Registered Veterinary Technician (R.V.T.) What’s In a Title??

Registered Veterinary Technicians (or RVT’s) are an integral part of the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic team and are highly involved in every aspect of the care of your pet.

What is an RVT?  Registered Veterinary Technicians within the veterinary field are the equivalent of a highly trained operating room nurse in the human medical field.  The RVT title requires 2-3 years of Post Secondary schooling at an accredited facility.  The course is extremely comprehensive and covers small animals (dogs & cats) exotics (reptiles, birds, small mammals, etc) and large animals (cattle, goats, pigs & horses).  Once schooling is completed they graduate with the title Veterinary Technician (V.T.). However, it is only after passing a comprehensive Provincial Registration exam, that they are awarded the RVT status.  In order to keep their RVT status, every two years the RVT must submit a required number of Continuing Education Credits to their provincial governing body.

Some of the many skills an RVT is trained for would be:  proper holding of your pet for procedures done by the Veterinarian, taking blood samples, giving injectable and oral medication, administering and monitoring general anesthetic and monitoring the recovery of your pet from surgery.  RVT’s are responsible for not just knowing how, but also knowing why, and with that knowledge are able to interpret subtle changes when monitoring that could be the difference between preventing a complication and having to deal with a complication.  They are also trained to take X-rays, do dental cleanings and perform all the lab diagnostics that are done in the clinic.

At Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic, the skills that an RVT brings are fully utilized, thereby freeing up the Veterinarians to focus on the diagnostic, medical and surgical management of your pet.  Our RVT’s take great pride in their contribution to the team.  They make sure that from the time you and your pet enter the Clinic to the time you leave the Clinic, you enjoy the top-notch attention you both deserve.

At the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic, we are privileged to have five amazing RVT’s caring for your pets.