A Brief History Lesson in Veterinary Nursing/Technology

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding veterinary technicians is that the title was intended to be used by all veterinary support staff. On the contrary, widespread use of the title is the result of the overwhelming level of title misuse in the veterinary workplace. Over 50 years ago, graduates of a standardized educational program originally earned the title of “animal health technician” (AHT).¹ But as time quickly passed, veterinary clinics across the country would use their AHTs to better train their assisting staff, and as a result, practices would incorrectly promote these assistants to a similar title. To escape confusion and maintain the clarity of the elevated role, AHT was later traded in for registered, licensed, or certified veterinary technician, depending on the credentialed person’s location.¹

Earlier on in the United Kingdom, veterinary assistants who graduated from a standardized program earned the title of “trained canine nurse.”² However, due to similar title misuse instances and efforts to be recognized as a true profession, the United Kingdom swapped its title to “auxiliary veterinary nurse,” and eventually, “registered veterinary nurse” (RVN).² Believe it or not, most countries have always incorporated the name “nurse” to describe the role of a highly educated patient caretaker, no matter if the care is for human or veterinary patients. The United States and Canada are currently among the only nations in the world to employ the official title of veterinary technician, which is another reason why credentialed veterinary technicians in the United States are working to update their name to veterinary nurse.

The title of veterinary technician was never intended to become a blanket term used by all variations of veterinary support staff. Nor is the title to be used as an incorrect promotional reference, such as previously working as a(n) (unlicensed) veterinary technician prior to credentialing—because one was, therefore, never a veterinary technician prior to becoming credentialed. The title has been consistently fought to be reserved for the appropriate personnel, just like the legally protected title “veterinarian.” Credentialed veterinary technicians are working to unify their names under RVN, because the title is theirs to share with human medicine as equally advanced healthcare professionals.

Contrary to what some may think, both veterinarians and physicians already lead by example in this philosophy. No matter the species or how many, each earn specialized doctorate degrees, maintain medical licenses with continuing education, and are subsequently evenly referred to as “doctor” without complication.

While efforts are being made to properly protect and clarify the title used for credentialed veterinary technicians, it is insightful to trace the evolution of this vital role from its inception to better understand how we arrived at our current plan for resolution.

The Evolution of Veterinary Nursing/Technology

1908: The Canine Nurses Institute opens in England in protest of women not being permitted to attend the Royal Veterinary College to become veterinarians. This is the first recorded effort to create an educational system to elevate the role of veterinary assistants by dubbing graduates “trained canine nurses.”^2,3

In the United States, this creation of an official veterinarian aid beyond the everyday person was an idea that quickly spread during World War I and II, but it would unfortunately not make any progress until brought up again years later.⁴

1926: The U.S. Army Veterinary Corps introduces a military– and veterinarian-trained enlisted role, called a “veterinary technician,” to aid commissioned officer veterinarians as “animal nurses.”⁵ This position was later updated to the current title of “animal care specialist” as the Army did not further the role’s standards to keep up with the requirements of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA).⁶

1949: The U.S. Air Force establishes its own Veterinary Corps based on the Army’s model and includes the use of military- and veterinarian-trained enlisted veterinary technicians.⁷ The entire department was eventually dissolved in 1980 due to a loss of funding.⁷

1954: The “animal technician” title is published in a British study and shared for the first time in the United States as a part of a medical journal.⁸ The role is described as “a new type of scientific assistant” inspired by the well-educated “medical laboratory technologist” to aid in veterinary pathological departments in universities.⁸

1960: The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) creates an official animal technician certification program to enhance the capabilities of on-the-job-trained staff aiding in research facilities.³ AALAS would eventually further develop this course by naming 2 additional roles: the assistant laboratory animal technician and the laboratory animal technologist.

1961: The first animal technician education program focusing on veterinary medicine as a whole (beyond laboratory care) opens at the State University of New York in Delhi, New York.¹ It is the result of the unique collaboration between the U.K. Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, Ralston Purina, and the State University of New York.^1,9

1963: The first class of animal technicians in the U.S. graduates from the State University of New York at Delhi.

1965: A veterinarian and Air Force Veterinary Corps veteran, named Dr. Walter E. Collins, is granted federal funding to research the training and advancement of animal technicians over the course of 7 years, eventually granting him the title as the “father of veterinary technology.”¹⁰

1967: The AVMA begins to establish and standardize the required criteria for future animal technician programs.³

1972: The AVMA declares the use of the words “veterinary” alongside “technician” to likely be easily confused with the title “veterinarian,” resulting in the updated title of “animal health technician.”³

Later, the AVMA House of Delegates develops the Committee on Accreditation for Training of Animal Technicians (CATAT) to accredit educational training programs for animal health technicians.^1,9 It is eventually renamed to its current title, the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA).

1973: Michigan State University, offering a 2-year certificate of completion, and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, offering an associate’s degree, become the first programs to obtain CATAT accreditation from the AVMA as animal health technician programs.^1,3

1976: The Journal for Animal Health Technicians is the first medical journal of the developing industry to be published.¹

To better protect and identify the appropriate staff, the state of New York passes the first law requiring the licensing of animal health technicians as a way of verifying their completed education, creating the first official “AHT” credential.¹ Shorty after, many states follow suit by passing similar laws in the coming years.

1977: Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, becomes the first college to offer a 4-year veterinary technology degree, resulting in the first credentialed animal health technologists.¹¹

1981: NAVTA is organized by AHTs between the United States and Canada to protect, support, and promote the growing profession.^1,3

1986: The Animal Technician National Exam (ATNE) is offered for the first time in Maine, which is later renamed the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE).¹ 

1989: The AVMA adopts the term “veterinary technician” in place of “animal health technician” to combat title misuse with noncredentialed veterinary assistants.^1,3

1993: NAVTA acknowledges the third week of October as the annual veterinary community holiday of National Veterinary Technician Week.¹

1994: NAVTA establishes the Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties (CVTS) to manage the development of specialty certification academies and veterinary technician specialist (VTS) credentialing.¹

1995: The first online/distance-learning veterinary technology degree program is created and accredited at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida.¹¹

1996: NAVTA accredits the first veterinary technician specialty academy in emergency/critical care, resulting in the added “VTS (ECC)” credential.¹

1999: The AVMA introduces added language to the model practice act outlining the suggested roles of the veterinary technician and veterinary assistant.¹

2002: NAVTA updates its organization’s name from the North American Veterinary Technician Association to the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America after Canada creates its own veterinary technician association.¹

2010: A ground-breaking AVMA economic study is published, finding “that the typical veterinarian practice’s gross income increased by $93,311 for each additional credentialed veterinary technician per veterinarian at a practice.”¹²

NAVTA introduces the Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA) Program to establish a similar set of guidelines for certified veterinary assistants (CVAs) by requiring applicants to complete an accredited 6- to 9-month program, verify the completion of a clinical externship and skills assessment list, sit for a proctored board exam, and follow renewal guidelines, including 10 hours of continuing education biannually.¹³ This effort is done to elevate the role of veterinary assistants without infringing upon credentialed veterinary technicians and technologists.

2011: California becomes the first state to implement title protection for veterinary technicians, and later defines the title of “unregistered veterinary assistant” for the remaining staff in a veterinary setting.¹⁴

2013: The first master’s degree program opens to veterinary technicians, technologists, and veterinarians at the University of Missouri, with a focus on biomedical sciences.¹⁵

2016: NAVTA officially launches the Veterinary Nurse Initiative (VNI) with 4 key focuses: unify all 4 veterinary technician titles (Certified Veterinary Technician/Technologist [CVT/g], Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician/Technologist [LVMT/g], Licensed Veterinary Technician/Technologist [LVT/g], Registered Veterinary Technician/Technologist [RVT/g]) under “Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN)” to harmonize professional standards in education and training requirements, establish public recognition to contribute to public safety, elevate professional recognition by creating a common scope of practice nationwide, and expand credentialed veterinary technician and technologist career potentials.^1,16

2017: The North American Veterinary Community is the first large organization to demonstrate support for the VNI by renaming its medical journal Today’s Veterinary Technician to Today’s Veterinary Nurse.¹⁶

Later that year, the AVMA announces its agreement to support the VNI’s goals toward standardization of credentialing requirements.¹⁷

2018: A number of colleges and universities across the country begin to rename veterinary technology programs to veterinary nursing programs, including Michigan State University, Purdue University, St. Petersburg College, the College of Southern Nevada, and more.¹¹

Eventually, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), Banfield Pet Hospitals, VCA Animal Hospitals, BluePearl Pet Hospitals, Hill’s Science, Royal Canin, Zoetis, and more also announce support for the VNI.¹⁷

2020: Utah becomes the final U.S. state to provide criteria-meeting assistants with the ability to become credentialed as certified veterinary technicians.¹⁸

2021: Legislative efforts begin in the remaining 10 states to officially define a minimum education criteria and scope of practice for credentialed veterinary technicians.¹

Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) names Ken Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), as the veterinary industry’s first chief veterinary nursing officer, the highest corporate position available to veterinary nurses/technicians or technologists to date.¹⁹ Later that year, VEG also becomes the first company to officially rename the veterinary technician role to “veterinary nurse” exclusively for credentialed personnel nationwide.

2022: Lincoln Memorial University opens the first master’s degree program specific to veterinary technologists/nurses with a focus in veterinary clinical care.²⁰

2023: Arkansas adopts a new law permitting VTS holders to expand their scope of practice under a “collaborating veterinarian” to perform “all aspects of medical care, services, diagnosis, prognosis,” and prescribe treatments; similar to the human healthcare’s nurse practitioner role.²¹

Eventually, VEG provides the opportunity for their veterinary nurses (credentialed veterinary technicians and technologists) to upgrade their title to “advanced practice veterinary nurse” solely for VTS (ECC) holders.

The Coalition for the Veterinary Professional Associate (CVPA) is formed to begin the preparation and planning for a midlevel veterinary practitioner through “high-level standards, education, licensing, and accreditation.”²²

The Future: Veterinary nurses/technicians see their community further developing to the point where only the thoroughly protected title of RVN exists, all states are unified under the same board requirements and scope of practice, more specialty academies are established, and the official veterinary nurse practitioner and/or advanced practice veterinary nurse role is officially introduced. They, additionally, aim to clarify the value of veterinary assistants and elevate their title by including a veterinary assistant and certified veterinary assistant scope of practice across the country.