I was raped

I am going to put this out there - I am using this forum only as a place to provide myself therapy after a traumatic experience. There will be details I will not divulge and reasons I will not go to the authorities. Do not urge me to report anything. This is a metaphor for something I am going through.

The man i have been seeing is far away. I didn’t want to get close to him, but I caught feelings and agreed to wait for him to return. To be fair, I don’t want or need anyone else in my life (I don’t need anyone at all, but it’s nice) so it’s not very hard to avoid the advances of other men. Avoiding the advances of women is more difficult for some reason though.

My man has a friend, also a male. They knew each other back in the day and have been friends a long time. They have each other’s back. Since my man is away and unable to freely communicate with me, I’ve been finding that talking to his sister and his friend make me feel closer to him. So I try to talk to them every couple of days, so as not to be a burden. His sister is an absolute delight and I adore her. She works as much as I do, so we don’t hang out much, but we talk a few times a week. His friend is fun to talk to and discuss him with. I love talking about my man with people who know him.

Tuesday night I was at karaoke like usual. As usual I invited all my friends and as usual I ended up alone at karaoke. I don’t mind. The DJs know me and the bartenders are accustomed to me and I enjoy the alone time in my happy place. My man’s friend messaged me and I asked him to come out and sing with me, as I always do. He said it’s too far but did I want to meet for last call at a bar closer to home?  I said sure. We’ve met before and chatted and drank, and I’d stopped drinking at midnight as always. Since I’d gotten to the bar late, I wasn’t even feeling a buzz, and the karaoke queue had been so short that the DJ was packing up early. So I went to the bar closer to home to meet the friend.

I had a drink with him and we played a round of pool. He had some damn fine tricks that were fun to watch. We talked about pool and my man and our week as usual. He bought me another drink and a shot. I was a half mile from home and considered walking home, so I accepted them. Everything was hunky Dory. I saw a female acquaintance at the bar and we talked as well. While we talked, my man’s friend came up from behind me and put his arm around me in a hug and said hi to my acquaintance. His arm went over my shoulder and around my throat. Since I tend to hug people in weird ways also, I thought nothing of it. I leaned into the hug, as one does, and we laughed and joked.

Then the bar closed. We finished our drinks and walked to my car. He said he was worried that I was too inebriated to drive. I said I was fine, as I was a little buzzed but had control of all my faculties. He insisted on taking me home. I assumed he was being a gentleman, protecting his friend’s girl. I could always walk back to my car in the morning, so I eventually gave in. I got in his car.

He drove right past my place.

I told him he’d passed it and he needed to turn around. He kept driving.

I got worried.

I focused on the road and tried to remember where we turned and tried to build a pathway to retrace the steps so I could walk home whenever he stopped. I wanted to go home. I can’t remember the turns or the streets. I don’t remember when we got to his house. I don’t remember how I ended up inside. I didn’t know how to act. I had a beer in my hand and there was a dog. I pet the dog. The rest is a blur of confusion and stark memories. Some things I remember vividly. Some things I don’t remember at all.  I remember a spiral staircase. I don’t remember how my shorts came off. I remember being surprised that he tried to kiss me and I remember being penetrated aggressively. I remember squirting a lot but not having an orgasm. I remember sobbing and calling out for my man and telling his friend that I didn’t want to do this and that I loved my man and he needs to stop and that I don’t want to lose my man and please stop no I love my man please stop.

I remember finally being able to crawl away across the bed and he came up behind me and forced himself into me again, this time in the Wrong Hole....where I am already suffering from a fissure. The excruciating pain caused me to yell out and jump forward and he kept coming at me. I was sobbing louder now and I only remember that he finally listened to me. He was upset with me that I was crying and that I wanted my man and I wanted to go home. I don’t remember much of the rest of the night. I know he continued to rape me.  He choked me so hard I couldn’t breathe. I have flashes of pulling at his hands around my neck and begging him not to leave a bruise because I have to look professional at work (?WTF why did I care about that instead of telling him to stop fucking choking me?!). I remember begging him not to tell my man because I didn’t want to lose him.  I remember struggling to try to remember things.

And then I woke up. I got dressed. I told him I was calling a Lyft and he insisted on taking me back to my car. That would be faster. I let him. He took me to my car. I drove home. 

I was raped. 

Edit: I wrote this nearly a year ago and didn’t publish it. I ended up telling my man, the day after it happened, and we are still together. He encouraged me to report his ex-friend. I did, but two days and 3 showers later. My man is home now and he is so supportive. I love him so much. Sadly there isn’t enough evidence to prove anything from the SANE (rape kit) and I really don’t want to relive things and have my life taken under scrutiny in trial. My boyfriend says he supports my decision because my mental health is more important. I still feel guilty. I did nothing wrong but I feel guilty. 

Letting your dog die

“You’re not going to let my dog DIE, are you?”

These words. These words are asked of me way too frequently. As a licensed veterinary technician in emergency medicine, we are frequently unfairly burdened by pet parents about being responsible for the health and life of their fur baby. 

Recently, a client brought in her dog in distress due to dystocia. Dystocia is “difficult birth”. The bitch had been in active labor, stage 2, where she had been contracting for 5 hours to push out a puppy. As a general rule, if the mother is pushing for more than an hour, this is considered an emergency and requires medical intervention. Pushing for too long can cause uterine inertia to decline and the potential for the uterus to rupture entirely. This mother had been pushing for 5 hours, so we knew it was going to be a problem. 

Upon arrival, we triaged the bitch into our hospital while the human waited outside. At this time, we are strictly curbside service because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I obtained a pertinent history from the human while my coworkers performed a vitals check and exam. As a courtesy, I described how the process works: my doctor performs their exam, and then they call the client and discuss findings and recommendations based on the exam they perform. The client asked about diagnostics and the potential for a c-section and I quoted them a ballpark price, buffering it with “only if the doctor recommends it, based on her size, and the cost could change based on what she needs”. 

The client said, “I only have $500. You’re not going to let my dog DIE, are you?”

Full stop. 

First of all, I appreciate the budget. It’s a lot easier for my doctor to formulate the best plan for the client when we have a budget to work within. We will always recommend gold standard care, but the client can *always* let us know if they can’t/won’t afford Gold Standard, and then provide us a budget to work within. This allows the doctor to choose the best combination of the less-than-ideal treatment plans to maximize your pet’s potential for healing. We understand. We’ve all been there, and as veterinary professionals we not only have empathy in spades, but we make bupkis so we frequently have to settle for less than the best because we can’t afford it. We get it and we appreciate the honesty. 

Second thing - it’s not me or us that will let your dog die. We have the capabilities to perform whatever your pet needs. We are fully stocked and skilled to do what your pet requires. We are also not responsible for every pet in the world, state, county, city, or even those in the general proximity to the clinic. We perform a service, and we are extremely capable. It is not the veterinary staff who holds the responsibility of your pet’s health and welfare. That’s on you, the pet parent. 

And so I responded as I always do, “We will do whatever it is YOU can do for your pet. I know this was unexpected, but we perform a service and we require payment at time of service. I know it can be hard to be a responsible breeder.” 

Asking me if I’m going to let a pet die is a way to try to remove all responsibility from yourself and put it on the veterinary staff that just met your pet. Just because we are skilled and compassionate and empathetic doesn’t mean we can absorb the cost of your pet’s treatments. 

A pet is a responsibility, not a right. 

Breeding your pet is not for someone who cannot plan ahead and budget for an emergency c-section. If the litter is unplanned, a pet parent has the option to spay the female before the fetuses come to term, which is significantly less out of pocket cost. 

So the next time you go to your vet, be it wellness or emergency, please do not burden the staff with your obligations unfairly. And if you intend to breed your pet, make sure you have room in your budget for an emergency c-section. You don’t want to let your pet DIE, do you? 

Upset. TBC

tonight has drained my soul again. I am too upset to write about it right now. I need some time to gather my thoughts. Hopefully soon.

The Worst Part of My Career

When you work in medicine, human or animal, laypeople tend to ask, "what's the worst part of your job?"  It's only human to ask - we have this macabre curiosity about the seedy underbelly of the world.  Usually, I laugh it off and say either "my paycheck" or "taking money from people" because I feel as though veterinary staff have a laughable income for what we do, and I truly hate having to charge for services. Frequently I'll be asked if euthanasia is the worst, and that is 99.9% no.  Euthanasia is a chance to relieve suffering when there are no other viable options, be they medically or financially. If you cannot remove or cure the suffering of the pet while they are alive, the most kind and humane thing to do, no matter how difficult the decision, is a gentle death.

I see my fair share of neglect and trauma and human ignorance in my field - and although that is soul crushing, it's not the worst part of my job. These cases are tragic but also rich for client education, to prevent future neglect, trauma, and ignorance. And by teaching one layperson, they may go forth and teach more. It's the planting seeds of knowledge and understanding that make those cases tenuously bearable. 

No, friends. The worst part of my job is incredibly rare for me, thank goodness. I can count the number of times this has happened on one hand, though a few nights ago my heart and soul were rent asunder again and I'm Not Ok and I'm Not Over It. Which is why I am writing this post.  I will be changing the names and signalment of the patient so as not to make it easy for anyone to be blamed or be offended. Understand that the core of the anecdote is genuine and actually occurred. 

Molly is an 8 week old Terrier, and she was purchased from an expensive breeder 2 days prior. A day ago, Molly began to have diarrhea and vomiting, and so she was presented to her primary care vet like any responsible pet owner would do. Molly was diagnosed with Canine Parvovirus (CPV) and her owner approved inpatient treatment, but requested minimal treatment, as her breeder had informed her that CPV had a low survival rate and Molly was probably going to die. 

Within hours, Molly was feeling better!  She was responding to treatment, even minimal, and she was improving. The primary care vet was uncomfortable leaving her in hospital overnight, and she was sent home with instructions to go to the ER if she declined. 

Unfortunately, Molly began to decline  again overnight. So she was brought to my ER. She looked pretty punky, but my Veterinarian was optimistic because CPV is extremely treatable and has an excellent survival rate when treated early and aggressively. Molly was more alert than most CPV pups we see, and so we presented the owner with the cost options for inpatient treatment, and then outpatient treatment. Molly's owner would have none of it. She insisted that Molly be euthanized. 

This is where we became frustrated. This puppy has a treatable disease, and she is not sick enough at this time to euthanize. The owner said they didn't want to spend any more money on her.  So we offered relinquishment. This is when an owner gives up all rights to their pet, in the best interest of their pet. They sign over ownership to a staff member and let the staff member assume financial responsibility for the pet's treatment. This does include euthanasia, if the condition calls for it, and it allows the pet to be rehomed when they are recovered. It's the best option, when there is a staff member willing and able to absorb the costs of ownership. It doesn't happen often, but Molly really seemed to be treatable and she was likely to recover. 

The owner declined relinquishment. Flat out wouldn't even let our doctor or assistant go over the form. When asked why, since Molly had a good prognosis, the owner said that all Molly was sick and the breeder said she should be euthanized..  The owner understood that the financial burden would fall on our assistant, but still insisted on euthanasia. We can only surmise that they paid thousands of dollars for this little ball of life and they didn't want anyone to have her for free, or maybe that the breeder was offering a replacement pup at no charge since Molly was a dud.  So this was a convenience euthanasia. And this, my friends, is the worst part of my job. 

This tiny little 2kg puppy was playing with the IV catheter supplies we had when we were placing her euthanasia catheter. When she'd squeal and pull the catheter, while we were preparing another, she would curl up in the crook of my elbow and heave a heavy, contented sigh. As if I was the safest and most comfortable place she'd ever laid her head. I, the person who was tasked with helping to take her tiny little life, was her Safe Place.  Although I begged them not to, the tears rolled down my face and fell on her short reddish coat. She went to lick my face and I couldn't say no - I would disinfect my face later. This little one needed all the love she could get - she deserved so much love!

I cannot forget the way her chubby little body felt through the isolation gown as she curled up on me. The way her little nose nuzzled my arm, looking for something to taste.  She tried to climb into my isolation gown via the neck hole and I had to laugh through the tears - she just wanted skin to skin contact!  I cannot forget the spark of life she had in her eyes while we played during her last 30 minutes in her body. She was so warm and furry and beautiful and full of life.  How can I cram a lifetime of love and hugs and kisses and kind words into 30 minutes?  I was destined to fail. 

In those moments, I empathized and identified with all those Veterinarians who say they euthanized a pet, but really treated it and rehomed it. I wanted to break the law. I wanted to steal away with this sweet little brown-eyed Terrier that stole my heart and didn't deserve to die. When she squirmed during catheter placement I wished that I wouldn't find a vein and her owner would reconsider.  I wished for a miracle. Molly had already been in our clinic two hours and he hadn't been sick once. Not once!  That's amazing for CPV. 

But the miracle never came. The catheter was placed. This is the real world, after all, and not a fairy tale. I had to say goodbye and know that we killed something - someone - who didn't need to die. We didn't alleviate her suffering, and there were other options both physically and financially. There was no reason to kill this beautiful girl. But we did. The law says we have to, and we did abide by the law.  Oh, to be a vigilante......

And so there you have it. The worst part of being a Licensed Veterinary Technician, in my personal opinion. Please don't hate on the owner, or the breeder. This is not about them. They are just the muse for my story based on real life events.  

My heart is broken this week.  My soul is crushed. My faith in humanity has been obliterated. I have dreamt of Molly twice since this happened. Every time I sit down to relax, I feel her curled up on my arm. Breathing. Living. Loving. Being loved.  But I will go back to work, and I will help to heal things. And I will provide excellent nursing care to my patients and support to my Doctors. And I will continue to educate clients and laypeople, because it's a cause I firmly believe in. I will continue to be a badass vet tech. But I will also hurt and I will always feel this throbbing scar on my heart and soul. I hope I don't have to do this again for a long, long time. Hopefully never. 

The Essential Veterinary Assistant

Veterinary Assistants are absolutely essential to the well functioning veterinary clinic.  Veterinary assistants obtain vital signs, restrain patients, run blood work, administer medications, assist with taking x-rays and administering medications....without assistants, veterinarians and veterinary technicians would be overworked (more than they are), stressed, and unable to perform their duties to the fullest extent.  

A quality veterinary assistant is proactive - always thinking a step ahead to anticipate the DVM's needs, and working alongside the Credentialed Vet Tech to keep the cogs of the clinic moving.  They communicate with team members and clients, and provide tender loving care to the pets that come through the door.

I have been fortunate to have encountered and worked with some extremely capable veterinary assistants.  Frequently, veterinary assistants are trained on the job.  This means they start working with no veterinary experience at all, and are taught, over time, how to help out and be a part of the team.  The best sort of veterinary assistant is always observing and asking questions, and after extensive training and experience, is able to offer more quality care to their team members and patients.

Experienced veterinary assistants, those who choose to make it a career, are my personal favorite.  They've been in the field so long, they know when to speak up as a patient advocate, read their DVM to anticipate patient needs, and the line may seem to blur between a veterinary assistant with extensive experience and a credentialed veterinary technician.  The thing to remember is that credentialed veterinary technicians are graduates of a school that is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, they have passed a national exam and a state exam, they are allowed by law to practice veterinary medicine as long as they do not diagnose/provide prognosis/perform solo surgeries, they are allowed by law to perform certain tasks and procedures that veterinary assistants cannot legally perform.  They are also held legally accountable for their actions (assistants are not - the vet is held accountable), have a degree in veterinary technology, and are required to have a minimum amount of yearly education to keep their fingers on the pulse of veterinary medicine.  An assistant may or may not have a certificate of completion for a veterinary assisting program, which introduces them to the world of vet medicine in a fantastic way, but is not currently required.

This is not to say that credentialed veterinary technicians are better than veterinary assistants.  That is far from the truth!  Both positions are beneficial to a veterinary practice.  Veterinary assistants and veterinary technicians are different titles to differentiate between whether a person is formally or informally educated in the field, their level of legal liability, and legal abilities to perform duties.  It's like an EMT vs a paramedic, or a CNA vs an RN.  One has more education and responsibility than the other, and both are necessary.  No one is "better than" anyone else, but they are on different levels, professionally and legally.

There are a few reasons why someone would choose to be a veterinary assistant instead of a veterinary technician.  First of all, it's a non-regulated field of work.  There is no degree, certificate, or diploma that is required to be a veterinary assistant.  This means that they can get into the field with no experience - generally working their way up from "kennel tech" to an assisting position based on what the clinic asks them to do.  The supervising veterinarian is held liable for any actions that the veterinary assistant takes, and the assistant is held accountable only by the supervising entity of the practice they work at.

Second, because it does not require regulation or a degree/certificate to perform the duties asked of them, the veterinary assistant does not have any student loans to pay off.  There is no 2-4 years of student debt, no yearly continuing education requirements/fees, no testing fees, no yearly license renewal fees.  This means that those who cannot afford school can work in the veterinary field, albeit at a lower salary and fewer legal tasks.  For many veterinary assistants, this is fine by them.  Because placing catheters and drawing blood is a teachable task, as is running blood work and performing lab tests, this is as far as they desire to go in veterinary medicine and do not feel as though they want/need to learn more.

Third, someone who has been working up in a clinic since they were in high school may choose to remain a veterinary assistant because they either feel they know all they need to know, or they plan to go to veterinary school to become a DVM.  Going to veterinary technician school is either something that they feel is unnecessary, or they will be obtaining a more thorough degree through veterinary school and would like to keep their position at the clinic through vet school.  This gives them a leg up on becoming a veterinarian.

The problem with learning on the job is that the knowledge that is given is one or two vets' choice as to how their clinic is to be run.  School shows the global and national standards of medicine, and any given clinic could be either 20+ years behind the current standards, or fully up to date and on the cutting edge of medicine.  One of the most dangerous phrases is, "because we've always done it that way."  Don't be That Guy.

Please don't look down on veterinary assistants.  The experienced, ravenous-for-learning VAs can be just as good as the experienced, ravenous-for-learning Vet Techs.  There is a difference in title and responsibility, but there's no difference in the love of what we do.  And that's what counts. 

VAs, OWN your title.  Don't pretend to be something you're not, just because you think that it's better than what you have.  Be the best damn VA there ever was, and kick ass.  You get out of life what you put into it.  And YOU are more than enough.

Addendum, Credentialed Vet Techs Post

There is one more thing that I inadvertently left out of the blog post the other day, and it has been gnawing at me a little.  There is one more discussion that non-credentialed veterinary assistants tend to bring up that really irks me.

"I learned everything the hard way.  In the trenches."  "I didn't take the easy way out."
I am not sure how exactly this argument works.
The easy way, the person is stating, is to spend 40 hours a week at school, hold down a job, perform another 10-20 hours of homework a week, deal with wet labs, years of debt repayment, months of studying for a national exam, weeks of studying for a state exam....and then go on to a career where you're required to take time off to go to continuing education and learn more and more every year.  A career where you also clean cages, speak to the willfully ignorant or cognitively dissonant, and are lumped into a category of people who may not know a trachea from an esophagus.  People who think that you are a sellout for going to school, and that you think you're better than them.  So they automatically put you down, from Day 1.

How is this the easy way out?  How is being told exactly what to do, and when to do it, without any additional information on the hows and whys over years and years, the hard way?

Not only that, but when school is over (and for a lot of us, during school).....we are also in the trenches.  Learning what Book Smarts translate to Real World Smarts.  An assistant's 5 years of experience is not more difficult or more special than a credentialed Tech's 5 years of experience.  They're both 5 years of experience, both "in the trenches."  So how does the argument work?

It doesn't.

We, as C/R/LVTs, are literally being shamed for making our dedication to our career legal and responsible, and putting ourselves in a position to provide our patients and DVMs with the best possible start to our career.

The fact of the matter is this.  As with all things in life, you get out of it what you put into it.  There will be amazing assistants that I would trust to care for my pet, because I know that have gone to IVECCS/AVMA/WVC/AAHA symposiums, absorbed any and all information, and most importantly....they know what they don't know.  Because those people are amazing.  I trust that if anything was to happen, they would alert the DVM or the LVT, and go from there.  I know that they would ask questions.  Provide a sounding board.  Be a great assistant.

It's the people who don't know what they don't know, the people who insist that veterinary medicine doesn't need credentialed, legally responsible Vet Techs that I am worried about.  I know many of these people, and some of them are DVMs or DVMs in training.

Veterinarians rely on their LVTs to provide a checks and balances system for the clinic.  No one person, as godly as the DVMs seem to be, is perfect.  I am far from perfect, but I know that my DVMs appreciate when I discuss cases with them, and provide a different perspective.  I appreciate that my DVMs are open to discussion and teaching and having LVTs who want to learn.  I know for a fact that our patients have benefited from having multiple people on the case with educational backgrounds that cover the universal quality of care that is expected of Veterinary Medical professionals.

Credentialed Veterinary Technicians

Articles lately in Veterinary Team Brief, coupled with the NAVTA Veterinary Nurse Initiative, have nudged me into writing about this seemingly hot-button and controversial topic.  I honestly don't see why this topic should be so controversial or tender, because it seems pretty cut and dried to me.

A veterinarian is a licensed professional who has a minimum of a DVM degree, who take a national exam (NAVLE), and obtain licensure in their state of practice.  They are required to stay up to date with Continuing Education throughout the year, and are required a minimum number of CE hours to keep their license and remain abreast of new developments in medicine.  They are held accountable by state and federal boards and agencies, including the DEA, as they are medical professionals that compare to MDs in the human field.

A Veterinary Technician is a licensed, registered, or certified professional who has a minimum of an AAS in Veterinary technology, has passed a national exam (VTNE), and has registered or is licensed in the state of which they reside or practice.  They are required to stay up to date with Continuing Education throughout the year, and are required a minimum number of CE hours to keep their license and remain abreast of new developments in medicine, just like DVMs.  In licensing states, there are laws regulating what licensed VTs can do, and what non-credentialed veterinary staff (assistants, receptionists) cannot do.  The closest human medicine counterpart would be the RN, though Vet Techs have a little more freedom, legally, with patients.

A veterinary assistant is a non-licensed professional who is either 'off the street' or has gone through a certificate program that covers the basics of veterinary assisting - restraint, basic anatomy, basic overview of medications, etc. that provides an excellent basis of knowledge for assisting the veterinarian and technician in day to day functions.  A veterinary assistant is not required to stay up to date with Continuing Education at this time, nor are they held to any state or national standard.  The closest thing in human medicine would be anywhere from a candy striper to a CNA, depending on the certificate status of the assistant.  (Ideally, in my opinion, all assistants would have gone through the certification program, but at this time it has not been deemed necessary by the powers-that-be.  Hopefully sooner rather than later, however, since all aspects of veterinary medicine should be as regulated as human medication.  But this is just my opinion)

Now.  Here's the kick in the balls that I keep seeing everywhere, on every veterinary forum that I plan to break down for y'all.

Those who call themselves vet techs who are not credentialed, no matter how many years they have been in the field, think that they are exactly the same and frequently say they are worth more than a credentialed veterinary technician.

Let that sink in a minute.

People who do not hold a license to practice medicine, who choose to practice medicine anyway, vociferously announce that they are equivalent, more knowledgeable, and more skilled than those who have spent time, money, and energy on the legal ability and responsibility to practice medicine.

Up until 2012, non-credentialed veterinary assistants/staff could sit for the VTNE in order to grandfather into the credentialed Vet Tech family.  This was intended to show the non-credentialed staff that their experience and knowledge is valuable, and these people had to study their asses off in order to pass the VTNE.  They had to take the initiative and read books, take practice tests, learn things they never would have thought they needed to know.  There was not one single non-credentialed vet professional that I can find that took the VTNE and passed without studying and broadening their horizons.

(This means, in layman's terms, that y'all had the chance to prove yourselves worthy of the exam, and if you didn't take it, you can't complain.  You knew this was coming.  And for those who weren't in the field back then, all you've ever known is this requirement for Vet Techs and so there's no use in complaining that it isn't fair, because it's always been this way and you can still go to school.)

This means that, in order to pass a national test and become credentialed, even 30+ years of experience is not enough to become accredited as a Veterinary Technician.  This alone may show that experience is not enough to use the title Vet Tech.  However, those who say that a degree and license isn't necessary to call yourself a Vet Tech would disagree.  And so there is more.

Here are the arguments I have seen from non-credentialed veterinary staff:

1. "I've worked X Number of Years and I would outshine any credentialed tech fresh out of school!"
This one makes me laugh to keep from crying.  Really?  Your X# of years of experience means you can do better than someone with zero experience?  YOU DON'T SAY?!?  Wow.  You must be SO good at your job that you could take someone with no experience and do better than them.

Seriously.  I saw it no fewer than 6 times in an hour on the Veterinary Team Brief post....do people actually think this is a valid argument?

2. "Getting your degree is a waste of money."
This one always hurts.  I do not feel it was a waste of money.  Why?  Because I learned the AVMA standard of care.  I learned more in 18 months (2 years for those who didn't test out of classes) than I could have learned in 10 years of practice experience.  Know why?  Because the school teaches everyone the same stuff that licensed vets and techs need to know.  School teaches the standard of care, which is higher than most General Practice DVMs require, but need to.  Experience won't teach you the reasons we monitor six parameters in anesthesia, or how gas exchange works.  Experience won't teach you not to give certain meds without a filter needle unless there are fatal consequences.  Experience won't teach you how to know when it's been too long since your patient urinated....until it's too late for the patient.  Experience won't teach you why phenobarbital is contraindicated in patients with liver disease, why you don't give Diazepam subcutaneously or leave it in a syringe for more than 30 minutes.....experience doesn't teach you the hows AND the whys.  But school does.

Experience is based entirely on who you have worked for/with.  It has absolutely NO bearing on whether or not you are following the AVMA standard of care, or even practicing good medicine.  If someone teaches you how to do something, and it's wrong/outdated, how would you know?  You wouldn't, unless you worked with someone who is credentialed, knows their stuff, and is willing to teach.

3. "Not all credentialed techs are good at their job."No, they aren't.  And not all hairdressers are, either.  And not all RNs, EMTs, etc.  As with any job and education, you get out of it what you put into it.  You don't get to float along on your credentials forever.  Focusing only on the negative is a good way to be ignored due to the vast majority of credentialed techs being awesome at their jobs, and working around people who don't always know what they're doing.  Not only that, but we have to wade through a lot of people who refuse to acknowledge that being a credentialed tech is a worthy career, who dilute the field with ignorance and low pay.  Being a credentialed tech is HARD, which is why a lot of people don't do it.

4. "I know a ton of non-credentialed techs who are amazing at what they do."Awesome.  I do as well!  Most of my professional friends are non-credentialed, and I love them.  Heck, I taught them all something at some point because I am a firm believer in everyone being edumacated - and they've shown me stuff, too!  It isn't education OR experience....it's a combination of both.  You cannot have education alone, nor can you have experience alone.  Well, you can, but you won't get far.  At least with education, you're starting out far ahead of those who don't have education.  And you can always gain experience just like everyone else.

My biggest concern with non-credentialed veterinary professionals calling themselves vet techs is that it cheapens the title, and cheapens what we do.....and it's DANGEROUS.  Maybe not as much with those specific people who have lots of experience, but if we lump all the non-credentialed people together who call themselves techs......I shudder to think how many deaths could be prevented.  I can guarantee that animals have died because of those who refuse to admit that an education should be required for any medical professional.

If someone who has been in the field either  just a day or 16 years calls themselves a vet tech, it dilutes the field into a bunch of candy stripers who want the title.  They want to be considered as badass as the licensed vet tech who spent the time, energy, and money to become the most knowledgeable at what they do, and be a patient advocate.

If a non-credentialed professional wants to be called a vet tech, they can go to school, get their degree, and take the national exam.  BOOM.  Instant vet tech.  If they're as good as they seem to be or say they are, school will be a breeze and they'll ace all their classes.  Except they won't, because they're just a badass in whatever practice they've been in, and they will have to learn the national/global standards of care.  It's scary, and it will be difficult.  So they choose to abuse the title Vet Tech instead, and kvetch that it isn't fair that they can't use it.

http://belrea.edu/blog/vet-vet-tech-or-assistant/

The bottom line here is that, if you actually value Veterinary Technicians, if you value the pets that come to the clinic/hospital for care, and if you value patient care over all else (including your ego), you would promote all Vet Techs going to school and requiring a degree and license to practice.

Put your own feelings towards what you've accomplished aside.  I don't give a heck if you've been in the field 3, 5, 10, 20 years.  Look at it from the perspective of the owner and the pet.  Do you want your kids or yourself to be assessed and triaged by a kid off the street, or do you want your furbaby....your child.....yourself....to be in the arms of a licensed professional who is legally bound to stringent standards?

Veterinary Medicine is moving towards an excellent goal - to have credentialed Vet Techs.  And NAVTA is once again striving to change our title to Veterinary Nurse.  I approve this change, and I approve the use of the term veterinary assistant for anyone who is not a credentialed Vet Tech/Nurse.  Because gosh darn it, I did my time in school, I am still paying my dues, I am abiding by the Vet Tech Oath and the NAVTA Code of Ethics.  I hold myself to a higher standard, and I hold my peers to the same standard.  Without striving for excellence, there is no reason to be a Vet Tech.  And refusing to acknowledge excellence, credentials, and standards for Vet Techs, we all lose.

There is nothing wrong with being a veterinary assistant.  Nothing.  So please stop saying you're a vet tech and you're just as good.  This cheapens it for everyone, for the sake of your pride.  Stop it.

About me:
I graduated from Bel-Rea in December 2001, have been a credentialed Vet Tech since January 2002, and began working in a veterinary facility in August 2001.  I taught Veterinary Technology for 18 months from early 2009 - mid 2010.  I have 1 year GP experience (fresh outta school), 2 years Internal Medicine experience, and 12 years Emergency and Critical Care experience with an emphasis in anesthesia.  My goal is to one day hold my VTS (ECC) and maybe more.  If I go a shift without learning something, it is a day wasted.  If I go a shift without teaching someone something, it is a day wasted.