the term "animal nurse"

PedsNurse1981 · Apr 9, 2004

I am sorry ----But you post has really touched on nerves w/me today.
You are being fed the same propoganda my first RN-BSN program fed me, day in and out. I don't want to go onto a huge ADN/BSN debate but let me say--- use your critical thinking and realize the stuff you being told and why it is in the universities' best interests to say these things!
BSN's are NOT prepared better to take care of people! Think about that before you say it. Their education is does NOT make them better able to care for people or be better nurses--- it makes them more eligible to advance in management and other areas. LORD, I hate when people buy into these things self-serving universities feed them. Go to any floor, watch the nurses at work and without knowing more about them, point out the BSN versus the ADN nurse. Good luck!
And you think ADN's have no POLITICAL SAVVINESS---- REALLY?????
How long HAVE you been a nurse? Are you a member of ANY professional organization like I AM? DO YOU VOTE ? Are you politically active? DO YOU SUBSCRIBE TO PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS? IF SO, guess what, you CAN be politically-savvy with "just" an ADN!
PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK! This post was highly insulting to those of us who are ADN's and CAN think for ourselves. I am working on a BSN myself (scenic route to say the least), but I would NEVER make statements like you are. I guess I can see clearly what many universities are trying to do. Talk about politics at its finest. I know better. Don't let university indoctrination and brainwashing prevent you from seeking a REAL education out there.

Thank you for defending those of us out there who JUST have their ADN! I was pretty insulted by that post as well.

One thing I want to add, what is being a nurse about in the first place??? Knowing what administration does, or knowing how to take care of the patient??? If you can take care of the patient and that's the job you're hired to do, WHAT THE HECK DOES IT MATTER IF A NURSE HAS THEIR ADN VS BSN?????

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 9, 2004

Til regulation and certification come into play, I guess techs will need to see why nurses have a problem w/them adopting the title of "nurse". As pointed out before, too many unlicensed and inappropriate personnel are ALREADY taking the name "nurse" in vain, illegally, I might add. I think IF vet tech were a certifiable position, and consistent, we would not have such heartache with the term vet nurse being used then. JMO.

smk1, LPN · Apr 9, 2004

why does it seem like lately every post has to go into the adn-bsn thing? and those who do bring it up why are insulting comments such as "BSN nurses are "better" brought up? do you not read the boards and know that people get offended by this? in any case this thread is about VET TECHS and NURSES not BSN vs ADN. And i agree that if they define a clear educational standard and are no longer allowed to be trained on the job, and they have the same CCU requirements and licensing exams then I would be on board with them becoming VN's (same as the VEterenarian is a "doctor") the issue is that CURRENTLY they are not standardized and they have not gained the LEGAL right to the name so as of right now, they just shouldn't be using it. thats the bottom line inmho.

CarVsTree · Apr 9, 2004

The sad thing is about the Vet Tech field is that it is so not regulated. Veterinarians can get away with hiring someone with no animal experiance and train them to do Tech work...

It's not that different from the medical field. For example, girl comes in takes your vitals, everyone including herself and the MD refer to her as the nurse. Turns out she is a licensed or perhaps even unlicensed medical assistant.

I know that I worked for a vet as a vet "tech" when I was just out of high school. They got away with it 'cause who is watching (just like MD's offices). However, across town at the Animal Medical Center (big hospital in NYC for animals) they were more strict about licensed techs.

Veterinary Nurse, why not? There is nothing in the definition of nurse that says it has to be a human receiving the nursing. However, it will not solve the problem of unlicensed personnel being referred to deceitfully as nurse with no formal education. Just like in private practice.

BabyRN2Be · Apr 9, 2004

I didn't read the whole thing, but it was very demeaning to human nurses, and not very accurate.

I don't think human nurses are the ones with their orifices up their head in this case. I had a colonoscopy yesterday, no head found up there. :)

But I've got a little ways to go before I become a human nurse. Heck, I could probably go out tomorrow and be a vet nurse within the week.

Fuzzy · Apr 9, 2004

In many states, in order for a person to be called a veterinary technician, she must have graduated from an AVMA accredited program, taken the national and state boards. Most of the programs are two years long however there are also some four year or technologist programs. Sadly in other states including Wyoming, there are no state standards for vet techs. We are not even written in the practice act yet. Our state association is working on it. Technicians are not regulated nationally which is very unfortunate because this makes it difficult for consistant standards to be met. People do not realize that the person pushing drugs to their pet might be a high school kid or other wannabe with only two weeks of on the job training! Animals die and are injured because of mistakes made from poorly trained and educated people. In fact, the person who started the nurse bashing article is not a tech in my eyes. She admits that she has never gone to school, taken the board exam, or have even taken any continuing education. This kind of crap makes me very angry as it gives the vet tech profession a bad name. A vet tech is someone who has graduated from an AVMA accredited program, passed the VTNE, is a member of their state and national association, and continues to learn by taking additional coursework. The public (including you nurses) need to ask if your veterinarian hires graduate technicians. If not, ask them why. Since animals cannot speak there are some things that go on that the public does not know about. Think about it, Would you let someone clean your child's teeth under general anesthesia who had been on the job for two weeks and had never been to school to learn the how's and why's things should be done?. Thank you for letting me vent.

cursenurse · Apr 10, 2004

What is the education of "vet tech"? My nursing professor explained yesterday that for the federal goverment to recognize as someone as a professional, they have to have a bachelors degree at the very least. That does not make sense when ADN nurses can be RN's. Also, my mom (non-nursing person) is a professional..but she never went to college. So I think that is a weird definition of professional.
But, I agree that BSN nurses are better prepared to take care of groups of people and society than ADN nurses therefore they are better prepared and more professional. I am certainly NOT knocking ADN programs. I was an ADN graduate. However, in my RN-BSN program we are learning about legislative issues in health care, how to change policies, what nurse managers and administrators do, what nursing reserach is about..none of that I learned in my ADN program. If I didn't go through the RN-BSN program, I would be lost when it comes to issues beyond the bedside care of my patient. If nurses want to be empowered to take control of their work, they need to know about the larger picture. Devils advocate...sure if you are an ADN graduate and you work for years and years..you'll eventually pick up on some political savvyness and maybe even be offered education on reserach and do your own reserach through your employer.

Telenurse, i think that you are jumping to conclusions when you say that ADN programs are lacking in political education. just because your particular adn program didn't include that in the curriculum doesn't mean that none do. in my adn program, we are being taught much about the legislative process including how to communicate with legislators in order to bring about change for nursing. don't make the mistake of thinking that ALL adn prepared nurses lack knowledge of anything besides just "bedside care".

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 20, 2004

so whats the problem here besides a few identity egoists

a Nurse is a Nurse

I will match my career as an AD Nurse against anyone with a bs or ms.

a nurse takes care of people or animals, what counts is we care.

glassam · Apr 20, 2004

Let's face it: these people suffer from a serious identity complex. Perhaps if they put as much effort into creating their identity (as vet techs) as they do putting down nurses (real nurses), they could move forward...

Fuzzy · Apr 20, 2004

Glassam, I agree totally. This is why I'm a vet tech and not a veterinary nurse. Vet tech is the correct terminology for my position. Vet nurse is a term used for the waanabes because in some states one cannot call themselves a vet tech unless they have graduated from a program and taken the state and national boards.

Ortho_RN · Apr 20, 2004

Glassam, I agree totally. This is why I'm a vet tech and not a veterinary nurse. Vet tech is the correct terminology for my position. Vet nurse is a term used for the waanabes because in some states one cannot call themselves a vet tech unless they have graduated from a program and taken the state and national boards.

If they have not completed a program and taken a board exam... Then they are NOT a Vet Tech... They are a Vet Assistant.... If the Vet field was more regulated, and made all Vet Techs become licensed/registered/certified and that term could only be used for them, then I doubt the TRUE Vet Techs would care whether they were called nurses or not.. :uhoh3:

dlmickley · Apr 20, 2004

First off congrats on your boards !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I too was a vet tech for 13 years before becoming a nurse I to can see both sides and also feel we don't need to be so hateful about it ...............

Ok, I was a veterinary technician before I went to nursing school... So I do understand there side of the debate.. They DO nursing care, just because the animals can't speak doesn't mean that they don't need hollistic care. And Vet Techs are the surgical nurse, recovery room nurse, radiology tech, lab person, anestesialogist (sp).... They do all those things... If they want to come up with a title that has nurse in it, I say go for it.... Not like you will get VN and RN confused... But they are very hateful in the way they are discussing it..