QUARTERLY BEAT
OCTOBER 2026
Some technicians engage on a national—or even global—stage. Others make a tremendous impact within their own hospitals. Both matter.
BLOG HIGHLIGHTS
Professional engagement isn't measured by the size of your audience—it is measured by your willingness to contribute.
National Veterinary Technician Week: Your Profession Needs More Than Your Skills - It Needs Your Voice Every National Veterinary Technician Week, we celebrate the incredible impact credentialed veterinary technicians have on patient care. We recognize the countless lives you touch, the expertise you bring to every case, and the compassion you show every day. But this week is about more than celebrating what veterinary technicians do. It's also about recognizing what veterinary technicians can become. The future of our profession isn't determined solely in exam rooms, treatment areas, or operating suites. It is shaped by the technicians who choose to get involved—those who mentor, advocate, volunteer, educate, lead, and inspire others to do the same. In this VETgirl feature article, Amy Johnson, BS, LVT, LATG, CVJ, celebrates National Veterinary Technician Week by exploring how veterinary technicians help shape the future of their own profession through professional engagement. Read on to learn how you can get involved and how professional engagement can strengthen veterinary technician utilization, recognition, career development, workplace culture, and retention, while helping build a profession that future generations of veterinary technicians want to join and stay in. THE PROFESSION WE BUILD TOGETHER Amy Johnson , BS, LVT, LATG, CVJ Senior CE Manager, VETgirl
Taking Back Ownership of Our Profession Veterinary technicians are incredibly good at caring for everyone else.
We care for patients. We support veterinarians. We comfort clients. We mentor coworkers.
Too often, however, we forget to care for our own profession. When we wait for someone else to solve issues like technician utilization, career advancement, workplace culture, compensation, or recognition, progress happens slowly. Real change begins when technicians recognize that the profession belongs to all of us.
Every technician who mentors a student raises the next generation.
Every technician who advocates for appropriate utilization elevates the role of credentialed technicians.
Every technician who volunteers strengthens the organizations working on behalf of the profession.
Every technician who shares knowledge raises the standard of patient care.
Professional engagement isn't someone else's responsibility. It's ours!
Professional Engagement Builds Careers One of the greatest misconceptions about professional engagement is that it only benefits the profession. The truth is that it also benefits the individual technician. Engaged technicians develop skills that aren't always taught in clinical practice: • Leadership
That is professional engagement.
• Public speaking • Communication
Professional Engagement Is More Than Volunteering
• Project management • Team collaboration • Networking • Strategic thinking • Advocacy • Confidence
When people hear "professional engagement," they often picture serving on a committee or joining a professional organization. While those are certainly valuable, professional engagement is much broader than that. Professional engagement is making the decision to invest in something larger than your individual job. It might mean: • Joining your state or national veterinary technician association • Mentoring a new technician or veterinary assistant • Becoming involved in your local technician program • Attending conferences to network and learn • Speaking, writing, or sharing your knowledge with others
These experiences often open doors that technicians never imagined. Many leaders in veterinary medicine did not begin their careers planning to become educators, speakers, managers, specialists, executives, researchers, or industry professionals. They simply said "yes" to opportunities: • A committee meeting • A volunteer project
• A conference • A presentation • One opportunity led to another
• Advocating for credentialed technician utilization • Participating in legislative efforts that strengthen the profession • Volunteering your expertise in your community • Supporting fellow technicians through mentorship and encouragement
4 VETGIRL BEAT EMAGAZINE
VETGIRLONTHERUN.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker