Empowering Our LVTs

Empowering Our LVTs

A few months into the job, one of our newer Licensed Vet Techs (LVT) noticed something off during a routine dental, a small change in the patient's breathing. She could have assumed someone more senior would catch it. Instead, she spoke up, the team paused, and her instinct was right. That's the moment that stays with you. She trusted herself, and the team trusted her back.

Why LVTs Matter So Much

LVTs turn the doctor's plan into action, safely and with compassion. Our role is often misunderstood. We're not simply assisting, we're licensed medical professionals who've completed an accredited program and passed the VTNE. Veterinarians diagnose, prescribe, and perform surgery. We carry those plans out and provide the nursing care behind them, so our doctors can focus on the diagnosis knowing their patients are protected. We advocate just as fiercely as they do.

What It Takes to Be a Great LVT

People assume the best LVT is the fastest one, or the one who knows the most, but it's not. The best LVT is the person you trust with a patient, trust to speak up, and trust to ask for help. That trust is built one shift at a time, and it's what we try to bring to work every day. A strong clinical foundation matters, along with a real commitment to continuing education. Some of us lean into anesthesia, dentistry, emergency medicine, or leadership. But the skills that matter most aren't always on a checklist: communication, adaptability, critical thinking, and staying calm under pressure. Vet medicine is unpredictable, and a great technician notices when something's changing, speaks up clearly, and knows when to escalate. In the end, it's all trust: trust to speak up, trust to ask for help, trust to keep getting stronger.

A Day in the Life

Every shift starts the same way: we huddle as a team, and it makes everything that follows a little easier. From there, a single day might have me monitoring anesthesia, running dental radiographs, collecting labs, placing IV catheters, administering medications, jumping into an emergency case, and walking a client through their pet's care. Surgery days start earlier, setting up the OR and reviewing charts before the first case. Everyone plays a part: DVMs diagnose and operate, assistants triage and hold, and nurses like me carry the plan through.

Advice for Your Career

Support everyone around you and always be willing to train the next person. No question is a dumb question, and standing back doesn't help anyone, especially the patients.

Get confident in the fundamentals first, then seek out the cases that challenge you. Stay open to learning, even the things you've already mastered. I still pick up new skills all the time, especially at other clinics.

When you interview, don't just prove what you know, show that you're teachable. Imposter syndrome is real, but never sell yourself short. Ask questions too: how does this practice use its LVTs, and what room is there to grow? The best job isn't the one that hires you. It's the one that keeps challenging you.

Join Us

If you're looking for a team that trusts you, invests in you, and gives you room to keep getting better, we'd love to hear from you. Explore open LVT and CVT roles and see where your career could go next: https://bondvet.com/careers/opportunities/open-positions