Dave Cowan, CVT, VTS (ECC)
What is a VTS? A VTS is a Veterinary Technician Specialist that has advanced knowledge and experience in a specific area of medicine. This is similar to a boarded veterinarian like a Criticalist or Internal Medicine Specialist. Action Vet Tech Services currently has two Anesthesia & Analgesia VTS’s and one Emergency and Critical Care VTS. There are 16 specialties that technicians can apply for. Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Dentistry are examples of some of the other specialties available. A full list with links to the academy’s website can be found here: VTS Specialties
The VTS process is very rigorous and requires a lot of dedication, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence. Each academy has its own set of requirements for application. In general, the application requires a specified number of hours dedicated to the area of medicine (typically between 3 and 5 years of full-time hours), continuing education, licensure, and letters of recommendation from a doctor or VTS. In addition to this, there are several skills that applicants need to achieve mastery in. Finally, the applicants need to submit case logs and case reports to show that they are not only performing the skills required, but also have the in-depth knowledge of the disease processes or scenarios that their patients are going through. Once the application has been accepted, applicants still need to take an exam and for some academies, a practical exam. The studying for this exam is almost more rigorous than the application process. Countless hours of studying and absorbing every possible bit of information relating to their area of expertise is required to pass the exam.
Technicians with a VTS status have dedicated time, effort, blood, sweat and tears (sometimes a LOT of tears) to achieve this distinction. This process usually takes 2 years to complete. They are a wealth of knowledge that can be utilized in almost any practice with hands on training, lectures/CE or just simply working side by side with them.
