The controversies began before the official opening of the 2023 AVMA Convention in Denver. One debate that resurfaced this year was expanding the scope of practice, review of licensed veterinary technicians’ roles, and their permitted professional duties. Despite having no regulatory or enforcement abilities, the AVMA proclaimed it would pledge “to defend against expanding the scope of practice,” particularly in the role of a proposed midlevel practitioner. Unfortunately, the discussions quickly grew to include debates about preventing any establishment of a VCPR by a licensed veterinary technician, going against legislation passed in several states. Viewfinders, we’ve got a lot to talk about in this episode.

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and President-elect of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), Beckie Mossor, RVT, discuss the recent controversies around expanding the scope of practice and the duties a licensed veterinary technician can perform and how this potentially impacts both the veterinary profession and access to pet care. 

Viewfinders, this is a critical issue that impacts veterinarians, vet techs, and all members of the veterinary profession. Please share your opinions on our Facebook or Instagram pages, or email us at veterinaryviewfinder@gmail.com 

If your social media is anything like ours, you’ve seen a lot of questions and concerns about the upcoming National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) Board of Directors elections. You may have also been following Veterinarians Against Ventilation Shutdown (vavsd.org (http://vavsd.org)) and their efforts to have the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reclassify ventilation shutdown, which uses a form of heatstroke to kill pigs and chickens. This week we discuss these issues and why you should care about how our membership-led professional organizations operate. Viewfinders, this is another hot topic all veterinary professionals need to know about! (And find out why Dr. Ward made Beckie cry!)

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, discuss why Beckie is running for NAVTA President and what the latest controversy is about. Beckie stresses the need for all veterinary professionals to get involved with their professional organizations and why change often takes longer than you’d like. Ernie offers advice on how professional organizations can get members more involved and why he continues to support a democratic and bureaucratic process, despite not winning his position on several topics (telemedicine and ventilation shutdown, for example.)

Viewfinders, if you’re a NAVTA member, be sure to vote before December 31, 2022. Dr. Ward shares why he believes this may be the most important election in recent history. Good luck, Beckie!