Animal Humane Society launches its own veterinary technician training program

The Minnesota-based Animal Humane Society has launched a training program for people to become veterinary technician assistants at its shelters, in an effort to combat a nationwide worker shortage.

The Rachael Ray Foundation Career Program trains participants for seven months both in the classroom and through hands-on experience to learn procedures that veterinary technicians must complete, from blood draws to helping with surgeries, said Hannah Krohn, the veterinary tech training program supervisor. Graduates from the program go on to become full-time veterinary technicians with the Humane Society.

"We have such a high need for vet techs, and so we're really excited," Krohn said. "Every day, we talk about when these graduates are going to be done and ready to plug them into this schedule."

The first class started in March, and the Humane Society is accepting applications for groups to start in October and November. While the first two classes are made up of people who already work at the Humane Society, the November group will be all external applicants. No animal experience is required to apply, and participants receive pay and benefits for participating in the program.

Krohn said the organization has gotten around 70 applications and expects to have 12 participants for the November class. The October class involves eight internal participants.

Veterinary technicians are similar to nurses and have a wide range of skills, said Dr. Kate Farmer, a managing education veterinarian at the Humane Society. Technicians with the organization prepare animals for surgery and monitor them while they are under anesthesia, she said.

There were about 118,000 veterinary technicians working in the U.S. at the end of 2019, according to a 2022 report from Mars Veterinary Health, which estimated it would take more than three decades of veterinary technician graduates to meet the industry need over 10 years.

The Humane Society's vet tech staff is down around 25%, Farmer said, which makes it hard to help animals in the community in a timely manner.

"Without [veterinary technicians] our surgery lists get longer and more delayed, and the length of stay for an animal increases," she said. "It's nice to know that we're taking this step forward and doing something to relieve the problem and move these animals through."

The Rachael Ray Foundation Career Program is different from going to an accredited veterinary technician program. Instead of graduating as a licensed technician, the program specifically trains people to work at the Humane Society.

Amanda Troastle, a veterinary assistant at the Humane Society, is part of the program's first veterinary technician cohort. She will graduate from the program in August and said she is excited to move into a full-time vet tech role, putting to use a love of animals that comes from being surrounded by cats and dogs growing up in Wyoming.

The Humane Society has four locations in the Twin Cities and provides adoption services in addition to veterinary care for cats, dogs and other critters. Troastle said she hopes the training program will not only address the veterinarian technician shortage, but also help animals get ready to be adopted into homes.

"The program really taught us a lot about work ethic, dedication, making sure that we're here and doing the best job that we can for the animals that are out there," Troastle said.