while i have answered several discussions over the years this is my first thread. my question involves the use of the term "nurse". i thought that the term was protected by law in most states. my understanding was that only people who were rn's or lpn's could use the title nurse. am i wrong?
over the past few years, i have seen ads of a veterinary corporation (banfield) looking for "pet nurses". a typical ad looks like this: taken from the banfield website at http://www.banfield.net/careers/other_positions.asp.
description
general function the petnurse supports the veterinarians in ensuring quality veterinary care for all pets, advocates for pets, educates clients on all aspects of pet health, and ensures a safe and effective hospital environment. duties and responsibilities act as the extra eyes, ears and hands for the veterinarian to ensure the best quality pet care and to maximize the veterinarian's productivity. lead veterinarians and veterinary medical team through the cycle of service and communicate with the other team members to maintain the flow of patients. provide professional, efficient and exceptional service at all times. this includes performing procedures that do not require veterinarian assistance, completing preparatory work for other procedures, ensuring that clients and pets are comfortable in the hospital, and monitoring hospitalized or surgical pets. educate clients about optimum wellness plans, preventative care, pet health needs, any diagnosis or treatment, hospital services and other issues. obtain relevant information and history from clients and maintain proper and complete medical charts. ensure the safety of pets, clients and team members by utilizing safe restraining techniques, following standard protocols, and maintaining clean, sterile and organized treatment areas, exam rooms and labs. perform other duties as assigned. petnurse profile working condition: physical ability - ability to work with and around pets (and clients) with complete comfort, confidence and ease (i.e., dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, etc.). ability to regularly stand, and to reach and feel with hands and arms. ability to frequently walk, stoop, kneel, or crouch, and to lift or move up to 50 pounds. work schedule - ability and willingness to work a schedule that may include a variety of shifts, including evening, weekends and holidays, and may vary from week to week based on business needs. required capabilities: compassionate commitment to pet care - clearly, confidently and professionally presents the pet treatment recommendation as an advocate for the pet, gaining the client's agreement to proceed with the treatment best suited to the pet's current condition and long term health. communication skills - reads, writes and speaks fluent english, using appropriate grammar, style and vocabulary. correctly spells commonly used english words and medical terms. fluent in spanish in markets where local population is predominantly spanish speaking. ability to multi-task- manages multiple medical, diagnostic, service and/or administrative tasks at one time; quickly and accurately shifts attention among multiple tasks under distracting conditions without loss of accuracy or appearance of frustration. customer service skills - consistently provides clients and pets with attentive, courteous and informative service. gains and shows personal satisfaction from delivering good service, seeing pet health improve and satisfying clients. problem solving skills- quickly determines when subtle indicators of medical conditions can result in threats to pet health/longevity and questions clients to identify causes; transmits accurate and complete patient medical history and status to the veterinarian verbally and through petware. intellectual ability - accurately and consistently follows instructions delivered in an oral, written or diagram format. mathematical ability - ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide, and to compute rate, ratio and percent; ability to convert units of measurement. computer skills - comfortably and confidently uses a computer and specialized software to check clients in and out, update client and patient records, and conduct and balance daily transactions, among other things. required attitudes: integrity - firmly adheres to the values and ethics of banfield, the pet hospital®. exhibits honesty, discretion, and sound judgment. cooperativeness - willing to work with others, collaborating and compromising where necessary; promptly shares relevant information with others. initiative - shows willingness and aptitude to use own discretion in taking appropriate steps in finding solutions to problems; presents options and ideas to enhance current processes or procedures. takes on additional responsibility when both big and small tasks need to be done; seeks out the most valuable work to do during times when the hospital faces low client demand. tolerance for stress - maintains a positive "can do" outlook, rebounds quickly from frustrations and unpleasantness, maintains composure and friendly demeanor while dealing with stressful situations. flexibility - is open to changing situations and opportunities within the hospital and is willing to perform all tasks as assigned. is available and willing to work all hours required to ensure hospital functions efficiently. willing to assist other area hospitals as needed. independence - able and willing to perform tasks and duties without constant supervision. education and/or experience high school graduate or equivalent. associate or bachelor degree, veterinary technician certification or licensure or one year of related experience preferred. benefits: pt team members enjoy the following benefits: competitive salary and bonuses 401(k) retirement savings plan employee assistance program basic wellness plans for one pet 20% discount off banfield® veterinary care not covered by wellness plans 15% discount off qualifying merchandise at petsmart superstores waltham pet food rebate program 15% discount off club rates for "rapid results platinum memberships" and above at most bally total fitness clubs ft team members enjoy the following benefits in addition to the benefits listed above: medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance life insurance for team members and dependents health and dependent care flexible spending accounts short and long-term disability insurance accidental death & dismemberment (ad&d) insurance up to 21 days of paid time off per year basic wellness plans for up to three pets we are a drug-free, smoke-free, equal opportunity employer. company policy, federal and state laws forbid discrimination because of age, color, race, religion, sex, disability, sexual orientation or national origin
i don't have a problem with banfield in general. in fact i don't know much about them. i just have a problem with the term "pet nurse" when we are/should be considered veterinary technicians. the other problem that i have is that the banfield "pet nurses" do not have to have any training in veterinary technology in order to be considered a "pet nurse" although it is preferred. several years ago the veterinary technician community wanted the change the title to veterinary nurse. the ana told our association (navta) that the terminology was illegal in many states. so i was wondering why banfield can use the term "nurse" and the veterinary community as a whole cannot. seems strange to me. oh and for the record, i prefer to be called a veterinary technician.
does the veterinary Nurse do 'nursing' - i'd suggest they do which is also the viewpoint in the UK -
i see no problem until the VN tries to fool people s/he is a people nurse and vice versa
I agree. Whenever my dogs have had procedures, the tech is the one who draws the blood, explains the post-op care, recovers them making sure they can walk, pee, monitors my dogs, etc. If that's not nursing, I don't know what is.
As long as they clarify that they are "veterinary" nurses, I don't see a problem. If they don't make the distinction, then it is an issue.
I'm a bit puzzled why veterinary technicians would be postsing here, though. Do they not have a site where they can discuss issues relevant to their profession? JMO, but nursing (human) has enough problems getting muddled with other health care providers. While I respect vet. technicians and appreciate what they've done for my furbabies, their professional issues are not the same as nursing's.
My general impression of the vet-tech field is that they are in a similar situation to nursing when it was developing and prior to the national licensure. I don't think all states license them, you can still get a job in many places and learn OJT. The trend is going to be towards requiring vets to hire licensed personnel to work for them, hence the growing number of vet tech programs in community and tech colleges. When that happens they probably won't get much of a raise, if any.
So. They're underpaid (because people just don't pay much to care for their animals, this is slowly changing), have differing levels of education from none to associate degree to enter the profession, lack coherent licensure nationally, and some people feel their title isn't quite right.
They deal with the animals, a variety of situations, the owners, they assist the vet in everything from anesthesia to surgery to examinations, they are often barraged with paperwork in the office, and they do clean up more than their fair share of poop. They resemble nurses for humans both in job description and in professional status as we were developing years ago.
I would not feel my title was diluted if "veterinary nurse" came into use as their title. Conscientious vet techs today probably have to explain that they don't work on humans from time to time, when people ask silly questions. There will always be people who didn't pass the NCLEX and want to claim knowledge or title that they don't have, and I don't think that has much bearing on what vet techs choose to call themselves if they do so correctly. That is, they can't say: professional nurse, registered professional nurse, licensed practical nurse or licensed vocational nurse. They probably don't want to use those terms anyway- vet nurse or veterinary nurse is perfectly descriptive.
As a profession, they will get their act together but seriously, I hope that when they do, there is none of this licensed versus registered business.
As long as they clarify that they are "veterinary" nurses, I don't see a problem. If they don't make the distinction, then it is an issue.
I'm a bit puzzled why veterinary technicians would be postsing here, though. Do they not have a site where they can discuss issues relevant to their profession? JMO, but nursing (human) has enough problems getting muddled with other health care providers. While I respect vet. technicians and appreciate what they've done for my furbabies, their professional issues are not the same as nursing's.
I know I came here initially to gather insight about the field in general. I was looking for some history on what actually worked with your profession. Yes we have boards, yes we have forums, I am part of the state organization (President actually), been a member of my national organization since I was a student, go to our state board meetings every other month, attend any meetings of our state Vet Association. Unfortunately, it is like beating my head against a wall somedays - old school docs wanting to pay high school kids to perform surgery behind closed doors because it is cheap and those of us who have a college degree and licensure in our state getting the short end just because we want more than minimum wage and no benies. So I come here and to other health profession boards to try and learn what worked for you in your fight for recognition. I also hope that maybe someone will wonder about that next "tech" who takes their pet to the back and whether they really are a tech or just some OJT assistant who may not be legally allowed to do half the stuff they are about to on your own pet.
My general impression of the vet-tech field is that they are in a similar situation to nursing when it was developing and prior to the national licensure. I don't think all states license them, you can still get a job in many places and learn OJT. The trend is going to be towards requiring vets to hire licensed personnel to work for them, hence the growing number of vet tech programs in community and tech colleges. When that happens they probably won't get much of a raise, if any.
So. They're underpaid (because people just don't pay much to care for their animals, this is slowly changing), have differing levels of education from none to associate degree to enter the profession, lack coherent licensure nationally, and some people feel their title isn't quite right.
They deal with the animals, a variety of situations, the owners, they assist the vet in everything from anesthesia to surgery to examinations, they are often barraged with paperwork in the office, and they do clean up more than their fair share of poop. They resemble nurses for humans both in job description and in professional status as we were developing years ago.
I would not feel my title was diluted if "veterinary nurse" came into use as their title. Conscientious vet techs today probably have to explain that they don't work on humans from time to time, when people ask silly questions. There will always be people who didn't pass the NCLEX and want to claim knowledge or title that they don't have, and I don't think that has much bearing on what vet techs choose to call themselves if they do so correctly. That is, they can't say: professional nurse, registered professional nurse, licensed practical nurse or licensed vocational nurse. They probably don't want to use those terms anyway- vet nurse or veterinary nurse is perfectly descriptive.
As a profession, they will get their act together but seriously, I hope that when they do, there is none of this licensed versus registered business.
Oh if you only knew - each state is totally different (much like nursing from what I have heard). We have RVTs here in Georgia, LVTs in South Carolina and CVTs in Florida. Georgia has some pretty strict rules on the books (now!!) and require the title only be used by those who hold licensure in the state. They also allow grandfathering of OJT personnel after 5 years (to end this next summer - thank gawd!!!). South Carolina has mention of techs in their practice act, but that's about where it ends. They require schooling to be a VT, but there is no mention of the title, no requirement of licensure to perform specific duties etc. Florida mentions the CVT, but the Vets and the VTS actually fight back and forth continuously about who should regulate the VT (seems like we should regulate ourselves personally???) but they both require schooling and state and national exams to hold the title. There is also mention of a few duties that require either schooling with the CVT OR other training to perform (euthanasia).
Anyways - I really don't want to use the title nurse. My job entails so much outside of typical nursing skills. Heck I would be better fitted to something in the dental field most days. Or anesthesia - guess "veterinary nurse anesthetist" would be fitting too. I mean my main job title is "Surgery/Anesthesia Technician" and I really kind of like it. That is on the days when I am not stuck in the dental suite trying to train students (vet and VT) how to perform a proper prophy - seems like I would get further banging my head against that wall again!! Anyways, I guess I have come to terms with the title I have been given, I just want to fight for the recognition. I had hoped to get input and maybe some ideas from the nurses who have been through some of the legislative changes in your field. I had also hoped to maybe enlighten some people on some of the legalities and issues that may be going on in their own vet clinics. If you just assume the "tech" has schooling and licensure, you may be allowing an untrained OJT assistant to perform anesthesia, extract teeth or even worse - perform minor surgeries.
If you're not smart enough to know the difference between a "nurse" and a "PetNurse", then maybe it's not the "PetNurse's" education you should be worried about...
Some time ago, I happened to read a posting by Vet Techs who were bitter r/t what they considered unreasonable jealousy regarding the nurse designation. They argued how much they had to know about multiple species, procedures and general care of the owners as well. Their general tone was they ARE nurses for animals.
But then again, the nurse designation IS protected because so many have tried to claim it for themselves.
As it is, the Vets themselves, complain about the disparity between MD and VMD. I heard one say he wished he only had to deal with one species like the MDs.
Give everyone his/her due share. I don't really believe anyone wants to work with critters in order to be called a nurse.
Sounds like Banfield is trying to tap into a new breed of student...tech or assistant sounds so much less important
I am currently a vet tech (not certified by choice) and have never went through a vet tech program (save for a high school class on vet-tech basics). The last I heard you could actually get certified based on experience alone (I believe it was two years full time at a vet with references and then off to take the test you go). I have worked at a vet since I was 16 (so about 9 years now) and started by working for the NOW president of the vet assoc. Just from my personal experiences with other techs who I work with, both experience-based learners and those who went to school (who by the way have no clue what-so-ever), we should in NO way be considered nurses of any type. Technician is a sufficient term and this comes from someone who actually has been allowed to do way more than most techs are allowed to by title. I WANT to be a nurse, not just an overated assistant like I am now. I love working with animals, but even the Vets I work with say they became a VET because they believed that working with animals is easier and way less stressful. Jeez, if one of our patients die the owners usually have them replaced in short of a week. Unfortunately, pets are considered replaceable whereas people are not. The difficulty of the job, both physically and emotionally should match the title!
RN BSN 2009
1,289 Posts
oh man I can't believe this is going on this far