I am a Licensed Veterinary Technician in Virginia.  When I first heard of the idea of increasing the CE requirement my first question was the same for any other new idea…Why?  I am a person that questions everything whether it be good, bad, or completely innocuous.  Questioning is how I learn.  So, to educate myself on the pros/cons of increasing CE requirements I began to ask questions of other LVT’s that I knew and some I didn’t know that were attending (ironically) the same CE meetings I was attending.  Most responses I received were hovering around the same topics.  Those topics were mostly relating to respect from clients and the fact that other professions in Virginia required more CE than LVTs do.  So, I asked more questions pertaining to education.  “Do you feel you are unprepared or unqualified to do your job as an LVT?,” I asked.  The response to that question was a resounding, “No,” from those that I asked.  They felt fully prepared, educated, and qualified to perform their duties in their respective clinics.  My follow up question was then, “if you feel prepared and educated to perform your job, why would we need to, literally, change the Code of Virginia to make a requirement of LVTs to acquire something they don’t need?”  The only response to that question was that it will look better to the clients if LVTs have a higher requirement and would yield more respect from the public.

It is my experience that education is best learned in a hands-on environment.  That is why doctors have a period of residency and electricians begin as an apprentice.  The same applies to veterinary medicine.  True learning and training does not come from a CE meeting, it comes from working in the field and learning from those with more experience.  Book learning definitely has its place, but it cannot take the place of hands-on learning. 

I am NOT in favor of increasing the CE requirement for LVTs based on the illogical thought that 2 more hours per year will make an individual better suited to do their job.  In addition, it seems to me this proposal is based on appearance rather than true necessity.  To require LVTs (who are ridiculously under paid) to take more time, money, and travel to gain 2 additional hours of CE every year is an unnecessary burden.

Public and client respect is gained when standing face to face while treating a beloved pet, not by the number of CE hours or a license that hangs on a wall.