Meet Amber and Sandy, Registered Veterinary Technicians Specializing in Emergency and Critical Care

Dedicated and compassionate, veterinary technicians are often the unsung heroes in emergency medicine.

Life long learners, veterinary technicians, are required to attend multidisciplinary continuing education courses, enabling them to execute their everyday duties with precision. Veterinary specialists rely on technicians to ensure their patients receive extraordinary care in an atmosphere requiring swift and advanced medical intervention.

While veterinary technicians’ roles may vary, all agree they chose this line of work because animals hold a special place in their hearts.

“Animals have always been a love of mine since I was a little girl,” shared Amber, an emergency room veterinary technician and supervisor at VCA California Veterinary Specialists’ – Ontario.

As a licensed registered veterinary technician (RVT) and supervisor, Amber also holds a veterinary technician specialist (VTS) certification in emergency and critical care. She has cared for patients at the hospital’s Ontario location for nine years. In addition to working on the floor, she also provides hands-on continuing education to referring hospitals with RECOVER CPR and Fear Free training sessions.

Amber attended Cal Poly thinking she’d become a veterinarian; however, life took her on a different pathway. Instead, she earned her Associate’s degree in Veterinary Technology at Pierce College in Tacoma, Washington.

Daily, Amber supervises 20+ registered veterinary technicians and compares her RVT role to a registered nurse. “Aside from providing a diagnosis, performing surgery, and prescribing medication, we as RVT’s are responsible for everything else,” she said.

A technicians’ duties differ daily, including blood draws, x-rays, prep work as directed, administering anesthesia, communicating with pet owners, and more. Amber is quick to point out that the tasks of an RVT at a specialty hospital versus a regular clinic are substantially different. VCA CVS provides personalized medicine and medical services for animals requiring emergency care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Daytime clinics with primary care veterinarians typically offer preventive care such as vaccinations and routine health checks.

“Our patients are often critical and need comprehensive care,” she said. “We are the eyes and ears for our doctors every minute we are there. We handle physical exams as well as monitor patient progress and perform all the nursing care.”

The technical abilities of an RVT for veterinary patients with acute illness or emergency ailments are progressive, ranging from the placement of multiple types of IV catheters to urinary catheters, blood transfusions, anesthesia maintenance, and more.

The pandemic has created multiple challenges for both staff and patient families. 

With the health and well-being of pets, their families, and hospital staff at the forefront, necessary COVID safety protocols have been put in place at all three VCA CVS locations to aid in social distancing. Clients are asked to stay outside the hospital, calling from the parking lot upon arrival with check-in and check-out handled over the phone.

“It’s been challenging for everyone, not having our patient families wait inside while their pet is treated. It’s taken away the transparency of what we do in “the back,” in which I mean the treatment area. Understandably, we spend more energy reassuring our clients than we used to, and that’s been incredibly tough for both our clients and our staff,” said Amber.

“We’ve also seen a dramatic increase in patients. Many of our referring vets have had to limit their number of daily appointments with many pet families now coming to our ER for needed care,” explained Amber.

Despite the challenges, Amber knows she was meant to work with critically ill animals. “I love the quality of medicine that we do and the technical work of it. We influence our patients’ outcomes, and I love being able to make a difference in their lives. That’s why we are here.”

Sandy is an RVT at VCA California Veterinary Specialists’ – Carlsbad. Like Amber, she pursued additional education, earning a VTS certification, specifically in emergency and critical care. Originally from the East Coast, Sandy graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology; however, she returned to college, earning her Associate’s degree in veterinary technology. Achieving her VTS designation in critical care required an additional 5,000 hours in the ER and Intensive Care Unit (ICU), followed by a rigorous application process and certification exam.

For both Amber and Sandy, a VTS designation highlights additional expertise in a given area. “My work is so rewarding,” said Sandy, adding how she encourages others to strive for a similar educational level as a personal goal.

Sandy’s position at VCA CVS is comprehensive, and like Amber, every day is different with a variety of critical cases. “Working at a 24 hour, seven-day-a-week hospital, you never know the type of cases coming thru the door, ” said Sandy.

In addition to emergency, critical care medicine Sandy plays an essential role in inpatient care from other specialties such as surgery, internal medicine, and oncology. “The challenge to learn something new is constant, continually evolving, and exciting,” she added.

Along with her daily responsibilities, Sandy has an integral role in the Carlsbad hospital’s patient care operations, especially vital during a pandemic. She chairs the Infection Control Committee, a committee responsible for creating protocols preventing infectious diseases and bacteria transmission among hospitalized patients. The committee also helps ensure the hospital departments follow the COVID protocols set by the Centers for Disease Control. Besides chairing the Infection Control Committee, Sandy is a member of both the Training and Development and the Quality Assurance Committees and is currently transitioning to a new role as the hospital’s Training Coordinator.

Before COVID, she traveled to local primary care veterinary hospitals educating staff on the latest CPR veterinary guidelines.

While Sandy finds the medical aspects of her work intellectually satisfying, it’s the personal satisfaction in caring for animals that continues to have an impact.

“When we can help an animal fully recover from a critical illness or trauma, it’s incredibly fulfilling,” she said. “Being able to comfort and connect with a scared pet during such a stressful time reminds me why I love what I do.”