Every October, veterinary hospitals across the United States recognize National Veterinary Technician Week — an opportunity to celebrate the knowledge, technical skills and important role credentialed veterinary technicians bring to veterinary medicine.
At Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital (BBVSH) Bellingham, our Licensed Veterinary Technicians (LVTs) are an integral part of patient care and of the veterinary community we serve. They work alongside board-certified specialists, emergency veterinarians, veterinary assistants, client care teams and others across the hospital, helping patients through assessment, advanced diagnostics, treatment, hospitalization and recovery.
In a multidisciplinary hospital, that ability to work across teams is especially important. LVTs combine hands-on nursing and technical skills with communication, organization and an understanding of how different areas of veterinary medicine come together around one patient.
And while LVT Week puts the spotlight on our technicians, great veterinary care is always a team effort. Our LVTs are part of a larger team, with each person contributing different skills and experience to the care of our patients and their families.
More Than One Role in Patient Care
The education and training of an LVT prepares them for a remarkably broad range of responsibilities. In a specialty hospital, those skills continue to grow through experience with complex cases, advanced procedures and specialized equipment.
On any given day at BBVSH Bellingham, an LVT may monitor anesthesia, manage medications and treatment plans, collect diagnostic samples, assist with imaging or specialized procedures, provide inpatient nursing care, monitor pain and recovery, and help families understand home-care instructions.
A patient referred for one medical concern may ultimately need several of these things. LVTs bring the broad clinical skills and adaptability needed to support that care while working closely with veterinarians, veterinary assistants and other members of the hospital team.
Where Specialty Skills and Teamwork Meet
Our LVTs support patients across Surgery, Internal Medicine, Advanced Diagnostics and Emergency care, developing skills specific to each area while maintaining the broad clinical knowledge needed to care for complex patients.
In Surgery, technicians help prepare patients for orthopedic, neurologic and soft-tissue procedures, support and monitor anesthesia, and provide nursing care through recovery and hospitalization.
In Internal Medicine, LVTs support the investigation and management of complex and chronic conditions through diagnostic testing, sample collection, procedures and ongoing patient care.
Advanced Diagnostics supports care across the hospital. LVTs help prepare and position patients for ultrasound, CT, fluoroscopy and other diagnostic procedures, while in-house laboratory testing provides additional information to help guide treatment.
In Emergency, LVTs help assess and stabilize patients, support urgent procedures and treatments, and monitor patients closely as their condition changes. This work calls for strong technical skills, communication and the ability to prioritize when time matters.
Together, these roles show the versatility LVTs bring to a multidisciplinary hospital and the importance of collaboration in providing a high level of coordinated care.
We also recognize the veterinary technicians at Animal Emergency Care (AEC), who share our facility and provide after-hours emergency care as part of the 24/7 support available to pets and families in Bellingham and communities throughout Northwest Washington.
Skills That Keep Growing
Becoming licensed is only the beginning of a veterinary technician’s professional development. Specialty and emergency medicine provide exceptional opportunities to continue building clinical knowledge and confidence throughout a technician’s career.
At BBVSH Bellingham, technicians work with complex cases, specialized procedures, anesthesia, advanced diagnostics and hospitalized patients while learning alongside experienced colleagues and board-certified specialists.
Some technicians may also choose to pursue advanced credentials as Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTSs). Whether through formal specialization, continuing education or experience with complex cases, developing advanced skills strengthens both individual technicians and the teams around them.
Experienced LVTs also share what they know — supporting colleagues, mentoring newer technicians and helping build strong, consistent clinical practices across the hospital.
Celebrating LVTs — and the Team Around Them
National Veterinary Technician Week gives us a chance to recognize the knowledge, adaptability and hands-on care our LVTs bring to the hospital every day — and to celebrate the larger team they are part of.
From specialists and emergency veterinarians to veterinary assistants, client care teams and everyone working behind the scenes, exceptional veterinary care depends on people with different roles working together.
This October, we’re proud to celebrate our LVTs, the entire BBVSH Bellingham team that works alongside them, and the veterinary community we’re fortunate to be part of here in Northwest Washington.
Interested in growing your career in specialty veterinary medicine? Explore opportunities at Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital Bellingham on our Careers page.
