Let's Talk About Techs: RVT Month
By Jacqueline Priest, RVT, Onward Veterinary Services ·
RVT, vet tech, technician, technologist. If you have been to a vet clinic, you have probably heard at least one of these. So who are they, and why do they matter?
Where the role started
Vet techs go back to 1908, when the Canine Nurses Institute in England trained the first canine nurses. The role has grown around the world since then.
How someone becomes an RVT in Canada
- Finish a 2 to 3 year college program accredited by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).
- Pass the VTNE (Veterinary Technician National Examination).
- Register with their provincial association. In Alberta, that is the ABVMA.
The result is the animal health equivalent of a registered nurse.
What RVTs do
RVTs can earn a specialty in one of 16 recognized areas. There are only three things they cannot do: perform surgery, diagnose, or prescribe medication. That leaves almost everything else.
In a clinic, RVTs handle hands-on patient care. On any given day, a tech might:
- Restrain a patient safely for an exam
- Place IV catheters, urinary catheters and nasogastric tubes
- Place splints and take x-rays
- Collect and run lab samples
- Assist in surgery and monitor anesthesia
- Prepare and give medications
- Perform CPR
The most important part of the job is communication. We are the bridge between vet and client, client and pet, and pet and vet. We sit at the centre of that circle, and we like it there.
Getting to know your pet
That bridge is what makes the job rewarding. We learn our patients' personalities, their quirks, and sometimes their favourite treats. We know which dog needs extra time to warm up to us. We know which cat does better in a towel wrap during an exam. We know which pet will do anything for a piece of cheese (everybody loves cheese).
The hard days
Not every day is a good one. People often forget the patients who are not doing well: the critically ill, and the pets who are leaving our lives sooner than anyone expected.
For those patients, we show up differently. We monitor them closely. We hold paws, and hands. We keep patients safe and comfortable when they do not understand what is happening to them. Sometimes the best medicine is old-fashioned TLC.
We celebrate when a patient who has been sick for days finally eats again. We feel it when a case does not go the way we wanted.
We are there for the happy endings, the hard decisions and the goodbyes. Some days our job is to explain a procedure or walk a family through a treatment plan. Other days it is to sit with someone who is hurting so they are not alone.
That is the part of the job I think deserves more recognition.
Why we keep coming back
Vet med does not run on a 9 to 5 schedule. If something can go wrong, it usually will. We work through it every day, and we come back the next day for more. Every case moves us toward the same goal: caring for animals when they need it most, often when no one else can. This work matters, and we know it.
Next time you visit
Next time you see your tech, know that they are exactly where they want to be. We are proud to be the bridge. Thank you for letting us care for you and your pet.