Veterinary Vertex
Veterinary Vertex is a weekly podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the clinical and research discoveries published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) and the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR). Tune in to learn about cutting-edge veterinary research and gain in-depth insights you won’t find anywhere else. Come away with knowledge you can put to use in your own practice – along with a healthy dose of inspiration to remind you what you love about veterinary medicine.
Veterinary Vertex
Elevating Credentialed Veterinary Technician Voices in Scientific Research
What happens when the people closest to the patient lead the science that shapes their care? We sit down with guest editors Erik Fausak and Dr. Adesola Odunayo to unpack the first-ever JAVMA supplemental issue authored by credentialed veterinary technicians—and why it matters for outcomes, team culture, and the future of evidence-based practice.
Across anesthesia, radiology, ECC, and surgery, credentialed veterinary technicians make thousands of critical decisions every day. That frontline view generates smart research questions: how to secure IV catheters, how long to hang fluid bags, which scrub protocols lower infection risk, and how to standardize monitoring that prevents complications. We explore how credentialed veterinary technician-led studies, from narrative and scoping reviews to original research, turn bedside insight into better protocols that any clinic can adopt.
We also address barriers that hold technicians back: limited mentorship, scarce funding, minimal institutional credit, and no protected time to write. Erik and Adesola share workable fixes—establishing research mentors, pooling multi-site data to power studies, rewarding publications for techs, and using social media to both crowdsource questions and fight misinformation. The payoff is real: higher job satisfaction, stronger retention, and a team-wide shift from “evidence-based medicine” to “evidence-based practice,” where everyone participates in decisions that improve care.
If you want a stronger hospital culture, safer anesthesia, cleaner lines, and a clearer career path for your credentialed technicians, this conversation offers a roadmap. Read the credentialed veterinary technician-led supplement, share it with your team, and start a study that answers a question from your treatment floor. Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us which credentialed veterinary technician-led research your clinic should tackle next.
JAVMA supplemental issue: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.263.s2.s4
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Welcome to Veterinary Vertex, the AVMA Journal's podcast, where we delve into behind-the-scenes look with manuscript authors. I'm editor-in-chief Lisa Fordier, joined by associate editor Sarah Wright. Today we're discussing a first ever Jabma supplemental issue that was authored by veterinary technicians, and it's entitled Elevating the Voice of Credentialed Veterinary Technicians in Scientific Discourse with our amazing guest editors, Eric Bausick, and Ada Sola Odinayo. Hey Eric and Ada Sola, thanks so much first for doing this, again, as I said, first ever authored by Vet Techs. And thanks for being here with us today. Thank you for having us.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks for having us.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, thank you for joining us. Ada Sola, can you describe the inspiration behind this supplemental issue and what made motivated you to write this editorial? Thank you, Lisa.
SPEAKER_03:I wish I could take credit for this, but this actually originally started by a different journal reaching out. They were interested in having a tech issue. And I reached out to Eric and Harold, who could not be with us today. And all three of us were just really excited about having like tech-driven scholarship. Ultimately, things did not work out. We ultimately ended up publishing Wajapa, which I think actually worked out better for the best. So we we just feel that it was great to have an opportunity to give technicians an opportunity to share not only their research ideas, but uh have an opportunity to write scientifically.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's certainly fun to have something wonderful to celebrate. Uh other than veterinary, not just, but veterinary technicians as the scholar authors, was there a different spark? Was there a gap in the literature you were hoping to address?
SPEAKER_03:Um, yeah, I mean, I think certainly there are lots of gaps as is as it relates to uh I am a clinician, so I am always interested in how to make my patient care better. And the technicians are the ones who work hand in hand with this patient. So, you know, they place the catheters, they monitor their vitals. And I think we're just not hearing their perspective. There's a lot that's been done from the veterinarian's perspective, uh, but not a lot when it comes to like hands-on patient care. So I was hoping that we could get more information from that.
SPEAKER_01:I learned so much from every credentialed veterinary technician I've ever worked with. I'm so grateful for them. And they are fabulous mentors for us veterinarians, too. I agree.
SPEAKER_03:I remember many times during my internship struggling, and uh they taught me how to unblock my first cat because I was in that hospital by myself. So I absolutely could not be where I am today without some wonderful technician.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I remember my first uh hypoglycemic dog come in. I think it was like my first ER shifts on my internship, and I was coming up with a treatment plan, and the credentialed veterinary technician I was working with was like, are you sure you want to do that? Do you want to maybe round to the ER clinician and just double check? And sure enough, yep, saved me. So yeah, yeah, great teachers. And for listeners who may not be familiar, how would you define a credentialed veterinary technician? And what roles do credentialed veterinary technicians typically play in modern veterinary practice?
SPEAKER_00:So, in terms of credentialed veterinary technicians, it is um it's a very important thing that that I think is starting to um become the norm across all states. Um, you know, there's there's still some areas that maybe you don't see that. But essentially these are these are tech visa people that are working in the veterinic as a professional, a veterinary technician, that go through training, um, usually in AVMA accredited veterinary technician school. Uh it can vary sometimes for an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree, but essentially they go through training um and then they take a board um to um show that training has or that they've uh uh been able to apply that training to some degree um on a written test. Um, and in particular, what makes it uh a credentialed veterinary technician extremely important and the big thing we're hoping for is some uh uh title protection, right? Um there's been a trend or for a long time. You had folks that were being trained, uh, that went through formal training, that would take these tests and work in a clinic and working right next to somebody's uh kid that may have gotten hired and trained by their uh uh you know, by the veterinary in in the way that they needed or wanted. Um, I think veterinary technicians as a role, it's a little harder to pin. And I think this is why the title has been kind of interesting. I was involved 10 years ago with the veterin initiative where we were trying to change the title over to veterinary nurses. And um, and in a way, I'm not sure what the right way to say it is, because we do kind of occupy this entire allied health region. Uh, we're therapists, we're tech uh radiology technicians, we can be ultrasound technicians, we're phlebotomists. Um, and then of course we are nurses. We do nursing care in the sense of uh, you know, we'll be giving treatments to patients, we're running anesthesias, or at least uh in conjunction with the veterinarian uh in charge. You know, so there's a lot of roles that veterinary technicians take on that you maybe don't see on the human side because they're they're all kind of different roles. Um so yeah, I think that's it in a nutshell. It's a it's a lot of different little niches that that we occupy in any given practice.
SPEAKER_01:Some of our listeners may know, I actually did my fellowship in Canada, so I got to work with some amazing RVTs at the Vancouver Aquarium. So, how does this differ internationally?
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's funny you say that. Yeah, I've been uh LVT, a CVT, and an RVT in the United States. Um I'm now in California where I'm an RVT, but um uh it it does differ. Um, the education may differ a little bit, like for instance in the United Kingdom. Um, I think traditionally it's more often an undergraduate program, like our I'm thinking like Harper Adams. Um, but they're called veterinary nurses, um registered veterinary nurses. And uh it's it's a protected title in the country. So it's it's um you will see different terms, but right now for this level, whether you call it a veterinary technician or a veterinary nurse, we're kind of occupying um that same kind of broad niche. Um it is worth mentioning there are veterinary assistants and training programs that NAFTA has um been involved with for veterinary assistants, which is a different uh set of skills usually to assist the veterinary technician or veterinary.
SPEAKER_02:This importance of elevating the voice of credential and veterinary technicians, and I think the word credential kind of encompasses all that you uh and Sarah were just talking about, Eric. Uh this idea of elevating and um encompassing veterinary technicians to the maximum of their credentialing license not only provides for enhances the efficiency of the entire practice, but it also provides better job satisfaction for uh technicians and hopefully we can retain them better. It's it's not just getting veterinary technicians through the credentialing process, but retaining them as you well know.
SPEAKER_00:I think, you know, when you look at, you know, like some of the burnout factors for veterinary technicians, which is in this issue, um, you know, you see pay is one of those things that's really hard to surmount, right? Um, there's no way that a veterinary technician is probably going to make as much as a full motorist in a human hospital, which is, you know, one piece of a larger part of what veterinary technicians do. But I think job satisfaction is something that we can have a pretty good impact on. And um in kind of acknowledging and appreciating that role of veterinary technician, um, you know, in human medicine, and this is something I I I would like to see emulated in veterinary medicine, is that, you know, evidence-based medicine, for instance, isn't it's not really called that anymore, because isn't just doctors that are practicing evidence-based um methods. Um, evidence-based practice is a word, and this is the vision I really um hold dear and I've held dear for like the last 10 plus years for veterinary technicians. Um, really being involved in the decision making and and being involved in identifying what the best practices are um for phlebotomy, for putting a catheter in, for putting um uh for OR scrubs, you know, that sort of thing. And we're seeing that. Um, but I think veterinary technicians can play a really crucial role in improving the practice and in being involved in the research.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I really like that. And this supplemental issue uh highlights, and this is the first collection as we talked about, uh, that the articles are written by uh credential or credential-led teams. What is the significance of this for the, as you called it, the practice of veterinary medicine as a whole for that whole team?
SPEAKER_00:For my part, um, I think you know, one of the things we get a little lost in is that, you know, we're busy trying to do research and we can only do research based on the funding that we get, right? Um, so a lot of times we're limited by what scope we can use. Um, I think, again, with evidence-based medicine, if we do really well conducted quality studies, even if they're maybe underpowered, if we can do them in a really good fashion and do enough of them, we can actually combine these statistically. And I think, you know, for a much lower cost and something that veterinary technicians can be involved in, I think they're very interested in the everyday stuff, like how long can we leave a fluid bag hanging? Um, you know, how should we scrub our patients? Um, so it's those practical pieces that I think veterinary technicians and veterinarians can really be involved in at the practice level to really decide or help decide what the best practice is.
SPEAKER_01:So, Anna Sola, many credentialed veterinary technicians have historically been underrepresented in research and scientific writing. What bears have we seen that contribute to this underrepresentation?
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I think a lot of things uh come to play. Um, my career has pretty much almost exclusively been in academia, other than a couple of years in private practice. And the things I have seen, uh, first of all, include a lack of mentorship. Uh, just like Eric inferred to, I think people expect that veterinarians are uh the ones to take the lead in research. And I think that's true for probably some things, but there are many opportunities or areas where technicians can not only take the lead but also be actively involved. Uh but because it's not the norm in many places, uh, technicians just kind of take a step back and say this is not something I'm expected to do. So there's really no one to like encourage them or provide mentorship in a lot of ways in terms of like study designs, because techs have a lot of questions when they are taking care of, like, why do we do this? Or why, or in my old institution of practice, we usually place Ivy catheters or secure them this way, but we do it differently this way. So there's a lot of clinical questions that they have. So having somebody help guide them into, yeah, we can actually design a study to try to answer those questions. Uh, I think that would be a big one, also mentorship in terms of like scientific writing. Um, we all, including our technicians, you know, we all uh through like college and school get the experience to do some writing, but it's very limited. So having someone to say, yeah, you can actually do this. And then obviously there's also the limitation of funding, like Eric uh referred to. Uh so those in my mind, I think would be some of the main limitations. I think other things also coming from the academic perspective is when I publish uh or have a publication, I can at the end of the year put it on my CV and take it to my department head. And that is, you know, um, you know, reflective of what I've done that year and ultimately plays a role in, you know, my going up the ladder, as one would say, in terms of acknowledgement and ultimately promotion. And for techs, uh, at least in the institutions I've been, there's really no, you know, like compensation acknowledgement, uh, other than maybe what's done on a small level. So I think being able to like come up with a way to inspire technicians to do more by, I mean, the recognition. I I think the techs who were involved in the tech supplement in Java uh felt very accomplished and, you know, thankful to be part of that because they got that national recognition. But I think we need to do that on an institutional level so that uh technicians who do that are celebrated. And I think the last uh, I would say things that probably make it a little bit challenging is also the time uh to do research. Um, so carving that time out away from their clinical responsibility so that they can actually collect the data um and uh have some time to write outside of, I know that was uh um in uh the Ivy Cathedral study that was published uh in the technician issue, that was a challenge uh for the text who did a fantastic job in terms of the late author was uh incredible, but you know, she had to do it on her days off and didn't really get any compensation for it. So those in my mind, I don't know, Eric, if you have any other thoughts, but those would be probably some of the big limitations that I uh anticipate or foresee.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, um I don't have much to add except, you know, what I've always been impressed with is energy enthusiasm. For instance, in the private sector, a lot of folks in private practice want to be involved in this. Um, and they don't see any direct benefit. This isn't part of a promotion package. And even for academic veterinary technicians, unless they're in the instructional role, I don't think publishing is is really highly reflective of their um uh promotion or or duties. So um completely agree with that a solu on that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's a different dynamic. I keep trying to convince our technicians to do some technical tutorial videos on how to block a cow for abdominal surgery, how to do balance films. Uh, but I think you're right, we just need to encourage them and carve the timeout, especially on like now in Ithaca, New York, when it's a little bit slower because of the snow on the roads. In the editorial, you guys uh referenced survey data showing high, really high levels of burnout among technicians. How might engagement and research and scholarship connect to professional well-being and and maybe alleviate some of this burnout?
SPEAKER_00:You know, I I think this this issue is a little bit of an example of that. Um, you know, at least from my personal experience, I was I was kind of a dirty hairy of of uh veterinary practice because the reason I fell in love with anesthesia, and the primary reason they fell in love with anesthesia is because nobody wanted to do it, because it's it's terrifying, right? Um, but I think giving technicians the room to to kind of really identify their niche and explore um these niches that they want to do, giving them some space to do that and really become um specialized. That's that's what made me fall in love with the job and and practice for 20 years. So um I think giving the veterinary technicians that space and and letting them pursue their interest and respecting um, you know, what they've done with that, I think is is a huge factor and and part of what the supplement's about.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I agree, Eric. I think uh certainly not research and writing is not for everybody, just like not every veterinarian is interested in doing that same thing with technicians. Uh, but for the veterinary technicians who will find, I wouldn't call it a means of escape, but you know, one of the things I like about my job is I'm able to do uh a couple of different things. So if they had an opportunity, for instance, to do research or to write, that might be a way to decompress uh and relieve some of the burdens of just being by that patient's bedside. Because again, I know this is a little bit of a bias because uh uh there are veterinary technicians who do other things other than patient care, but for the most part, uh those technicians that sit in, you know, by the patient's bedside, uh, which can be intense. So giving them opportunities to maybe do other things, I think might reduce some of the burnout that we see in the profession. And then just get in a sense of fulfillment, uh, I think that also would play a role.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there you guys have spoken to, and there were a lot of variety of article types, original research, narrative reviews, and others in your supplemental issue. Did you notice a particular uh clinical or research niche where veterinary technicians were more naturally juxtapositioned to succeed?
SPEAKER_00:I struggle a little bit with this. You know, I think there's a trend toward narrative reviews for veterinary technicians, but that's only because that's what we know. We know how to teach each other or, you know, create these kind of how-tos um for different practices. Um, I don't think that's a niche that we necessarily can only fill, though. And that's what I'm really ex really excited to me about this supplement. Um, you know, having original studies being done and showing that technicians can do them, I think we're naturals for that too. And and I think uh one of the things I was really excited about um too is is getting a scoping review. This is, to my knowledge, maybe the first uh uh veterinary technician-led uh evidence synthesis project on on that scale that we did on the radiology with Lisa Karsten's. So um I I think we'd gravitate toward narrative reviews, but I would love to see a lot more than that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I agree. Um yeah, I think certainly in many areas, uh anesthesia, surgery, ECC, uh, there are opportunities for narrative reviews, but also regional studies.
SPEAKER_01:Now, Sola, one article on the issue explores how veterinary technicians are influencing care via social media. How do platforms like that intertwine with research and professional identity?
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's a great question. Uh, obviously, social media has changed life as we know it. Uh, even for those of us who prefer to stay away, but um it's it's uh, you know, I see, first of all, there is a lot of misinformation on social media. Um every time I log in, I see like clients who had really ill pets who get try to get information online and people who are not well educated providing wrong information. So I think social media plays an important role. And when you look at the veterinary community in research, it is an opportunity for questions to be generated. So, like I referred to earlier, oh, this is what we do in our practice. What do you do? And just having those conversations will stir up like uh uh original research ideas that can then be carried out. Um, and I think it also helps create like a sense of professional identity for those technicians who uh actually do carry out research, uh, because then people know who they are, they develop an areas of area of expertise where people seek them out for questions because they know they're also active uh in identifying and carrying out research. So I think that is also like an important area uh where both uh kind of mesh. But also, I would say also disseminating uh research information once you publish your paper, you know, people will post it or just say, hey, this is what we found. And I think that probably maybe works even better than the traditional means where, you know, many people may not have the time or the access uh to read a publication, uh, but that can be disseminated uh pretty widely and quickly in social media.
SPEAKER_02:I think all of us and our listeners uh would agree that elevating veterinary technicians as part of a more integral part of the team is really important, and and writing would be part of that. So if we look ahead, what steps can practices, academia, professional organizations, and industry take to encourage more uh veterinary technician-led research?
SPEAKER_00:I personally, you know, from my perspective, I'm very excited about you know, thinking in terms of evidence-based practice. So I think it starts with first being able to identify where where the evidence is and where the gaps are, right? And I think veterinary technicians are uniquely poised to be able to kind of do that. Because, like you say, you know, during winter or maybe between um, you know, like we have a lot of duties, it's true, but as do the veterinarians. But I think for our opportunities to kind of start digging into practices and why we're doing it is the best approach. Um, and I really can't emphasize enough, like the Roliculture Veterinary Surgeons Charitable Network Knowledge has a fantastic course on how to use, uh, how to find and apply evidence, the external validity of that. Um, I think it starts with that, kind of just starting to dig in and then identifying these gaps and maybe coming up with ways that, you know, again, if we do it well, um, even if you're a little underpowered, um, I think if we get enough of the this stuff done together, um, you can actually see research that's beneficial to the practice, to the folks in the trenches that are doing the work.
SPEAKER_01:So now we get to come to the fun part where we get to summarize everything that you've shared today and what you hope to our listeners are going to take away from this episode. So we both get to answer this one. If you could summarize in a sentence or two what you hope listeners take away from this special issue and your editorial, what would it be?
SPEAKER_03:Well, I would say um that the biggest take-home for me is to, you know, empower your veterin technicians and give them opportunities to step up. Uh, some of them really want to do this. And I think ultimately it's just gonna lead to not only better care, but also uh just a stronger team because then the technicians feel included, uh, not only in patient care, but in generation of research and knowledge.
SPEAKER_00:I was just at the Ro the Regional Teaching Academy of Western Veterinary Colleges, and I was kind of it was really kind of nice. We were we were working on. On a project uh you happier, kind of dealing with um some of the self-care elements that that that may not happen with veterinary practices. And one of the veterinary faculty really spoke up about technicians going, you know, we need to involve them because they're so involved in in, you know, of care, but also of instruction and everything else. I think understanding that veterinary technicians play a very large, diverse role in the veterinary clinic, they are educated, especially certified ones, have gone through um technical training and formal training, um, and really kind of encouraging them to explore even deeper in that and like giving them some freedom to dive deep into their areas in in terms of practice owners and academic institutions, um, I think is really going to help the field flourish and really help with mental well-being in the field for veterinary technicians.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, really critical point. Uh, from your guys' perspective, uh, was there anything that surprised you? Was there an insight that you discovered while curating or this this whole supplemental issue or writing your editorial?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, I was a little embarrassed when working with um uh Lisa Carson's. Like, I I've been a radiology technician, or I've I've been a radiology lead in some private practices and her level of knowledge with PET CT and all that, I was like, wow. Um I have a you know, it's just amazing how niche um all of these veterinary technicians go. And it's so great to see support from Attisola and the diligent work that Harold has always been doing uh in the field. He's he's been such such an advocate for veterinary technician and veterinary technician voices, and and has really put himself in places that everybody knows and sees veterinary technicians. He's been heavily involved with NAVC, IVEX, um, all these big organizations that that um, you know, I has really kind of surfaced what veterinary technicians do. And very appreciative of my gut uh co-editor on that, um, for having uh kind of led the charge in making veterinary technicians recognized and Adisola for kind of really bringing this project. Addisola brought us both on uh in this project, and very grateful for that.
SPEAKER_01:Sounds like a great collaboration.
SPEAKER_03:It was. Um, I mean, I had a lot of fun doing it, and uh I was very impressed by how much the veterinary technicians came together. Well, first of all, the passion. Uh, we had so many people who were interested in doing something, which again just goes to say they just need to be given the opportunity. But a lot of really well developed ideas too. I think that was, you know, I would say surprising. But, you know, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that.
SPEAKER_01:So, Anisola, what advice would you give a credentialed veterinary technician who's never published a in a peer-reviewed journal before?
SPEAKER_03:In my mind, the most important thing is to find somebody to help support you. Uh so find a mentor, uh, reach out to, you know, I always volunteer myself. Uh, I'm happy to help. Not necessarily like do it, but at least maybe point you to somebody else who might be, you know, an expert in the field you're thinking about writing about. But the people you work with, uh, I think just reach out to somebody and that would be a good first uh first first step.
SPEAKER_01:Well, Eric and Assola, thank you so much for joining us. It's been a pleasure having you on our episode today.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you so much for having us.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you for having us, and thank you for publishing the special issue.
SPEAKER_01:We missed you, Harold. Yeah. And for our listeners and viewers, you can read the Veterinary Technician supplemental issue in Javma. I'm Sarah Wright here with Lisa Fortier. Be sure to tune in next week for another episode of Veterinary Vertex. And don't forget to leave us a rating and review on Echo Podcasts wherever you listen.
