Tag: rvt news

Kristin Spring earned her VTS in emergency and critical care (ECC) in 2007 and a second VTS in anesthesia and analgesia in 2010. She currently serves as the regional veterinary technician director for VCA Animal Hospitals in Northern California, supporting 25 general practice, specialty, and emergency hospitals. Kristin’s role focuses on developing veterinary technician teams, strengthening patient care, and building healthy, sustainable hospital cultures.

TARYN DEOILERS: What inspired you to pursue your VTS?
NICOLE DICKERSON: The first CE conference I ever attended was the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. This was when I was still in veterinary technician school, so I was just starting out and finding out where my interests lie. I was so inspired by the veterinary technician specialists who gave lectures on complex subjects, such as the pathophysiology of diabetic ketoacidosis or special considerations for neonatal patients. I thought, “What a special thing to stand in front of your vet tech community and create enthusiasm for the rough and tumble job that we do every day.”

At the Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Veterinary Medicine (WesternU), registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) provide essential instruction and guidance to the veterinary students, working alongside them almost every day for their four years in the program.

Due to the progressively and overly stringent compounding regulations by the California Board of Pharmacy (BOP), there are only a few veterinary compounding pharmacies remaining in the state to provide medications for millions of animals. Additionally, the remaining compounding pharmacies have become increasingly disincentivized to produce certain important veterinary medications because of prohibitive BOP regulations.