Happy Veterinary Technicians Week!
October 15th through the 21st is National Veterinary Technicians Week, a time to celebrate the hard-working men and women who take care of our beloved pets. Veterinary technicians require training in a variety of areas in order to do their jobs. Here’s are partial list of all the things they do:
- Radiology – Take dental and whole body X-rays
- Surgical Assistance – Set up the operating room, help the veterinarians during surgery and clean-up after surgery is done
- Anesthesia – Monitor patients during surgery
- Record Keeping – Controlled substances, medical notes, etc.
- Laboratory – Collect and process samples
- Client Education – Help people care for their pets
- Maintain & Sterilize Equipment
- Assist Veterinarians – Restrain animals for exams, blood draws and treatments
- Administer Treatments – Give injections, clean wounds and a variety of other things
- Phlebotomy – Draw blood for testing and place intravenous catheters for treatments
- Comfort Patients – This is the most important job of a veterinary technician. When pets come into the hospital, they are often frightened. Veterinary technicians provide a soothing voice and soft touch to reassure the scared patient. Many pets will pick one of the technicians as their substitute ‘mom or dad’. I know it is surprising, but dogs and cats rarely pick the veterinarian for this role!
Thank you for dedicating your lives to helping animals. To my technicians, I am so grateful for all three of you. Veterinary technicians are the best!
