Veterinarian Speaks Out About Unlicensed Veterinary Technicians

Dr. John M. Robb, a practicing veterinarian for twenty years, says many states do not require veterinary technicians to be licensed. This results in poorly trained personnel being put in the compromising position of making important decisions, resulting in tragic injury or even death of our beloved pets.

Dr. John M. Robb is shaking the veterinary profession by its tail. The doctor, a practicing veterinarian for twenty years, is raising public awareness concerning veterinary technicians. Dr Robb says many states do not have licensing requirements for veterinary technicians. This often translates into poorly trained personnel being put in situations where tragic consequences occur, the injury or even death of a beloved pet.

Dr. Robb believes his profession lags behind in establishing proper licensing for veterinary technicians to ensure a high level of animal care.  He believes, much like registered nurses who work with human beings, veterinary technicians need to have a certain level of education, supervised intern hours and licensing.  He goes on to say public awareness and public demand is needed to change the situation.

Dr. Robb says most program directors at veterinary technician schools agree that all states should require veterinary technicians to be licensed. The question then becomes what is the job description of a veterinary technician? Currently veterinary technicians are laboratory techs, radiology techs, surgery techs, dental hygienists, anesthesia techs as well as client educators. They do all these things but in many states are not required to be licensed. With so much knowledge and expertise required of them, it's no surprise why there are so many tragic pet injuries and deaths.

Dr. Robb is calling on fellow veterinarians for support. “I believe the main reason for our current situation is veterinarians fear that a licensed technician would demand a greater salary and thus upset the financial viability of their clinic or hospital. But underpaid technicians soon move on, perpetuating the cycle of training from scratch that is equally or more costly. I proved in my own practice that having a highly-skilled staff and compensating them accordingly only helps the finances of the practice.”