October 2024

At AAHA, we help celebrate our amazing techs—as well as veterinary assistants—with our Teams@Work photo contest, and our technician-themed issue each October.

AAHA secretary/treasurer Cheryl Smith, CVPM, talks about the important roles that credentialed technicians play in her practice and in the profession as a whole. The Community asks about anesthetic training resources for staff members. This month’s Scoop headlines include: Poodle Puppy Reunited with Rescuers; AAVSB Survey Supports Focus on Technician Utilization; Study Finds Music Reduces Pet Stress and Anxiety; RECOVER Initiative Issues Revised Veterinary CPR Guidelines; Human Stress Affects Dogs’ Emotions; and more!

High turnover rates of skilled support staff can be costly, disrupt team dynamics, and compromise patient safety. Here are the key strategies for retaining these valuable team members by building a strong community, fostering a sense of purpose, investing in personal growth and development, and ensuring effective management practices.

Telehealth services are considered part of the solution for growing professional concerns such as access to care and workforce shortages. The list of cases that can be handled through telemedicine is long, and the opportunities to utilize technicians are many.

Each year we hold a contest to find the best pictures of veterinary teams at work, submitted by Trends readers. This year we expanded our pool of judges to include all staff members at AAHA, who voted for their top three favorite photos. Take a look!

As AAHA’s Stay, Please study found, flexibility in scheduling and job duties is a strong driver of both retention and attrition in veterinary medicine. In other words, when flexibility is done well, it inspires good people to stay. But when it’s done poorly, it’s also a top reason why people leave their current jobs in clinical practice—or even clinical practice altogether.

What does it take to become a credentialed veterinary technician (CrVT)?

The pandemic changed many aspects of our day-to-day lives, including what is endured at the workplace for veterinary professionals. Changes in patient load, staffing shortages, and client expectations have exponentially increased the workload for credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs).

“Doctor Google!” Say these words to any medical care provider—human or veterinary—and you will immediately get a negative reaction. But actually, there are vast quantities of excellent, accurate and useful information available online. So why the attitude?