Licensed Nurse or Vet Nurse (tech)

Nurses Relations

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Interesting Story to share. I had a problem with a veterinarian who would referred to his staff as nurses. This struck me as odd, especially with the level of care they were being allowed to perform...at their homes. I spoke with the local Veterinary Association and was told that RN cannot be used by anyone unless the are licensed to their states codes. Vet tech shouldn't be referred as nurse, but the Nursing Board really doesn't do anything about it. Well, i checked with the Nursing Board. Their response was ABSOLUTELY not. It is against the law, it is not tolerated and it needs to be reported if ever encountered. Needless to say, the vet received a Cease and Desist letter shortly from the Nursing Board.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Greyson, a little background and context would be helpful. Are you a healthcare professional? What happened to your pet?

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Greyson, sounds like a bigger story feeding you than the use of the title "nurse".

If something bad happened to your pet, I'm so very sorry. Posting pics of your pet's surgery online was totally unprofessional.

you are very kind. I didnt want to come across as bashing a profession. but the taking of ones title to validate another's ability, who are perfectly qualified and dont need validation turned out to something i woudl have never imagined. Talki about opening the proverbial "can of worm":yes:

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Greyson, a little background and context would be helpful. Are you a healthcare professional? What happened to your pet?
I am actually in Medical Devices right now, but I have had a long history experience within the healthcare profession starting all the way back to 1991 as a medic in the military where several RNs became lifelong friends. I wish i could share more but I do have an open case with Veterianry Board and I want to be sensitive to the Vet professions. Currently they encounter a lot of internets attacks and i am not interested in that.
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Before you attempt to disparage a profession you know nothing about, you should first do your research.

A Licensed Veterinary Technician is a professional that holds a minimum of an Associates of Applied Science obtained from a college/university

that has been accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Then in order to obtain their license they must pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination, which is a proctored exam of approx. 170 questions over 3hrs. After passing this exam and becoming licensed, they must obtain continuing education hours of approx. 20hrs every 2yrs through their state Veterinary Medical Association in order to remain licensed.

A Licensed Veterinary Technician may then perform any duty required of them, under the supervision of a Veterinarian (just as an RN must be under the supervision of an M.D) as long as they do not diagnose, prescribe or perform surgery. So a Vet Tech can do

assessments, give vaccines, draw blood, insert IV's, give IV fluids and meds, assist in

surgery, perform and maintain anesthesia, intubate, perform Foley's and straight caths, do dental cleanings and so on and so on.

Just as with the issues that RN's face, there are veterinary assistants, which are people who have been trained on the job, who will call themselves Vet Techs, however they

are not licensed as stated above but as the veterinary world is not as regulated as the human side, those vet assistants can perform, under the supervision of a vet, the same skills as those supposed to be performed by a Licensed Vet Tech.

I apologize for the unprofessional way that your pets care was posted on a public

media site, but you should have addressed this with the veterinarian, who may have been unaware. Although there are no HIPAA rules in veterinary medicine most vets would find this to be unprofessional and would not allow it.

As for the Vet Tech being called a "nurse", this misnomer is almost always done by a vet or a veterinary assistant, as Licensed Vet Tech's are proud of the title they have rightly earned and maintained.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Just want to clarify what the previous poster said - an RN does not need to be under the supervision of an MD. An MA, yes. But not an RN.

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

This is going to sound really cruel....

If someones biggest worry in life is your vet calling his vet techs "nurses", you need to get some hobbies and a life, as well as read some news so you will realize that there are far more serious things in this world that you should worry about. BTW here is the dictionary definition of a nurse (notice the definition has nothing written demanding that it should only be used with someone caring only for people):

nurse 1 |nərs|nouna person trained to care for the sick or infirm, esp. in a hospital.• dated a person employed or trained to take charge of young children: her mother's old nurse.• archaic a wet nurse.• [ often as modifier ] Forestry a tree or crop planted as a shelter to others.• Entomology a worker bee, ant, or other social insect, caring for a young brood.

"New Oxford American Dictionary"

HPRN

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How about you read the entire thread before accusing anyone of disparaging anyone. the vet techs have been complimented and their skills acknowledged. not one insult made. the only observation is that its common for them to argue that their skills exceed an RN in a variety of areas. The irony is that this small group of individuals are so intent on letting people know how much more diverse and skilled than a nurse they are, but still desire the title. The vet tech should be proud, but regardless of opinion, they have not earned the title nurse, because it was never their's to obtain. The NOB thought it was important enough protect its usage.

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This is going to sound really cruel....

If someones biggest worry in life is your vet calling his vet techs "nurses", you need to get some hobbies and a life, as well as read some news so you will realize that there are far more serious things in this world that you should worry about. BTW here is the dictionary definition of a nurse (notice the definition has nothing written demanding that it should only be used with someone caring only for people):

nurse 1 |nərs|nouna person trained to care for the sick or infirm, esp. in a hospital.* dated a person employed or trained to take charge of young children: her mother's old nurse.* archaic a wet nurse.* [ often as modifier ] Forestry a tree or crop planted as a shelter to others.* Entomology a worker bee, ant, or other social insect, caring for a young brood.

"New Oxford American Dictionary"

HPRN

we are using the legal definition of the law and the defined responsibilities defined by the states licensing bodies. it is safe to say, it requires a bit more than the Dictionary to debate each side

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Specializes in nurseline,med surg, PD.

I was just sharing this thread with a friend . I totally agree that a vet tech shouldnt be referred to as a nurse and he thinks that Im ridiculous for having an opinion about that. So Im mad.

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Specializes in ICU.

My daughter was a vet tech and she said they never referred to themselves as "nurses," nor did the vets themselves. I don't think it is that common.

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My daughter was a vet tech and she said they never referred to themselves as "nurses," nor did the vets themselves. I don't think it is that common.

I agree. From the summary report of the NOB its something well known not to do. We have to be careful not to let a tiny portion of the group define the entire group. Like anywhere there are good people and bad people in any professions. Most are good ones that do their jobs and do it well regardless of whatever they are called. But its the few bad ones that get the attention. They might need something for their ego or unsatisfied in something and compensate in false titles or whatever. Maybe that is the true lesson here . To give everyone an example of something to look for when finding a good place for care

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I was just sharing this thread with a friend . I totally agree that a vet tech shouldnt be referred to as a nurse and he thinks that Im ridiculous for having an opinion about that. So Im mad.

It is really a sensitive topic to discuss, I am finding, But an argument easily won. Its against most state law regardless of what anyone feels. But to be fair, Its my opinion that the vet profession has it really tough. its not just skill and exptertise they require to be successful, its a clear presence of compassion and a connection to the pet/owner. But they are also a business with costs and the need to show profit. That sounds like a nightmare to have to balance all of that

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