Pulse - February 2022 - 19

THE RVT
Looking for an RVT?
Making the Case for the Alternate Route
Philip Snow, AA, AS, RVT
S
everal years ago, the CA VMB enacted the
alternate route for veterinary technicians.
This allowed currently working veterinary
assistants to attend classes, and with their combination
of work experience, become credentialed
as an RVT. This differs from most of the states in
the US as many of them require a minimum of an
associate (AS) or bachelor (BS) degree in a fulltime
program accredited by the AVMA. The Alternate
Route does not require a degree, but rather a core
group of specific classes. So why choose the Alternate
Route over obtaining a degree? The Alternate
Route is NOT for everyone, but there are several
good reasons why both the clinic and the student
should consider this method.
For the student, they are getting on the job training and
learning in an academic setting. A student who is attending
school while working at an animal hospital has the benefit
of being immersed in both an academic and professional
environment. This should cultivate growth in their professional
setting and will set them apart from their peers who
are receiving the training solely from the clinic. Students will
not only learn the technical aspects, or " how " , from their current
job but will also learn the " why " in an academic setting.
A crucial aspect to this is they will be learning about many of
the same cases they currently work on at their clinic. This provides
them with valuable knowledge by having real-life experiences
to emphasize their classroom training.
There are extreme financial implications for the student
when choosing either the Alternate Route or the AS/BS
pathway. In general, veterinary technology AS and BS schools
range from $7k-39k per year. The California Alternate Route
schools generally run between 4k and 10k in total. There are
more financial benefits when the cost of working is factored
in. For example, Alternate route students are working full time
while AS/BS students are working part time, at best. Many
of the students attending AS/BS programs are not working
at all. Therefore, the AS/BS students see increased education
costs, a decrease in clinical time in comparison to the alternate
route student, have less experience, and a potential gain
in student loan debt. When all this is factored in, Alternate
Route students may be ahead well into six figures by the time
their schooling is finished. For example, take a student attending
the Alternate Route school and is spending $7k total on
school and is working full-time making $18/hr. This student
will have made $70k AFTER paying for school. A full-time
student attending an AS program costing $30k/year for two
PULSE
FEBRUARY 2022
years and NOT working, comes out OWING $60k over that
same two years, close to a $130k difference. The earnings
potential is up for debate. However, according to the Bureau
of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the earnings potential for people
with some college and those with an AS degree is a mere
$50 per week. When comparing both student types, both are
eligible to sit for the VTNE, but the ALTERNATE ROUTE
student has two years of full-time practical experience.
There are positive economic benefits the clinic experiences
hiring RVT's. In an oft cited JAVMA article, Fanning and
Shepard demonstrated that each RVT brought in an extra
$93k of gross revenue to the veterinary clinic (2007). Canada
is seeing similar results as well. In a recent study, $78k-122k
in increased gross revenue was seen for each RVT per veterinarian
(Shock et al, 2020). This study also took into consideration
the salary of the RVT's, and those who paid $21
per hour or more saw the greater $122k increase in revenue.
The increase in revenue is likely because RVT's free up valuable
time for the DVM. Therefore, a clinic that has an existing
assistant (who is already trained in that clinics methods and is
now becoming an RVT) should see an increase in their bottom
line immediately when they become licensed and without
the additional cost of employee searching and training.
There is an overwhelming need for technicians here in
southern California. The advertisements are a plenty. We
see job openings in magazines, on the usual websites, flyers
around the usual areas, and we all hear about these available
positions from plain old word of mouth. In fact, it's hard not
to see the dire need for technicians in this area. When we
factor in the cost for job advertising, the cost and time for
training a new hire, costs are running into the thousands, if
not tens of thousands of dollars. Why not use the resources
you already have? Tell your best and your brightest to try the
Alternate Route. You'll have that same rockstar veterinary
assistant turn into an RVT while they work that same 40
hours all the way through. Having trouble finding an RVT?
Don't look for one, grow one! P
There are positive economic
benefits the clinic experiences
hiring RVT's. In an oft cited JAVMA
article, Fanning and Shepard
demonstrated that each RVT
brought in an extra $93k of gross
revenue to the veterinary clinic.
19
Pulse - February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pulse - February 2022
