Blog Author: Laressa Dimalanta, BASVT, RVTg, CVPM, RLATG
NAVTA CE Committee Member
I remember being a sophomore in high school, on the island of O’ahu, and reading the results of a personality test we just took in class. The questions we had answered were designed to provide us with a narrowed-down list of recommended careers. My list included teacher, nurse, and veterinarian. As I compared my options with my classmate who was seated next to me, I kept thinking that I actually did not want to be any of these things when I grew up. Instead, I wished I could somehow combine the three professions into one. She then read me her list, which included becoming a doctor and nurse. Her smile was huge as she told me how accurate her list was—that she definitely wanted to become a doctor one day! I remember being surprised at how confident she was about deciding what she wanted to be, yet here I was, completely unsure of everything. In fact, the only thing I was sure of was that I loved animals, but I knew I did not want to become a veterinarian.
Fast forward to today—it’s been over 26 years since I have been working as a Registered Veterinary Technician, and I am sure that I made the right career choice! Through the years, I have had an incredibly fulfilling career in caring and advocating for animals while working in biomedical research, academia, small animal general practice, and now, specialty and emergency veterinary medicine. I have also been extremely fortunate to work alongside and lead amazing veterinary teams—mentoring and supporting them in their efforts to grow and advance in their roles.
As National Veterinary Technician Week approaches, I realize that I have been an RVT for over half of my entire life. Looking back at my teenage self, I understand there was no way I could have imagined the countless challenging and rewarding experiences I would end up having by becoming a vet tech. I embarked on this career when animal studies were required for new drug approvals by the FDA, declawing cats was always an option in shelters, and the community college I attended for my vet tech program was the only one in existence in the entire state of Illinois.
The veterinary technology field has come a long way since then. And so have I…. In these years, I have discovered firsthand just how hard working, selfless, and dedicated vet techs and veterinary team members are to helping the animals that cross their paths. For me I know I am living my childhood dream and am committed to making a positive impact on our profession as I advocate for the animals we provide veterinary medical care for and for the staff who do that each and every day.
Let us celebrate everyone who makes a difference in the lives of the animals in our communities by providing veterinary medical care and fondly reflect back on the time when we each decided that this was the path we would choose to do just that.