Beyond the practice
Who are RVTs beyond the practice?
While many RVTs have fulfilling careers working as generalists in the field, others have keen interests they want to explore: a particular area of animal medicine; specific skills they want to apply; continuing education or former education they want to apply; an entrepreneurial spirit they want to follow; or a combination of skills, education and experience they fashion into a unique career.
When imagining what’s beyond the practice for you, it’s important to consult with your provincial veterinary regulator to ensure your business complies within your provincial veterinary regulations.
Career planning
The career options open to RVTs are as diverse and inspiring as the animals they care for and the pet owners they support.
An RVT’s preferred work setting can help them determine the type of career in veterinary medicine they would like to explore. Settings include:
- Animal health care industry
- Animal hospitals
- Animal shelters
- Livestock health facilities
- National/provincial/territorial parks
- Pathology clinics
- Research labs
- Universities and colleges
- Vet clinics
- Wildlife centres
- Zoos
- Etc.
As well, an RVT can decide on the type of job they are drawn to, including:
- Animal behaviourist
- Animal health business staff
- Animal welfare advocate
- Consultant
- Educator
- Entrepreneur/Owner
- Leader
- Manager
- Policy analyst
- Product specialist/manager
- Researcher
- RVT
- Staff at veterinary medicine association/RVT association
- Etc.
Education
The following list of courses provides a glimpse of the myriad of roles RVTs can explore and practice:
- Animal Hospice and Palliative Care Certificate
- Animal Sports Therapy Rehabilitation (Equine)
- Canine Rehabilitation Certificate
- Canine Rehabilitation Therapist
- Canine Osteoarthritis Case Manager Certificate
- Certified Canine Fitness Trainer
- Certified Equine Rehabilitation Assistant for RVT
- Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy
- Companion Animal Pain Management Certificate
- Diabetes Educator Certificate
- Diabetes Educator Canine/Feline
- Equine Certificate Program
- Equine Rehabilitation Certificate
- Equine Sports Massage
- Fear Free Practitioner
- Hospice and Palliative Care Certification
- Massage Therapy Equine and Canine
- Massage Therapy for Animals
- Nutrition Case Management
- RECOVER Basic and Advanced Life Support Certification for Veterinary Professionals
- Registered Animal Reiki Practitioner
- Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue
- WAVMA Certified Aquatic Veterinarian Nurse/Technician (CertAqVNT)
- Veterinary Massage and Rehabilitation Therapy
- Veterinary Cannabis Counsellor
- Veterinary Pain Practitioner
Compensation & hours
Compensation
As in every profession, there are a number of factors that influence compensation, including: your level of education; your experience; the part of the industry you’re working in; if you have your own practice or are working at a veterinary clinic; the province or territory you’re practicing in; the number of years you’ve been practicing; the size of practice where you’re working; the type of practice; whether you’re practicing in an urban or rural setting; and external factors such as supply and demand and the country’s overall economic situation. The average salary/compensation can vary greatly.
Hours
This category of RVT career options encompasses a large variety of jobs. It’s not possible to state the exact number of hours in a workweek, however, most would range between the average eight hours a day, five days a week. If you’re an entrepreneur, longer hours are often the norm.
RVTTC continuing
education portal
This online education portal has hundreds of online courses on a variety of veterinary related topics. Register and create your profile to access the most relevant courses for you. You’ll be able to track, record and submit both online and live events. Tune in often to see new courses as they become available.