Veterinary technicians are not 'nurses,' insists profession

Albany, N.Y. - 4/9/08 - New York nurses want veterinarians to stop calling their technicians 'nurses' -- a term they say applies only to the human-health profession.

The complaint was made to the New York State Board for Veterinary Medicine, which now is making the distinction clear to veterinarian licensees.

The New York State Veterinary Medical Society's Executive Board agrees that the terms are not interchangeable and is advising its membership against using a 'nurse' designation, says Barbara Ahern, the group's general counsel.