Brianne Morrow, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), wasn’t the first child who wanted to become a veterinarian after reading the James Herriot series “All Creatures Great and Small,” and she won’t be the last. “Through grade school, I never wavered about my future career aspirations until I had the opportunity in high school to job-shadow at one of our local veterinary hospitals, where I could see the inner workings,” she said. “I had great respect for veterinarians. However, I was completely impressed and felt immediately connected to the capabilities and vital importance of veterinary technicians.”
EDITOR’S NOTE
This article is the sixth in a series on veterinary nurse empowerment and the people accomplishing great things in the field.
In 2006, Morrow earned an associate degree in veterinary science technology and passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination to become a licensed veterinary technician in New York. The following year, she completed a bachelor’s degree in physical anthropology.
‘My Next Best Move’
Like many veterinary technicians, Morrow spent the first few years of her career working in private practice, including at an emergency hospital. Then, after four years, she switched to an industry career with pet food maker Royal Canin USA, where today she is a senior scientific communications technician.
“Making the transition from working in clinics to the corporate world could have been terrifying, but it truly felt like my next best move in my development and career journey,” she said. “I had the good fortune to take a leap and accepted my first role with Royal Canin USA as a veterinary district manager in sales. The move showed me there were many engaging career paths for veterinary technicians.”
During her time at Royal Canin, Morrow has become Fear Free certified and achieved her veterinary technician specialist designation in nutrition, an area she always believed was critical when caring for animals, not only in veterinary practice but also on the farm where she grew up.
“Seeing how nutrition consistently played a large role in my veterinary nursing skills, I was intrigued by the idea of learning even more about the role a veterinary technician can play in educating pet owners on proper nutrition,” Morrow said. “After much thinking and recognizing that I could advance myself professionally in an authentic manner to serve more pets, I worked incredibly hard to earn my VTS (Nutrition) in 2018.”
Sharing the Wisdom
In 2018, she put her specialty knowledge to good use when she launched a Royal Canin initiative called the Pet Nutrition Advisor Program, which helps technicians lead nutrition conversations with clients.
“One of my favorite days was when I received a message from a credentialed veterinary technician who completed the program,” she said. “She thanked me for reinvigorating her passion for the profession after being in the field for 30 years.”
Morrow recently celebrated her 12th anniversary at Royal Canin. Today, she trains new associates on veterinary health nutrition, develops educational content through a technician’s lens and mentors fellow associates on their professional development.
As for the technician profession, she believes that small actions can cast a ripple of change for individuals, teams and the industry.
“First and foremost, from a practice perspective that is immediately actionable, we must start caring for each other,” she said. “We have each other’s back with that fractious cat or the assist with an elusive IV placement. Remember that camaraderie and to support each other with empathy, trust and courage.”
Burnout is a challenge for veterinary professionals. To combat it, Morrow, the current president of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians, suggests getting involved in a state technician organization.
“Take on a new adventure like writing for one of the veterinary technician magazines or journals, or create a case study,” she said.
Employer Responsibilities
Switching to a new role can be energizing and uplifting, Morrow said.
“There are so many roles out there for veterinary technicians, so a change of pace or scenery may help reinvigorate those who are feeling a bit stuck,” she said. “The change could also be going from general practice to specialty or to pathology or industry.”
Throughout her career, she recognized that the employer’s role in empowering technicians is essential and critical.
“It’s important for employers to create a practice culture of trust, teamwork and collaboration among both employees and their clients,” she said. “Creating this culture within a practice provides the opportunity for technicians to perform at the top of their license.”
She pointed out that high-performing technicians can use the array of capabilities they’ve been trained on to serve more pets and bring in more revenue for the veterinary practice.
“Consider initiating technician appointments for specific parameters,” she said. “With those added dollars, a practice should ensure they are compensating their technicians appropriately.”
She said employers could do other things to support professional growth and personal satisfaction. These include:
- Encouraging technicians to pursue an area of practice in which they have a passion.
- Expanding continuing education budgets to include travel expenses and event registration (and not requiring technicians to use their precious paid time off).
- Recognizing technicians for a job well done.
With so much work to be done, Morrow finds her biggest challenge is common for many people: wanting to do so much but having limited time and resources to achieve every goal. Among her strategies to make her dreams a reality is blocking her calendar to create time for creative thinking and project work while weaving in family commitments.
“This has helped me protect the space I needed to get my objectives completed, create accessible space and give myself recharging time,” she said. “I’ve learned the secret to work-life balance for me is that it’s not something you can just check a box and be done. I don’t always nail it, but I give myself a lot more grace, recognizing I’m not alone in balancing.”
MEET BRIANNE MORROW
- Age: 40
- Home: Castleton-on-the-Hudson, New York
- Employed: Royal Canin USA
- Credentials: Licensed veterinary technician, VTS (Nutrition)
- Years active: 16
- Pets: Australian shepherd mix, Wally; golden/boxer/pit mix, Magik; domestic long hair, Dundee; domestic medium hair, Ruth Bader Ginspurr