The Essential and Recommended Skills List (Skills List) is a resource for veterinary technology programs to utilize for curriculum development and instruction as well as an accreditation monitoring tool for CVTEA. The Skills List represents the complex role of the veterinary technician and encourages instruction in motor, critical thinking and clinical application skills at the entry veterinary technician level. A veterinary technician student, having completed the curriculum, will have gained the prerequisite knowledge and perspective to enable him/her to carry out the following decision making abilities.

The program must provide documentation of standard criteria for evaluating each student’s completion of every essential skill. These criteria must be consistent with standards that reflect contemporary veterinary medicine.

Although the Skills List will serve as a foundation on which to build each program’s curriculum, Veterinary Technology instructors are encouraged to expand the list with additional skills representing current trends in veterinary medicine including each observable step necessary for completion of skill.

Required tasks are denoted by an asterisk (*). Italicized text denotes hands-on (psychomotor) skills; all other text denotes didactic (knowledge-based) skills. The term “demonstrate” along with a didactic (knowledge-based) skill means that the instructor is free to determine the best method(s) for the student to demonstrate mastery or understanding of that particular skill to the instructor. The term “demonstrate” is not synonymous with “hands-on”.

Skills indicated by the designation [GROUP] may be performed by a group of program students. The appropriate size of the group will be determined by the task being performed taking into account humane treatment of the subject animal. Each member of the group must play an active role in the completion of the task.

Students are expected to physically perform skills that are italicized. Skill assessment is expected to be performed on live animals.

Skill: Participate in facility management utilizing traditional and electronic media and appropriate veterinary medical terminology and abbreviations.

Decision-making abilities: Taking into account the characteristics of the facility, patients and clients, the veterinary technician will effectively contribute to the professional and efficient operation of the facility in order to provide maximum benefits to clients, patients, and the facility.

Skill: Communicate in a professional manner in all formats – written, oral, non-verbal, and electronic.

Decision-making abilities: Taking into account the patient, client, staff and circumstances, the veterinary technician will effectively and accurately acquire and convey information utilizing an appropriate communication mode.

Skill: Follow and uphold applicable laws and the veterinary technology profession’s ethical codes to provide high quality care to patients.

Decision-making abilities: Given knowledge of legal limitations and applicable ethical standards, the veterinary technician will carry out her/his duties within appropriate legal boundaries and maintain high ethical standards to provide high quality service to clients, patients, employers and the veterinary profession.

Skill: Safely and effectively administer prescribed drugs to patients.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient, the instructions of the veterinarian and the medication to be used, the veterinary technician will calculate the correct amount of medication in the prescribed form and administer it by the prescribed route to maximize therapeutic benefits and minimize the potential for adverse effects. The veterinary technician shall also be able to differentiate between abnormal and normal responses to medication.

Skill: Accurately dispense and explain prescribed drugs to clients.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient, the instructions of the veterinarian and the medication to be used, the veterinary technician will (1) accurately calculate and dispense the correct form and dose of medication and (2) communicate necessary client information in order to maximize safety, compliance with prescribed therapy and successful treatment of the patient. The veterinary technician should also be proficient at performing inventory control procedures.

Skill: Demonstrate and perform patient assessment techniques in a variety of animal species.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient, the veterinary technician will safely and efficiently obtain subjective and objective patient data that will allow accurate evaluation of the patient's physical status with minimum stress and maximum safety.

Skill: Understand and demonstrate husbandry, nutrition, therapeutic and dentistry techniques appropriate to various animal species.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient, the veterinary technician will implement appropriate husbandry techniques to enhance wellness and reduce risk of disease, injury and stress.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient, the veterinary technician will understand appropriate and inappropriate dietary components for various life stages and therapeutic regimens (e.g., therapeutic foods) in order to promote optimal health, enhance recovery and manage chronic disease conditions. The veterinary technician will also explain nutritional recommendations to clients and reinforce owner compliance.

Decision-making abilities: Given the directions of the veterinarian and the characteristics of the patient, the veterinary technician will carry out appropriate therapeutic techniques in order to achieve maximum health benefits for the patient.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient, the veterinary technician will recognize a patient's dental health status and perform techniques, as prescribed by a veterinarian, appropriate to the species and its condition in order to promote and maintain dental health.

Skill: Safely and effectively manage and maintain patients in all phases of anesthesia.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the anesthetized patient and the procedure being performed, the veterinary technician will work with the veterinarian to:

Skill: Safely and effectively select, utilize and maintain anesthetic delivery and monitoring instruments and equipment.

It is essential that technicians have knowledge of routine surgical procedures and related equipment, including surgeries in these categories:

Students must have participated in surgeries in these categories:

Skill: Understand and integrate all aspects of patient management for common surgical procedures in a variety of animal species.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will use medical records and patient identification methods to assure that the patient and scheduled procedures are correct.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will obtain the patient's vital signs, note any specific physical abnormalities, ensure pre-surgical tests have been completed, ensure coordination between surgical and anesthesia teams, and report the patient assessment to the veterinarian.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will identify the appropriate area of hair to be removed and select appropriate methods to reduce microbial flora on the skin in the area of surgical site in order to decrease the chance of surgical wound contamination.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will position the patient appropriately to provide maximum convenience for the surgeon and maximum safety and benefit for the patient.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will understand and utilize appropriate aseptic techniques to assist operative personnel in order to provide maximum safety and benefit to the patient.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will assure that anesthetic and post-operative pain management protocols are appropriate to provide maximum safety and benefit to the patient.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will understand and administer the appropriate methods of post-operative care to assure maximum safety and benefit to the patient.

Skill: Understand and provide the appropriate instruments, supplies and environment to maintain asepsis during surgical procedures.

Decision-making abilities: Given the characteristics of the patient and the surgical procedure to be performed, the veterinary technician will properly select, wrap and sterilize appropriate instruments and supplies and prepare and maintain the surgical environment to ensure maximum safety and benefit to the patient.

Skill: Demonstrate knowledge of proper handling, packaging and storage of specimens for laboratory analysis to ensure safety of patients, clients, and staff.

Skill: Properly perform analysis of laboratory specimens.

Skill: Safely and effectively produce diagnostic radiographic and non-radiographic images.

Skill: Safely and effectively handle common laboratory animals used in animal research.

Tasks: Mice or rats, and rabbits

Decision-making abilities: The veterinary technician will be familiar with the basic principles of animal research and understand the utilization of laboratory animals in animal research. The veterinary technician will also have knowledge of federal, state, and local animal welfare regulations.

Skill: Understand the approach to providing safe and effective care for birds, reptiles, amphibians, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, and ferrets.

Decision-making abilities: Given the unique requirements of these species, the veterinary technician will safely obtain subjective and objective data that will allow evaluation of the patient. The veterinary technician will be able to: