel farther. You can find this allergen where cats have never been.