Please join us for virtual "Office Hours" to learn more and get any questions answered about licensure!

Upcoming sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, April 23rd from 7 - 8 pm and Friday, June 20th from 12-1pm. More information and a link to register can be found at: https://mavt.net/
 
Helpful Links:
MN Veterinary Board: https://mn.gov/boards/veterinary-medicine/has links to the statute and the proposed rules.

MAVT About the Practice Act: https://mavt.net/page/aboutthepracticeact
Read FAQs, watch a webinar, or sign up to attend a virtual office hour session to learn more about the change from CVT to LVT in Minnesota. 

After years of hard work at the legislation, we are proud to say that the Vet Tech Licensure Bill has passed through both the House and Senate and was just signed into law by Governor Walz. The legislation will take effect in 2026.  

The bill was amended to have a start date of 2026 to allow the MN Board of Veterinary Medicine to write the rules. Rule writing is expected to take 12 – 18 months. Dr. Al Balay and Kim Horne, CVT, who have co-led efforts to pass this legislation, along with Dr. Ann Brownlee and Sam Geiling, CVT will participate in the rule writing process. 

We want to thank everyone who made this possible. Thank you for taking time and action to write or speak with legislators, attend the Day at the Capitol or help us advocate for the advancement of the profession. We expect a lot of questions and needed explanations for what happens next, and we look forward to communicating with you throughout the process. 

 



Ann Brownlee, DVM 

MVMA President

 



Leslie Kollmann, BS, CVT, CIC
MAVT President 

Dear MAVT members,

I'm pleased to report that we recently conducted a strategic planning process to develop plans to define the future of the association and our focus.  This strategic plan will move MAVT forward to grow and cultivate membership, advocate for the industry, gain financial stability, and develop a public relations/communications strategy.

During the process, we interviewed several members, including volunteers, board members, and committee members with anywhere between 1 to 30 years of membership and industry experience. We used the information from these interviews to identify what’s working well and where we have growth and opportunities for the future.

The insights gathered from these interviews allowed us to determine what aspects of the organization are effective and which need improvement. 

I am excited to share our plan with you. We will focus on 4 strategic goals:

Strategic Goals:

•           Advocacy for Profession

•           Retain and Grow Membership

•           Establish and Grow Solid Financial Portfolio

•           Develop Public Relations/Communications Strategy

By keeping these goals top of mind during board meetings, committee meetings, member emails, newsletters, etc., we can ensure that the work we're doing across all committees supports the goals. We will advocate for our profession, the LVT across the state, connect with our rural partners, and be the voice for Minnesota's Veterinary Technicians. We will offer unique benefits to our members, engage and support our students, offer networking events, and strengthen our health and wellness program. We will increase revenue by engaging with our sponsors, exploring investment opportunities, exploring membership, and assessing the annual conference. Lastly, we will find ways to reach our members in meaningful ways. We want to share the latest and greatest through our newsletter and on our social media platforms.

This is an exciting time for MAVT, and I can’t wait to work with all of you to improve our organization to be THE destination for Minnesota Veterinary Technicians. Our future looks bright!

Our work relies on our volunteers!  We want you to be involved and we welcome you.  Please be in touch.

Regards,

Leslie Kohllmann, President MAVT

Dear MAVT Members and interested parties:

MAVT has recently released and published the 2023 Annual Report.  The report highlights activities of your Association from the 2023 calendar year.  I encourage you to read the welcome letter from 2023 President Maria Nellessen which includes highlights about the strategic planning process begun in the fall of 2023; highlighting to the new Wellness and IDEA committee; MAVT Social Networking; Vet Tech Week; scholarship changes; and highlights from the annual convention.  You can also read the 2022 annual report as well here.

In addition, the Annual Report highlights our volunteers; financials; Technician of the Year; and accomplishments for the year. 

This association is successful because of all of you - our members - and our member volunteers.  We are grateful for all of you and know that we are always looking for volunteers so please reach out to me, Heidi Holste, Executive Director at hholste@mnmavt.org if you are interested.  

Regards,

Heidi Holste, Executive Director

Are you leaving credentialed veterinary technicians on the bench when they could be star players?

Credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs) are a valuable resource for a veterinary practice, but their skills, education, and experience are often not being used to their full potential. Optimal utilization of credentialed veterinary technicians can benefit the entire veterinary team by supporting professional longevity, mutual trust and collaboration, improved patient care, and financial sustainability. The 2023 AAHA Technician Utilization Guidelines outline the steps you can take right now to improve credentialed veterinary technician utilization in your practice. To read these guidelines, visit their website here.

https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2023/02/09/minnesota-doesnt-license-vet-techs-a-willmararea-vet-wants-to-change-that

New London veterinarian continues push to pass a veterinary technician licensure bill - Dr. Allen Balay, an award-winning veterinarian from New London, believes a licensing process would raise quality of animal care and hopefully keep technicians in the career field.

View letter here

October 4, 2022

AHS Directors and Staff,

The Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians (MAVT) would like to inform you that our organization is opposed to the language of your training program in which applicants would “graduate” as a Veterinary Technician instead of a Veterinary Assistant. While we are not against a training program bringing more individuals into the veterinary health care team, we strongly discourage the advertisement of this program using the Veterinary Technician title. Our fear is that individuals will choose a shorter training route rather than enrolling in an accredited veterinary technician program, contributing further to our credentialed veterinary technician shortage.

MAVT has been working toward title protection for Veterinary Technicians for decades. Since Minnesota first offered a certification credential in 1984, MAVT has been working toward title protection for Veterinary Technicians. In 2021, with the support of our membership and MVMA, we introduced legislation to further this effort. This proposed legislation protects the title of who is called a Veterinary Technician. Based on the American Veterinary Medical Associations (AVMA) definition of “Veterinary Technician” and “Veterinary Assistant”, it is obvious that these individuals completing the AHS training program will become Veterinary Assistants and NOT Veterinary Technicians.

It is discouraging that the message to the public appears to be that after a 7 month on the job training program, someone can become a veterinary technician. This is misleading and demeans the credentialing requirements of being a graduate of an accredited AVMA program and passing the VTNE.

MAVT understands that your organization is not doing anything illegal and that this training program is no different than a clinic hiring someone off the street and calling them a Veterinary Technician. Our hope is that the AHS being a large employer of Veterinary Technicians, should respect the title of Veterinary Technicians in the industry as a whole and strive to educate the public with definitions endorsed by the AVMA.

We urge you to please change this training program’s name to a Veterinary Assisting program to not only gain the respect of Veterinary Technicians in the community but help to further advance the profession of Veterinary Technicians and the impact they bring to the community.

Maria Nellessen, BA, CVT, VTS (Dentistry), President

president@mnmavt.org

Mettine Unruh, CVT MAVT, Secretary 

secretary@mnmavt.org

Leslie Kollmann, BS, CVT, MAVT Vice President

vicepresident@mnmavt.org

Jessica Johnston, CVT, VTS (Dentistry) MAVT State Representative

staterep@mnmavt.org