History of Veterinary

Technicians
In the Beginning
 1908
 The Canine Nurses Institute in England makes
an organized effort to train veterinary
assistants
Veterinary Nurse
 A veterinarian would
take anyone off the
street and teach them
what they wanted them
to know.

 These were the first

veterinary assistants
 1960
 The American Association of Laboratory Animal
Science (AALAS) certifies 3 levels of on- the job-
trained animal technicians employed in research
institutions

Assistant laboratory technician (ALAT)

Laboratory animal technician (LAT)
Laboratory animal technologist (LATG)
 1961
 The first animal technician education program
is established at the State University of New
York (SUNY) Agricultural and Technical
School at Delhi

 The U.S. Army forms the Veterinary/Animal

Care Specialist (91T) course at Walter Reed
Army Institute of Research in Washington, DC
 1962-68
 Ralston Purina developed the first Animal
Technician Training Correspondence Course
for training laboratory animal technicians in
the U.S.
 1963
 First graduating class of animal technicians
from SUNY Delhi

 8 students in the class

 1965
 The British Veterinary Nurses Association
(BVNA) is established

 Walter Collins, DVM receives federal funding

to develop a model curriculum for training
veterinary technicians
 He produces several guides over the next 7
years
 1965
 The American Veterinary Medical Association
(AVMA) Executive Board decides officially
that the adjective “veterinary” should not be
used with the nouns “technician” or “assistant”

 nor should the AVMA approve instructional

programs
Father of Veterinary Technology
 Walter Collins, DVM

 Fall 1964 - Becomes a

faculty member in the
Animal Science
Technology Department
at SUNY Delhi

 1967 – Became director

of the program
 1965-73
 U.S. Army Veterinary/Animal Care Specialists
(91T) are assigned to multiple medical and
veterinary detachments and are deployed to
Vietnam, where they provide paraprofessional
veterinary care to hundreds of military
animals.
 They also carry out civic action programs to
support indigenous livestock
 1967
 The AVMA Executive Board charges its
council on education with establishing criteria
for acceptable animal technician training
programs and its judicial council with the
responsibility for developing a model practice
act
 Ridgetown College in Ontario establishes a
provincially approved veterinary technology
program
 1968
 The AVMA Advisory Committee on Animal
Technicians urges all state veterinary medical
associations to establish advisory committees
on animal technicians.

 23 states comply by 1969

 1968
 4 new veterinary technology programs are
established in the US

 Michigan State University

 Colorado Mountain College
 East Central Carolina Community College
 Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture
 1969
 The First Symposium on Animal Technician
Training Programs is held at Michigan State
University

 The Canadian Association for Laboratory

Animal Science (CALAS) begins national
certification plans for laboratory animal
technicians
 1970
 The New York State Association of Animal
Health Technicians (NYSAHT) is formed by
the graduating class of SUNY Delhi

 The Canadian Association of Animal Health

Technicians (CAAHT) is formed
 1972
 The AVMA House of Delegates votes to
accredit training programs for animal
technicians

 The Committee on Accreditation of Training

for Animal Technicians (CATAT) is formed
and takes on this responsibility
 1973
 The first 2 programs that are accredited by the
AVMA are those at Michigan State University
and Nebraska College of Technical
Agriculture

 The Association of Animal Technician

Educators (AATE) is formed
 1973
 The AVMA House of Delegates passes a
resolution proposing “registration” but not
“licensure” of animal technicians

 The Committee on Accreditation for Training

of Animal Technicians changes its name to the
Committee on Animal Technician Activities
and Training
 1975
 The AATE constitution is adopted and the first
officers are elected
 1976
 CATAT is recognized by the U.S. Office of
Education as the accrediting body for animal
technician training programs

 New York State passes the first law licensing

animal health technicians

 The first professional journal for veterinary

technicians is published
 1976
 New York State’s licensing exam consisted of
2 parts
 A written exam, given in Albany, which had to be
passed then,
 A hands on practical exam, given at the Veterinary
College at Cornell, which consisted of an
identification slide show (fill in the blank) and
hands on demonstration on live animals
 1977
 The first written examination for animal health
technicians in the state of New York is
administered
 1978
 The first “hands on” practical examination for
animal health technicians is administered in
the state of New York

 The AVMA adds a continuing education

section for veterinary technicians at its annual
convention
 1980
 At the annual AVMA convention, members of
an ad hoc committee composed of
representatives from the US and Canada
discuss the idea of forming a US-Canadian
veterinary technicians association.
 1981
 The North American Veterinary Technician
Association (NAVTA) is formed

 The Association of Zoo Veterinary

Technicians is formed

 The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association

(VHMA) is formed
 1982
 CALAS creates a plan for the voluntary
registration of laboratory animal technicians

 NAVTA adopts its first official journal, “The

Compendium on Continuing Education for the
Animal Health Technician”
 1984
 NAVTA adopts a national code of ethics for
veterinary technicians

 The “Compendium on Continuing Education

for Animal Health Technician” is changed to
Veterinary Technician
 1985
 The AVMA Executive Board establishes the
Animal Technician Testing Committee, which
generates the National Technician National
Exam (NATE) in conjunction with
Professional Education Services (PES)
 The Association of Animal Technician
Educators (AATE) changes its name to the
Association of Veterinary Technician
Educators (AVTE)
 1986
 The first Animal Technician National Exam
(ATNE) was given in Maine
 1988
 CALAS implements a testing and registration
plan for laboratory animal technicians

 The AVMA votes no to a resolution that

would change terminology from “animal
technician” to “veterinary technician”
 1989
 The AVMA House of Delegates approves the
use of the term “veterinary technician”, which
replaces “animal technician”

 This results in the following changes:

 CATAT (the Committee on Animal Technician
Activities and Training) is changed to the
Committee On Veterinary Technician Education
and Activities (CVTEA)
 1989
 The Animal Technician Testing Committee (ATTC) is
changed to the Veterinary Technician Testing
Committee (VTTC)

 The Animal Technician National Exam (ATNE) is

renamed the Veterinary Technician National Exam
(VTNE)
 1989
 The Canadian Association of Animal Health
Technologists and Technicians is formed
 1990
 NAVTA adopts its official mission statement
and begins a strategic planning process

 NAVTA produces the “World Of the

Veterinary Technician” videotape
 1992
 In England, Parliament approves a change in
the nomenclature from Royal Animal Nursing
Auxiliaries to Registered Veterinary Nurse

 The Ontario Association of Veterinary

Technicians act is passed, recognizing the title
Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT)
 1992
 The NAVTA Executive Board declares the
third week in October to be National
Veterinary Technician week
 1993
 NAVTA creates the Committee on Veterinary
Technician Specialties (CVTS) to oversee the
development of specialty certification

 The first “National Veterinary Technician

Week” is celebrated (Oct 16-22)

 The American Society of Veterinary Dental

Technicians is formed
 1994
 The American Association of Veterinary State
Boards (AAVSB) replaces the AVMA in the
oversight of the VTNE

 Canadian provincial associations agree on

complete reciprocity of credentials for its
members
 1994
 The AVMA accredits the first distance
learning program in veterinary technology at
St. Petersburg Junior College

 The Japanese Veterinary Nurses and

Technicians Association is established
 1994
 NAVTA grants the first provisional specialty
in veterinary technology. The Academy of
Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care
Technicians
 1996
 NAVTA is named co-sponsor of National Pet
Week
 1998
 The Northeast Veterinary Technician
Educators Association (NVTEA) is formed

 NAVTA holds its first state representative

workshop. Attending were representatives
from 27 states and Canada
 1999
 Eighty programs of veterinary technology are
accredited by the AVMA

 The AVMA incorporates language

recommended by NAVTA in the AVMA’s
model practice act, which delineates the roles
of the veterinary technician and veterinary
asistant
 1999
 The American Association of Laboratory
Animal Science (AALAS) creates National
Laboratory Animal Technician Week

 NAVTA recognizes the Academy of

Veterinary Technician Anesthetists
 2000
 The International Veterinary Nurses and
Technicians Association (IVNTA) holds its
annual general meeting in the US

 The bylaws of the Veterinary Technician

Cancer Society are approved

 86 programs are accredited by the AVMA

including 2 distance learning programs
 2002
 NAVTA’s Committee on Veterinary Technician
Specialties recognizes the Academy of Veterinary
Dental Technicians

 The North American Veterinary Technician

Association changes its name to the National
Association of Veterinary Technicians in America

 The first issue of the NAVTA Journal is released

 2002
 AALAS and the International Council for
Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS) work
together to acknowledge technicians for their
role in biomedical research

 Laboratory Animal Technician week is

expanded and renamed International
Laboratory Animal Technician Week
 2003
 103 veterinary technology programs are
accredited by the AVMA
 References
 2003 CD-ROM History Project by Dan Walsh
and Roger L. Lukens (AVTE historians)

 AVMA

 NAVTA

 NYSAVT