Three New Specialties Added by NAVTA
The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) lists three new specialties in which the vet techs can gain credentials and special recognition. These new specialties are neurology, zoo medicine and equine nursing. These new specializations join dentistry, anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency and critical care and animal behavior.
Academies Designate Specialties
There are five academies in which veterinary technicians can gain credentials and special recognition for highly focused education that will provide them with unique skill sets. These academies are:
• Veterinary Dental Technicians
• Veterinary Technician Anesthetists
• Internal Medicine for Veterinary Technicians
• Emergency and Critical Care Technicians
• Veterinary Behavior Technicians
Societies Provide a Community for Individuals
A society in the world of veterinary medicine is a place where individuals who have a keen interest in a focused area of veterinary medicine can join and share information and experience in specialized field. The society is recognized by NAVTA are:
• The Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians
• The American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians
• Association of Zoo Veterinary Technicians
• Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society
Career Advancement and Support
There are certain requirements that individuals must meet in order for an Academy to present them with special recognition and credentials. In some instances, your online or traditional education courses must be taken and passed. Additionally, a certain amount of hands-on training is usually required before any certification can be issued. In all cases, each Academy has in place some sort of testing mechanism or national exam that students wishing to gain credentials must take and pass before these are issued. Once recognition and credentials in a particular specialty in veterinary medicine are issued, membership in one of the societies is open where ongoing career support is readily available.
Veterinary technicians seeking to advance their career both obtaining personal as well as financial reward can do well toward examining and discovering which specialty will suit them best.