Each member of the veterinary technology profession has the obligation to uphold the trust invested in the profession by adhering to the profession’s code of ethics. No code can provide the answer to every ethical question faced by members of the profession. They shall continue to bear their responsibility for reasoned and conscientious interpretation and application of the basic ethical principles embodied in the Code to individual cases.

A veterinary technician shall uphold the laws/regulations of his/her state or province that apply to the technician’s responsibilities as a member of the veterinary medical health care team.
The Code of Ethics shall be subject to review and timely revision by the Association.

Preamble
The Code of Ethics is based on the supposition that the honor and dignity of the professional of veterinary technology lies in the just and reasonable code of ethics. Veterinary technology includes the promotion and maintenance of good health in animals, the care of diseased and injured animals, and the control of diseases transmissible from animals to man. The purpose of the Code of Ethics is to provide guidance to the veterinary technician for carrying out professional responsibilities so as to meet the ethical obligations of the profession.

Code of Ethics

• Veterinary technicians shall aid society and animals through providing excellent care and services for animals.
• Veterinary technicians shall prevent and relieve the suffering of animals.
• Veterinary technicians shall promote public health by assisting with the control of zoonotic diseases and informing the public about these diseases.
• Veterinary technicians shall assume accountability for individual professional actions and judgments.
• Veterinary technicians shall protect confidential information provided by clients.
• Veterinary technicians shall safeguard the public and the professional against individuals deficient in professional competence or ethics.
• Veterinary technicians shall assist with efforts to ensure conditions of employment consistent with the excellent care for animals.
• Veterinary technicians shall remain competent in veterinary technology through commitment to life-long learning.
• Veterinary technicians shall collaborate with members of the veterinary medical profession in efforts to ensure quality health care services for all animals.

Ideals

In addition to adhering to the standards listed in the Code of Ethics, veterinary technicians may also strive to attain a number of ideals. Some of these are:

• Veterinary technicians shall strive to participate in defining, upholding, and improving standards of professional practice, legislation and education.
• Veterinary technicians shall strive to contribute to the profession’s body of knowledge.
• Veterinary technicians shall strive to understand and support the attachment between a person and his/her companion animal.

The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) is committed to protecting your privacy using technology that ensures you a safe online experience.  This Privacy Policy describes how NAVTA collects, uses and shares your information that identifies you (“Personal Information“) when you interact with services.

This policy applies to all persons (“Users”) who use any NAVTA-operated websites including, but not limited to, http://www.navta.net and all other publicly available online services provided by NAVTA (“Services”) using any web browser from your computer, tablet, phone, or other appliances that can browse the Internet. (“Devices”).

NAVTA may collect and process the following information:

• Contact information, which is provided when corresponding with NAVTA by phone, e-mail, or otherwise. This includes information provided when you participate in discussion boards or other social media functions on websites. 
• Membership information, pertaining to your membership including name, contact details such as address, phone number and email addresses, birth date, job title, and any other information related to your membership. Membership information may be provided during the registration process by you or your employer on your behalf.
• Purchase information, relating to purchases made either in-person or via our Website. Purchase information will include payment information as well as information concerning the content and time of the purchase.
• Certification information, relating to certification programs, in which individuals are granted certification if they meet specified educational requirements and/or pass required exams. 

NAVTA collects Personal Information in several ways:

• When you provide it directly.
• When you provide permission to other organizations to share it (such as Facebook or Twitter).
• When it is collected through websites or apps.
• When you have given it to a third party, and you have provided permission to pass on your information.
• From publicly available sources (where possible) to keep information up to date (e.g. the Post Office’s National Change of Address database).

Each time you visit NAVTA’s website, NAVTA will automatically collect the following:

• Information about your visit, including pages viewed or searched, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), methods used to browse away from the page, and any phone number used to call our customer service number.
• Location information that you permit your device to send.

Cookies

Most websites will use cookies (a small file or amount of data) to improve user experience.  NAVTA uses cookies to administer our website, analyze trends, track users’ movements around the website, and to gather demographic information about the website user base. 

Types of cookies used on our website

The NAVTA website features three types of cookies, session cookies, permanent cookies, and third-party cookies.

Session cookies (or temporary cookies) are attached to your computer or mobile device when you visit and browse the NAVTA website. Session cookies are stored only until you leave the website or close your web browser. These session cookies are used so that you can continue using the website without losing anything in your shopping cart.

Permanent cookies do not stop when you leave the website or close your browser. Permanent cookies permit the website to recognize your computer or mobile device again when you return to the website using that particular computer or mobile device, so you don’t have to log in again.

Third-party cookies are installed on the NAVTA website by organizations other than NAVTA, for example, through advertisements or banners for third-party products or services present on the website. Third-party cookies are also present in the social media “buttons” found on the NAVTA website such as for LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  NAVTA uses Google Analytics cookies to track information about your visit to the website. To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

How you can block or restrict cookies

You can delete all cookies that are already on your computer or mobile device and prevent them from being placed.  If you do this, however, you may have to manually adjust some preferences each time you visit the NAVT website and some services and functionalities may not work.

All major browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, allow you to change cookie settings. You can usually find these settings in the options or preferences menus of your browser. 

You can change the user settings in your browser to prevent storing cookies on your device. More information about cookies can be found here:  http://www.allaboutcookies.org/manage-cookies/stop-cookies-installed.html.

Do Not Track

NAVTA does not currently employ a process for responding to “Do Not Track” (DNT) signals sent by web browsers.  As a result, third parties may be able to collect information about your online activities over time and across different websites or online services when you use NAVT websites and services.

What NAVTA does with your data

NAVTA will process your data, including Personal Information, to do the following:

• Deliver or inform you about products/services/information that you have purchased.
• Deliver or inform you about products/services/information provided as a part, or benefit of your membership.
• Notify you of new member benefits added during your membership
• Inform you of when your membership is scheduled for renewal
• Offer you related NAVT services/products.
• Notify you of partnerships and partner offers that may add value to your membership. 

If you are in the European Economic Area, please note that your data is being transferred outside of the EU, to the United States. 

NAVTA uses the data to better understand the Veterinary Technician community, improve marketing, and develop relevant new services/products.  

Disclosures for legal purposes
NAVTA reserves the right to disclose any Personal Information or other information collected through its websites and services if NAVTA is required to do so by law or if NAVTA believes that the disclosure is necessary in order to (a) fulfill a government request; (b) to comply with legal process served on NAVTA; (c) protect NAVTA’s legal rights or property; or (d) in an emergency to protect the health or safety of the Users of the websites, or the general public.

Your Rights

When using NAVTA websites and services, you may:

• have your data updated and amended if it is incorrect, out of date, or incomplete.
• restrict how, or if, your Personal Information is collected and/or processed.
• ask us to erase your data at any point and be forgotten.
• ask us to provide details of your Personal Information data that we hold.

You can do this by contacting us using the contact information provided at the end of this policy. To protect your Personal Information, we will need to verify your identity before we can speak to you about the data or act on your instructions.

How long data is kept

NAVTA will store your Personal Information for no longer than is necessary for the purpose for which the Personal Information is processed. We may retain and use your Personal Information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements and rights. Consistent with these requirements, if you wish to cancel your account or request that NAVTA no longer use your information to provide you service, contact us at info@navta.net

How data is protected

NAVTA secures your Personal Information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Personal Information you provide is secured on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. As with any data stored in a digital medium, there is no absolute guarantee of security. 

How you can access and change information

NAVTA acknowledges that you have the right to access your Personal Information by updating your account profile or by e-mailing info@navta.net. When requesting NAVTA to remove data, it shall be completed within a reasonable timeframe.

Upon request, NAVTA will provide you with information about whether we hold any of your Personal Information.  You can update or correct your Personal Information or remove it from our system by making a request to us at the contact information provided below. 

Links to third-party sites and services

Websites may contain links to third-party websites, applications, and services not operated by NAVTA. These links are provided as a service. NAVTA is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third-party provider including Websites or Services directly linked to our Websites or Services. Please review the privacy policies of any third-party site that you link from NAVTA  Websites or Services.

Privacy Policy changes

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically as content and services are added or revised or as technologies and laws change.  You can ascertain when this Privacy Policy was last revised by referring to the “Last updated” information at the bottom of this page.  

Any changes will become effective upon our posting of the revised Privacy Policy. NAVTA will provide notice to you if these changes are material if such notice is required by law. In such cases, this notice will be provided by email or by posting notice of the changes on the NAVTA website that links to this Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions or comments regarding  NAVTA’s Privacy Policy, please contact info@navata.net.

Last Updated: July 27, 2021

Adopted July 26, 2021

This policy applies to any partnership opportunity for NAVTA or any of its committees or other entities subject to NAVTA’s control.

Only the NAVTA Board of Directors has the authority to commit NAVTA or any of its committees or other entities subject to NAVTA’s control to any form of partnership agreement or arrangement.  If there is any doubt as to whether a particular agreement or arrangement is subject to this Policy, such doubt shall be resolved in favor of the Policy’s applicability.

Absent formal approval by the Executive Board, NAVTA, as well as any of NAVTA’s committees or other entities subject to NAVTA’s control, shall not enter into any arrangement or agreement pursuant to which it becomes a legal “partner” or creates a legal partnership entity with any third party.

Throughout this document the term “partnership opportunity” is intended to mean any opportunity for formal or informal collaborative activity between a third party and NAVTA, including without limitation collaborative grant opportunities and endorsement opportunities.

If NAVTA is presented with a partnership opportunity, the opportunity must be examined in the context of NAVTA’s strategic plan and the needs the Executive Board has identified and prioritized.  Of course, some opportunities are truly “once-in-a-lifetime” and may need to be considered regardless of whether or not the need has been identified by NAVTA.

A member of the NAVTA Executive Board with knowledge of the subject matter being considered in the partnership and the NAVTA Executive Director must be involved in communication between NAVTA and the potential partner.  In some cases, it may be beneficial to have a national committee chair, or other expert, involved in the process. In all cases, the NAVTA Executive Director must be made aware of the partnership being considered at its very early stages.

It must be made clear to the potential partner that only the NAVTA Executive Board has the authority to commit NAVTA to any type of partnership agreement or arrangement.

Research must be conducted to discover potential partners that may be able to provide the resource or service being offered by the potential partner. This will ensure that NAVTA does not create even the appearance of favoring one organization over another without justifiable reasons for doing so.

The NAVTA volunteer leader and Executive Director must learn all they can about the potential partner and be able to articulate why this partnership and this partner in particular would be beneficial to NAVTA.

None of NAVTA’s intellectual property, confidential information, or proprietary materials may be shared with a potential partner without first having an approved Non-Disclosure Agreement in place.

The NAVTA Board member or Executive Director proposing a partnership opportunity must inform the NAVTA Executive Board of their activities and obtain approval from the Executive Board to move ahead with any partnership.  Only upon approval and direction from the Executive Board may work begin on structuring an agreement with a potential partner; NAVTA’s legal counsel may be involved in structuring this agreement.

Only the NAVTA President or Executive Director is authorized to sign a partnership agreement on behalf of NAVTA.

After entering into an approved partnership agreement, the implementation and maintenance of the partnership relationship will likely be a staff function.  Staff will monitor progress, assess results, and communicate all issues with the NAVTA Executive Board or Board liaison, if one is assigned

NAVTA must evaluate its participation in partnership arrangements and take steps to safeguard NAVTA’s tax-exempt status with respect to those arrangements.   To that end, NAVTA will: (a) negotiate in its transactions and arrangements with other members of the partnership such terms and safeguards adequate to ensure that NAVTA’s exempt status is protected; and (b) take steps to safeguard NAVTA’s exempt status with respect to the venture.  Some examples of safeguards include:

• Control over the venture sufficient to ensure that it furthers the exempt purpose of NAVTA;
• Requirements that the venture gives priority to exempt purposes over maximizing profits for the other participants;
• The venture is not engaging in activities that would jeopardize NAVTA’s exempt status; and
• Safeguards that all contracts entered into with a taxable entity be on terms that are at arm’s length or more favorable to NAVTA.

Adopted May 24, 2021

The Whistleblower Policy of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA):  (1) encourages staff, contractors, and volunteers to come forward with credible information on illegal or improper practices or violations of adopted policies of NAVTA; (2) specifies that NAVTA will protect each such person from retaliation; and (3) identifies the manner of reporting such information.

1. Encouragement of reporting. NAVTA encourages complaints, reports and inquiries about illegal or improper practices or violations of NAVTA’s policies, including illegal or improper conduct by NAVTA itself, by its leadership or by others on its behalf.  Appropriate subjects to raise under this policy include, but are not limited to, financial improprieties, accounting or audit matters, ethical violations, or other similar illegal or improper practices or policies.  Other subjects for which NAVTA has existing complaint mechanisms should be addressed under those mechanisms, such as raising matters of alleged discrimination or harassment through NAVTA’s human resources channels, unless those channels are themselves implicated in the wrongdoing.  This policy is not intended to provide a means of appeal from outcomes in those mechanisms.
2. Protection from retaliation. NAVTA prohibits retaliation by or on behalf of NAVTA against staff, contractors, or volunteers for making good faith complaints, reports or inquiries under this policy or for participating in a review or investigation under this policy. This protection extends to those whose allegations are made in good faith but prove to be mistaken. NAVTA reserves the right to discipline persons who make bad faith, knowingly false, or vexatious complaints, reports or inquiries or who otherwise abuse this policy.
3. The manner of reporting. Complaints, reports or inquiries may be made under this policy on a confidential or anonymous basis.  They should describe in detail the specific facts demonstrating the reason for the complaints, reports or inquiries.  They should be directed to NAVTA’s Executive Director or, in the case of the Executive Director, to the NAVTA President; if both of those persons are implicated in the complaint, report or inquiry, it should be directed to NAVTA’s President-Elect, or Immediate Past President.  NAVTA will conduct a prompt, discreet and objective review and investigation.  Specificity of the complaints, reports or inquiries is important because NAVTA may be unable to evaluate fully a vague or general complaint, report or inquiry that is made anonymously.

The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) strongly urges employers to reserve use of the job title “Veterinary Nurse” to those who hold valid Veterinary Technician credentials from their state.

“NAVTA recognizes that a growing number of employers are advertising positions for veterinary nurses,” said NAVTA President Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (Nutrition).  “NAVTA only supports the use of the job title ‘Veterinary Nurse’ by credentialed Veterinary Technicians – those with a valid CVT, LVT, LVMT, or RVT designation.  NAVTA urges that employers require credentials as a Veterinary Technician for those in Veterinary Nurse positions.”

NAVTA also recommends that job postings specify that applicants must be credentialed Veterinary Technicians in accordance with state regulations.

NAVTA is a not-for-profit membership community of Credentialed Veterinary Technicians dedicated to advancing the profession of veterinary nursing through advocacy, awareness, and professional development.

For more information, please contact NAVTA at info@navta.net, or visit www.navta.net.

Summary of NAVTA Positions Related to credentialing, titles, and scope of practice
Adopted by the NAVTA Board of Directors November 2023. Amended November 2024.

Credentialing Standards

• Support specifying obtaining a veterinary technology or nursing degree from an AVMA-accredited program as the educational requirement (instead of any board-approved educational pathway)
• Support passing of the VTNE being required as the nationally standardized exam for credentialing
• Oppose establishment of alternate routes to credentialing
• Support the establishment of CE requirements

Title Definition and Protection

• Veterinary Technician
  • Support establishment of “General Protection” as defined by NAVTA for Veterinary Technicians or Veterinary Nurses. (i.e. protecting the terms “Veterinary Technician” or “Technician”, and “Veterinary Nurse” and not limited specifically to “Registered Veterinary Technician”, “Certified Veterinary Technician”, “Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician” or “Licensed Veterinary Technician” and their “Veterinary Nurse” variants)
  • Support protecting the use of credential abbreviations. (i.e. protecting the use of “RVT”, “CVT”, “LVT”, “LVMT” and “VN” variants in applicable states)
• Veterinary Technologist and Veterinary Technician Specialist
  • Support establishment of definition and protection of “Veterinary Technologist” and “Veterinary Technician Specialist.”
  • Support establishment of protecting the use of credential abbreviations for Veterinary Technologists, Veterinary Technician Specialists, and Veterinary Nurse Specialists. (i.e., protecting the use of “RVTg,” “CVTg,” “LVTg,” “LVMTg,” and all “VTS” and “VNS” designations)
• Veterinary Nurse
  • Support establishment of title definition and protection of “Veterinary Nurse” to coexist with “Veterinary Technician.”
  • Support the appropriate use of “Veterinary Nurse,” reserving it for credentialed veterinary technicians
• Enforcement
  • Support establishment of authority to penalize violations of title protection

Scope of Practice

• Support the establishment of a defined scope of practice that is restricted to credentialed veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses. NAVTA currently endorses the AAVSB Model Regulations – Scope of Practice for Veterinary Technicians and Veterinary Technologists revised December 2020.
  
  

Licensure Maintenance Requirements

• Renewal schedule – every 2 years
• Number of CE credits required per renewal period – 24 CE credits per renewal period
• Medical vs non-medical – max 6 non-medical CE credits per 2 year renewal period
• Method of delivery – Live In-person, live online webinar, and recorded on-demand (with quiz required)
• Approving body – RACE, AAHA, AVMA, NAVTA, VTAs, VMA’s or  other recognized/national/reputable bodies (such as USDA or DEA)
  
  

Rationale on recommendation

The subcommittee looked for widely accepted licensing maintenance standards but found none. We then researched and documented current requirements for veterinary technicians, veterinarians, and nurses (human medical professionals).

The most common licensing cycle in the veterinary profession is a two-year cycle. The subcommittee discussed this allowed individuals to attend large multi-session conferences and often obtain all required CE credits, versus states renewing annually, which generally requires all CE to be obtained in the renewal year. We also discussed that separating the renewals over two years could be easier for the licensing bodies to manage rather than the annual model.

We had long discussions on the required number of CE credits. The average requirement is currently 8.5 per year, with North Dakota requiring only 8 CEUs every 2 years and New York requiring 45 every 3 years. Some states only require nurses to complete CE if they are not currently practicing. The subcommittee thought it was important that our requirement was higher than our human counterparts to show our commitment to our patients and advancing our profession. We also believe that with the abundance of good quality free CE available online, requiring 24 CE credits in a 2-year renewal period (12 per year) would not pose a hardship to individuals.

Many states limit non-medical/clinical CE credits to 6 or fewer per 2 year cycle. The subcommittee agreed that this restriction was reasonable and necessary.

Many states limit the number of online live or on-demand CE credits allowed per renewal period. We discussed that an abundance of online CE is available, and the quality is as good as in-person offerings. On-demand CE with a quiz required to obtain CE credit demonstrates that the attendee understands the material presented versus simply sitting in a room listening to the presentation.

Most states allow CE approved by RACE, AAHA, AVMA, NAVTA, VTAs, VMA’s. Some specifically mention allowing additional approving organizations, such as the DEA and USDA. The subcommittee agreed with allowing all of these.

Added November 22, 2024

NAVTA Statement on Colorado Proposition 129

The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) is committed to advancing the role and recognition of credentialed Veterinary Technicians, focusing its efforts on three key areas: improving utilization, protecting the Veterinary Technician title, and increasing wages for these professionals. NAVTA believes that addressing these concerns is crucial to the well-being and success of veterinary technicians in the profession and, most importantly, to providing safe, effective, and proper care to the animals treated by Veterinary Technicians.

NAVTA acknowledges that the passage of Colorado’s Proposition 129 created a new position called a “Veterinary Professional Associate” (VPA) within the veterinary field. NAVTA will continue to monitor developments on this front to make sure this position is a boon, and not detrimental, to Veterinary Technicians, veterinary medicine, and the animals served.

NAVTA also promises to ensure that credentialed Veterinary Technicians who pursue advanced education are recognized and celebrated.

NAVTA continues to encourage open dialogue and collaboration among all stakeholders to advance the veterinary profession inclusively and thoughtfully, always with the end goal being safe, effective, and proper care to the animals being treated.