Evolution of the Veterinary Technician
In honor of veterinary technicians nationwide, and in celebration of the 21st National Veterinary Technician Week this past October, Veterinary Team Brief presents an historical snapshot to recognize all that veterinary technicians do. Although veterinary technology is a relatively new profession in the U.S., today’s technicians have the expertise and client skills that are at the frontiers of veterinary medicine and an integral part of practice success.
1908
1910
The first American woman graduates with a DVM in the U.S.
1960
1963
1968
1972
1973
1981
The North American Veterinary Technician Association (NAVTA) is established
1986
1989
1994
1999
2000
2002
2013
Today, 217 veterinary technology programs are accredited2; accreditation is handled by the Committee on Veterinary Technology Education and Activities (CVTEA). Specialty certifications, which earn the appellation VTS, are now available in anesthesia, behavior, clinical practice, clinical pathology, dentistry, emergency and critical care, equine medicine, exotics, internal medicine, nutrition, surgical nursing, and zoological medicine.
The profession may be relatively new, but it has grown fast. As Dr. Doug Aspros, 2012–2013 AVMA president, said recently: “Many of the advances we’ve made in clinical practice would have been unthinkable without veterinary technicians.”