Posted on October 20, 2016
The Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians would like to take a moment to thank veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses the world over for all that you do to forward veterinary care for herpetological patients. It is my sincere belief that the unique nature of our patients, the increased need for client education, and the tight-knit exotic animal medical community means that veterinarians in our specialties rely even more heavily on our veterinary technicians and nurses. After all even an hour long appointment can be too short for a veterinarian to cover all aspects of an ailing herpetological patient’s care. We rely on our technicians and veterinary nurses to patiently answer clients’ husbandry and diet questions, demonstrate safe handling and medication administration, and give relentless attention to treatment detail. How many patients have been saved by a dedicated technician or veterinary nurse, noting that the difference between 0.1 and 0.01 mg of medication can mean life or death to a tiny gecko?
ARAV is proud to include a technician liaison among our leaders. Ryan O’Shea, was the first brave technician to step up to the challenge of this position and became an integral voice for the ARAV board of directors. He introduced practice membership as a ARAV membership category to enable more veterinary technicians and nurses to join the association that a veterinarian in their practice so enjoyed. Erica Bellah followed Ryan as our second technician liaison. She started, edited, and was a frequent contributor to The Herp Blerp, our monthly newsletter. She saw it go from a simple word document to the integrative e-newsletter it is today. She also started an Instagram account – click here to check it out. Erica was an excellent representative for ARAV at NAVC, a contributor to our conference workshops, and a speaker at the ARAV conference. This year, the ARAV tech liaison position passed to Pia Bartolini. Pia will take over the Herp Blerp from Erica and will once again add her expertise to our workshops. She is one of only a few Veterinary Technician Specialists – VTS (Clinical Practice- Exotic Companion Animal). If you are interested in furthering your credentials the way that Pia has please check out the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Practice Website.
ARAV has welcomed veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses as members for many years! Click here for more member information, or join today!
Please remember that the ARAV newsletter, The Herp Blerp, was originally created by and for veterinary technicians. Although the purpose of the newsletter has greatly expanded, we welcome and encourage tips and tricks, articles, and ideas from veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses. Please contact Pia Bartolini via email for more info.
