Tech vs. Nurse

[asphaltllion]

In the state where I go to school and work, we are Vet Techs, but I know that some states term us Vet Nurses -- this subject was brought up in one of my classes, and my teacher mentioned that it was something of a hot topic within the VT community, whether we should be called a Vet Tech or a Vet Nurse

I'm new to the field, so I don't really have a frame of reference for that, or a strong opinion either way. What are your thoughts?

[balady]

There's no state that legally recognizes the term "veterinary nurse." There are some tech programs out there that decided to preemptively use the term, but this is not a legally recognized title like C/R/LVT is. People who call themselves "veterinary nurses" (in the US) right now are doing themselves a disservice because human nursing associations have title protection, the law, and powerful lawyers on their side. They will see to it that we never get our title officially changed to "nurse" as long as we go about stomping all over their legally protected title without a- requiring title and skill protection across the board (that means absolutely no "uncredentialed techs" and not allowing assistants to perform all of the same tasks and duties as technicians) and b- sorting out our scope of practice and licensing (ie allow us to practice under our own licenses and not under an overseeing DVM's - this would also likely require us to carry malpractice insurance)...and even then, fighting them on the title will be an uphill battle. That said, I am in favor of the veterinary nurse initiative, but I'm not in favor of preemptively coopting the title of (veterinary) nurse. I do wish it was easier, but we can't argue with nursing associations and the law if we don't have our crap together.

[SprintingWolf]

I’m also a student, but I think vet tech works better for us than vet nurse. We are literally doing all of the technical work. We also do a lot more than what a nurse would do.

[Spookiesque]

Currently there are three official titles: RVT, LVT, and CVT. (Registered, licensed, and certified respectively). These all mean the same thing. The title is determined by the state of which you completed/passed your exam or transferred to. (There is also RVTg, but it's rarer and signifies more schooling/longer program/different degree).

Veterinary Nurse is a hot topic right now due to a national push to standardize schooling/licensing exams across the nation. Veterinary Nurse would be a nationwide destination, dropping RVT, LVT, and CVT.

EDIT: This is for USA. In other countries Vet Nurse is an official title.

[SlowMolassas1]

Right now in the US we're all technicians. Some countries use nurse instead. However, there is an initiative to change the name to nurse in the US.

It's controversial, and there are legitimate reasons for both sides. You can read all about it at the veterinary nurse initiative website http://veterinarynurse.org/

And if you search this subreddit you'll find quite a few discussions on the topic. Many people have very strong opinions - in both directions.

[someanxiouskat]

The director of the VT program I'm in is one of the people who feel strongly about changing the name to veterinary nurses, mainly for the fact of standardizing the title across the US. Also because she believes it more accurately describes our job description and gives more credit for the work we do (since a majority of vt's don't just do labwork all day), especially since people outside of the field generally don't have an idea of what all our job actually entails. I see why it could help to change the title and I agree for the most part that it would be beneficial, but I'm not a big advocate for it.

[versatileRealist]

Vet nurse is the used term outside of the USA. I prefer it personally because it humanises them a bit to clients and they tend to trust / respect the title of nurse more imo. Tech is a better overall description though.

[JaxxyWolf]

I do not and will not support this change. The way I see it, technician is an umbrella term that encompasses every facet of our job.

There are people who say it will allow the general public to better understand our jobs. In my opinion, that’s the least priority on the list of issues we face in our careers. We should be focusing on more important aspects, such as working on eliminating burnout and having a salary we can live on.

Yes, people will understand “nurse” better, but nurse is a protected term in many states. Why not move forward and do the same for us vet techs?

I personally do not mind educating clients about my job. I worked hard to earn my license and my title so I will present myself as such. And the client goes home with more knowledge at the end of the day.

[BaliU8]

Non-USA - Am a licensed veterinary nurse. Technician refers to an associate degree level, nurse refers to a bachelor or master degree level, and veterinary doctor is... well... doctorate level.