In a legislative report, Tennessee State Representative Pat Marsh shared his thoughts on a recent piece of legislation concerning the change of the veterinary technician title to veterinary nurse. His commentary is as follows:
“We had a very interesting piece of legislation in our Ag Committee meeting that would change the name of the veterinary technician to veterinary nurse. As I understand, this request came from the Ag Department of UT and also from the Tennessee Veterinarians. Sounded like a pretty good idea to me, but then I started hearing from the Nurses Association and from many nurses living across the state. After much debate and testimony that stated how much education and training these proposed veterinary nurses had received and the difference between the veterinary office workers, who are the techs, the bill passed out of the Ag Committee and moves on toward the House floor.”
Representative Marsh’s sentiments provide an interesting perspective to this ongoing debate and highlights the work being done to achieve clarity through a universal credential.
The NAVC has taken a firm stance on its position:
“The NAVC fully supports a single credential for veterinary nurses nationwide and we believe it will improve the level of patient care, reduce pet owners’ confusion, and lead to an improved public perception for the great work these individuals are doing on a daily basis,” said Tom Bohn, CAE, NAVC’s chief executive officer.
To view Representative Marsh’s comments in full, please click here.