A Day in the Life: Around the clinic with the veterinary technician

Veterinary technicians wear many hats during a typical workday. They often switch between departments and tasks to keep the clinic running smoothly, all while providing exceptional patient care. After undergoing a formal education and credentialing, vet techs are skilled veterinary care professionals who are often revered as the heart of the veterinary practice, and whose hard work and dedication are vital to daily operations. 

At Provet Cloud, we recognize the vital role these team members play in the veterinary profession. In this salute, we discuss the vet tech’s daily role and how you can support and empower them to develop and grow. 

Veterinary technician roles and responsibilities

Veterinary technicians not only serve many veterinary hospital roles but also often cross-train in additional responsibilities. They are the nurses, phlebotomists, anesthetists, educators, and radiology techs of the animal world. They work alongside veterinarians to support all aspects of patient care, including routine exams, diagnostics, hospitalizations, and complex surgical procedures.  

Technicians’ duties, like human nurses, vary based on their workplace. Vet techs in specialty roles may perform more advanced procedures than those in general practice. Here’s a general list of some standard vet tech roles and responsibilities:

• Assisting veterinarians during exams and surgeries  
• Collecting, preparing, and analyzing lab samples  
• Taking diagnostic radiographs or other advanced imaging
• Medicating, vaccinating, and treating outpatient and inpatient pets  
• Educating clients about preventive care, common conditions, and treatment plans
• Refilling and dispensing medications
• Presenting estimates and discussing costs
• Maintaining patient health records
• Communicating test results and making follow-up checks on patients 
• Inducing and maintaining anesthesia in pets and monitoring recovery
• Performing dental prophylaxis 

A veterinary technician's typical day

Every day is different for a vet tech. Here’s how a typical day might look:

• Morning rounds — In hospitals that offer overnight care, the team makes morning rounds to review cases and transfer them to the next shift. Rounds may also include an overview of procedures and appointments expected that day.
  
  
• Appointment support — Vet technicians may check in patients, take histories, help calm pets during exams, educate clients, and assist with ancillary needs, such as diagnostic testing and prescriptions. 
  
  
• Surgical duties — Credentialed technicians often are anesthetists during surgery. They may prepare the operating room, induce and monitor the patient during anesthesia, and then closely monitor their recovery.
  
  
• Inpatient care — Technicians perform treatments and diagnostics on hospitalized patients according to the veterinarian’s orders, communicating status updates and advocating for the pet.
  
  
• Client education — Vet techs explain post-operative or home care instructions to pet owners, answer questions, explain health conditions, and encourage clients to schedule follow-up visits. 
  
  
• Administrative duties — Vet techs contribute to medical records, handle inventory, and field phone calls—essentially, they do anything they are asked. 
  
  
• End-of-day tasks — Techs close out the day cleaning, tidying, restocking, preparing for the next day’s patients, reviewing charts, and double-checking call lists.
  
  

Veterinary technician education and career path

Credentialed veterinary technicians attend school for two to four years to obtain an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. After graduating, vet techs can work in various related settings, including clinical practice (e.g., general, emergency, teaching hospital, or specialty), research, industry, or education. Technicians in clinical practice may go on to specialize through a rigorous process and earn their Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) credential. 

Traditionally, vet techs who wanted to move up the ranks took on leadership roles, such as lead tech, tech supervisor, or practice manager. However, leadership isn’t the right path for some, and many techs feel stuck and leave the profession. Some states have passed or are considering laws that allow interested technicians to advance to a mid-level role, similar to a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant. 

The mid-level practitioner debate has sparked significant controversy in the profession. Only two programs offer a master’s degree required for these proposed roles, and only one state—Colorado—has laws allowing for its development. However, other states may soon follow to help meet the rising demand for affordable veterinary care. 

Regardless of job type, veterinary technicians must maintain their state licensure by attending a prescribed number of continuing education (CE) events every two years. CE helps vet techs stay current on the latest developments and sharpen their skills. 

How to support veterinary technicians

Vet techs balance many demands daily and many continuously face additional stressors, such as underutilization. You can empower and support your technicians by:

• Providing advanced technology — Cutting-edge technology, such as cloud-based practice management software or AI dictation tools, reduces tedious or repetitive work and gives techs more time with patients.
  
  
• Developing skills and interests — Mentoring new technicians and providing ongoing training opportunities helps the team gain experience and develop varied skills, which keeps them engaged and helps ensure better patient care.
  
  
• Recognizing contributions — Allowing technicians greater responsibility to perform all the skills they have learned, celebrating their hard work, and rewarding them with fair pay and scheduling that provides a good work-life balance can help technicians feel supported and appreciated.
  
  

Key takeaways

• Veterinary technicians' roles vary depending on the job, but generally include patient care, diagnostic support, communication, and client education.  
  
  
• Credentialed technicians have multiple opportunities for career advancement and may choose to work outside clinical practice. 
  
  
• Vet techs need ongoing support. You can recognize their significant contributions to the practice, offer ongoing career development, and provide technology that improves efficiency and makes their jobs easier.
  
  

Streamline technician workloads with cloud-based software

Modern software solutions like Provet Cloud can help vet techs manage their daily responsibilities and help you retain them in your practice longer. Easily accessible patient records and client communication tools eliminate extra steps and help techs deliver top-notch care.

Schedule a demo with the Provet Cloud team to see how our software can create a more efficient and rewarding practice environment for your valuable technicians and other team members.