What business opportunities exist for veterinary technicians?

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At Fetch Nashville, Tabitha Kucera, CCBC, RVT, KPA-CTP, VTS, delivered a presentation titled, “Not Just a Vet Tech: Business Opportunities for Veterinary Technicians.” Kucera’s talk focused on the diverse career paths for veterinary technicians beyond traditional clinical roles and how they use their unique veterinary expertise to create business opportunities and increase earning potential. This talk took place in Davidson Ballroom 104C in the Music City Convention Center, in Nashville, Tennessee from 1:15 to 2:15 PM on Friday, May 30.

Kucera’s presentation started by talking about the importance of veterinary technicians in the field.

“Technicians act as a voice for positive change,” Kucera said during her presentation. “But you’re also supporting others and you’re advocating for patients in and out of your care.”

Tabitha Kucera, CCBC, RVT, KPA-CTP, VTS, focused her talk on how veterinary technicians can find greater fulfillment in their jobs, which often requires seeking out new opportunities for continuous learning. Photo Credit: Will Wetzel

Despite veterinary technicians excelling in advocating for their patients, they are not always advocating for themselves, and that has led to one of the biggest challenges veterinary technicians are currently facing in the field. Despite several veterinarian technicians having strong support systems, many feel stuck in their current roles. As a result, Kucera highlights that many veterinarian technicians develop a sense of “learned helplessness,” which is a state of mind where technicians feel that burnout exists everywhere, so there’s not a pathway out from their current role.

“Many of us work in environments that are not conducive to learning,” Kucera said during her talk. “And that can often lead to burnout.”

What Kucera stressed during her talk was that there are pathways for veterinary technicians to expand and grow their career opportunities and find better working conditions and environments conducive to their personal fulfillment.

According to Kucera, it all starts with a “KEY.”

The “KEY” to avoiding burnout

Kucera’s presentation provided a comprehensive roadmap to veterinary technicians looking to change jobs and grow their careers, and it starts with the “KEY” acronym, which stands for “keep educating yourself.”

“One key to staying engaged and satisfied [in your career] is to continue to grow,” Kucera said. “Veterinary technicians have endless opportunities, more than they realize.”

Kucera recommended that veterinary technicians start with honing their skills and building their resumes. The good news, Kucera noted in her talk, is that these learning opportunities are much more accessible now than in the past. Besides a greater diversity of veterinary journals and magazines, online learning opportunities and veterinary podcasts have grown exponentially.

Apart from the access to educational materials, there is also on-the-ground learning that veterinary technicians can access. Kucera suggested veterinary technicians can build on their skills and foster connections through volunteer opportunities, as well as assisting at conferences and technical schools.

Why mentorship matters

Kucera also stressed the importance of finding a good mentor when it comes to exploring new career paths for veterinary technicians.

“The first thing you need to ask is what do you want in a mentor,” Kucera said in her talk. “Know what you’re looking for. The mentor could be outside of veterinary medicine. Having a mentor helps prevent burnout and isolation, and it also helps hold you accountable in exploring new directions, such as specialities, leadership opportunities, speaking gigs, or ideas not previously considered.”

Kucera also offered a few tips when selecting a mentor, including seeking out one who aligns with your values and goals and who share your passion for where you want to go.

Advancing your career

Part of advancing your career as a veterinary technician means demonstrating your capabilities. Kucera stressed that to land their role or job that you want, it is important to proactively apply newly acquired skills to expand your role and responsibilities, including volunteering for supervisory tasks and completing certification programs.

“There so many [certification programs] out there that you can do,” Kucera said.

Another important aspect to finding a more fulfilling role as a veterinary technician is to network. Besides advancing your career, Kucera discussed how networking offers another secondary and tertiary benefits, including improving your social well-being, exchanging new ideas, inspiring creative thinking, and meeting people at all professional levels.

But it is hard.

“Part of networking is putting yourself out there, but it’s hard. So start small,” Kucera said.

And that also includes the online space, which has become essential for networking. Tools such as social media can be helpful in connecting veterinary technicians to good people in their space who can help, but it does require moderation.

“Social media requires healthy boundaries,” Kucera said.

And finally, Kucera concluded her talk by suggesting ways veterinarian technicians can expand their business opportunities. Some suggestions include setting up new training services or consulting businesses, writing, podcasting, or speaking engagements, teaching CE content, and creating tools for veterinary teams or caregivers.

Veterinary technicians: The importance of finding their “voice”

Ultimately, Kucera explained that for veterinary technicians to find more fulfilling jobs and opportunities, it requires honest self-reflection about what they want and what they can do to get there. The main issue currently, according to Kucera, is that many veterinary technicians need to speak up not only for themselves but for each other as well.

“A lot of vet techs are not advocating for themselves,” Kucera said. “It’s a big problem in our field. We need to be that voice for each other.”

“The biggest takeaway [from my presentation] is that you’re not stuck,” Kucera said. “The grass is greener on the other side.”

Reference

Kucera T. Not Just a vet tech: business opportunities for veterinary technicians. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; Nashville, TN; May 30, 2025.