Practices underuse credentialed veterinary technicians while posting open positions

Practice leaders are hiring to solve capacity problems before asking whether the credentialed veterinary technicians already on staff are working at the top of their license, according to an opinion piece by Beckie Mossor, academic director of Penn Foster's Veterinary Academy, published in Today's Veterinary Business.

The disconnect shows up in the daily workflow: a credentialed veterinary technician finishes a shift exhausted from restraint, cleaning, and phone duty while the clinical procedures she trained for go undone because the veterinarian is doing them instead. The schedule is full, but the work repeatedly funnels back to the DVM tasks that could appropriately be delegated.

What the Penn Foster survey found

According to a national Penn Foster survey of 509 pet owners, 77 percent "consider credentialed veterinary technicians extremely or very valuable," Mossor reports. But 30 percent "had never heard the term 'veterinary technician' or were unsure of their responsibilities before taking the survey."

Twenty-four percent of pet owners "have already scheduled a separate appointment with a veterinary technician," the survey found, and another 41 percent "would be interested in doing so." Mossor writes that this "presents an opportunity to explore dedicated technician appointments where clinically appropriate and legally permitted."

The trust and autonomy gap

Mossor's doctoral work has focused on the relationship between professional utilization, workplace culture, and retention. She frames the problem through trust and autonomy: "a leader may sincerely believe they trust their team," she writes, "but employees experience trust through decisions and interactions."

The practical test is whether a credentialed tech understands "what they can do, when a veterinarian must be involved, and how to escalate a concern," according to Mossor. She writes that "when those expectations are vague, the team must renegotiate them throughout the day," which "creates hesitation and inconsistent delegation." Her recommendation: "Written protocols, demonstrated competencies, and shared expectations can turn trust into a reliable way of working."

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The workflow review Mossor recommends

Mossor recommends following "a patient through the practice, from scheduling to discharge," with the people doing the work. Look for the places where work stops: a credentialed tech "waiting for a veterinarian to complete something that could be delegated," a veterinarian repeating information another team member has already gathered, "technicians interrupted so frequently that they cannot complete their clinical responsibilities efficiently," she writes.

Practices can then choose a manageable change, Mossor says. That might involve defining "clearer CrVT responsibilities during veterinarian appointments or designated technician appointments for appropriate services under established orders and protocols," depending on local requirements and patient needs. Her advice: "Start small, define the process, and review what happens. Any additional appointment capacity should follow evidence that the workflow supports it."

What better utilization requires before it works

Mossor writes that "better utilization should create opportunities for meaningful clinical work." She adds, "If the result is simply more duties added to an already overloaded day, the practice has missed the purpose."

Before expanding responsibilities, Mossor writes, "leaders should consider what must change around them: what training is needed, which existing duties should move elsewhere," whether there is sufficient time to complete the work, whether compensation reflects the role, whether a veterinarian is available when consultation is required.

She cautions that "responsibility and control need to be considered together," writing that "asking someone to be accountable for an outcome while giving them little influence over the process" creates "frustration." She adds that "a thoughtful approach also protects room for learning: technicians need opportunities to ask questions, build confidence, and identify where a protocol needs adjustment."

Our read

Underutilization burns out credentialed staff faster than overwork because competent people doing low-skill tasks quit. A credentialed tech who trained for clinical procedures and earned their credential to perform them will leave when the job is restraint and phone duty.

Letting credentialed techs work at the top of their license can add appointment capacity without adding headcount, though the magnitude depends on the practice's current workflow and delegation patterns.

Mossor's recommendation to "review overtime, delays, missed breaks, patient-care concerns, and team feedback" alongside appointment numbers is the right measure. She writes that leaders should "ask technicians whether they are using their skills more effectively and whether the new process is manageable" and "ask veterinarians whether delegation is allowing them to focus more consistently on work requiring their expertise." Those measures, she writes, can "help reveal whether the practice has improved its workflow or simply increased its pace."

Mossor writes that "better utilization will not resolve every staffing shortage," but adds it can "help leaders understand what their team can accomplish sustainably and where additional staffing is truly needed." For the owner-DVM, hiring to solve a capacity problem that better task delegation might fix at zero incremental cost is worth examining first. For the associate DVM, doing tasks a credentialed tech could handle keeps you in exam rooms longer and pushes your own cases later into the day.

Mossor's piece was published during National Veterinary Technician Week. She writes that "recognition becomes meaningful when it shapes the working environment beyond a single week," and that "giving CrVTs clear responsibilities, appropriate autonomy, and consistent support is a practical place to begin."

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