NAVTA has reached out to NAVC to inquire about the process used and information considered when deciding to change of the name of its journal from Today’s Veterinary Nurse to Today’s Veterinary Technician.
It is well known that NAVTA has been deeply involved in the profession’s discussion around terminology, credentialing, title protection, scope of practice, professional identity, and the Veterinary Nurse title. A change to a prominent publication that has carried the Today’s Veterinary Nurse name has implications beyond the publication itself, particularly given the work that has taken place over the past decade around professional identity and title recognition.
As NAVTA recently explained when announcing the name change of its VNI committee, NAVTA continues to support recognition and appropriate use of the Veterinary Nurse title, including supporting states and organizations that choose to pursue its recognition and use. And, NAVTA supports the Veterinary Nurse title where it is already in use and views it as a long-term aspirational standard.
With that, NAVTA informed NAVC that NAVTA would have welcomed the opportunity to be part of the conversation regarding their name change. Consultation would not necessarily have meant agreement, nor would NAVTA have expected to have decision-making authority over an NAVC publication. But NAVTA believes its perspective, and that of the credentialed professionals NAVTA represents, could have been valuable as NAVC weighed both the practical and professional implications of the change.
At the same time, strengthening the foundation of the profession remains NAVTA’s immediate priority. That includes advancing consistent credentialing, meaningful title protection, clearly defined scopes of practice, appropriate utilization, and strong professional standards nationwide. These efforts benefit credentialed veterinary professionals regardless of whether they are known as veterinary technicians or veterinary nurses.
The terminology may differ, but NAVTA’s goal remains the same: a stronger, more consistent, and more highly valued profession.