Veterinary technician week celebrates resilience

The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America is once again championing National Veterinary Technician Week, which is Oct. 16-22 this year.

The week celebrates, recognizes, and promotes the valuable contributions that credentialed veterinary technicians make to the veterinary profession and society. The main goals of the event are to educate the public about these vital members of veterinary teams, reinforce the value and professionalism of veterinary technicians, provide an opportunity to recognize them for excellent performance in their work, and acknowledge veterinarians for hiring credentialed veterinary technicians.

“This year’s celebration focuses on the resiliency of veterinary technicians,” said Ashli Selke, NAVTA president. “One definition of ‘resilience’ that I think is extremely appropriate for veterinary technicians is ‘the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress.’ That may cause a chuckle, thinking that veterinary technicians have been deformed by stress, but there is truth in that. Veterinary technicians have shown great ability to recover from or adjust to stress and change, especially over the last two years.”

The week kicks off on Oct. 16 with a slew of raffles and prizes through NAVTA’s social media sites. Several companies are making special offers available to NAVTA members before and during the week.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which sponsors the week, is providing funding for social media and public relations outreach. Hill’s field representatives will also deliver NVTW posters and other goodies to their clients across nearly 5,000 practices in the U.S.

“Resilience won’t make your problems go away, but being resilient can give you the ability to see past your problems and better handle stress and change,” Selke said. “This incredible asset makes veterinary technicians the heart of veterinary medicine.”

Visit the NAVTA website for more information and to download NAVTA’s 2022 National Veterinary Technician Week Poster or access sample press releases and public service announcements, presentation and event ideas, and more. Next year’s celebration is slated for Oct. 15-21, 2023.