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Introduction

The Veterinary Technician's Role in Pathology

By law, veterinary technicians are not allowed to perform specific tasks, including making a diagnosis, determining a prognosis, prescribing medication, initiating treatment, or performing surgery. However, the absence of diagnostic authority doesn't diminish the crucial role of veterinary technicians within the diagnostic process. Proficiency in pathology remains a cornerstone of their duties.

Tech Box 1.1

Veterinary technicians play a role as an integral part of the diagnostic team.

Why does the veterinary technician need pathology information? This question has many answers:

• Client education frequently falls within the realm of a technician's responsibilities. Veterinary technicians offer guidance to clients, both over the phone and in face-to-face interactions, regarding optimal pet care practices.
• Understanding disease is essential to preventing the spread of pathogens from patient to patient. The technician's role is to ensure that they are doing what they can to keep their patients in good health.
• An understanding of pathology will aid in protecting clients, co-workers, and the technicians themselves from zoonotic diseases.
• To excel as a technician, it's essential to grasp the intricacies of patient care. This comprehension of the disease process plays a pivotal role in delivering the best care possible to our patients.
• A technician who knows disease processes can anticipate the veterinarian's needs, expediting patient care.

Technician Duties and Required Skills

Technician responsibilities encompass patient care, client education, laboratory diagnostics, aiding veterinarians, and treatment. It's crucial to recognize that the specific duties of a technician may vary between veterinarians, clinics, or hospitals. Therefore, it's essential for technicians to have a clear understanding of their role in their respective workplaces.

Some of the necessary skills involved in dealing with sick patients include:

Client Education and Communication Skills

• The ability to speak with owners over the phone and in person
• The ability to clearly communicate with pet owners during intake, providing accurate information in a manner tailored to their understanding level
• The ability to keep clients informed about the status and progress of their animals
• The ability to effectively communicate information between the veterinarian and the owner
• The ability to articulate invoices or estimates (treatment plans) to clients, ensuring they comprehend the necessity and cost of procedures for their pet's treatment
• The ability to discharge a patient and clearly convey essential information for the ongoing care of their animal
• The ability to train/instruct owners on how to medicate or perform treatments that may be necessary once the animal is home

Laboratory and Other Diagnostic Skills

• The ability to properly collect specimens, including urine, feces, blood, and tissues
• The ability to properly submit and package samples to reference laboratories
• The ability to perform a complete blood count (CBC) and other basic hematological procedures
• The ability to run blood chemistry machines and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs)
• The ability to collect cytologic specimens, set up slides, and analyze the slides
• The ability to collect samples for bacterial evaluation, set up and read culture and sensitivity tests
• The ability to set up, conduct, and process radiographs while prioritizing the safety of all individuals and animals present
• The ability to prepare and restrain patients for other diagnostic imaging techniques, including ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography(CT) scans
• The ability to prepare the patient, set up and clean equipment, and restrain patients for endoscopic procedures
• The ability to prepare the patient and equipment for other specialized diagnostic procedures

Treatment Skills

• The ability to place intravenous catheters (IVCs) in veins, including cephalic, lateral saphenous, and jugular veins
• The ability to prepare fluid bags and medications
• The ability to calculate the patient's fluid rate
• The ability to administer medications through routes including injection, oral, and topical
• The ability to isolate infectious materials and prevent further spread of contagious diseases
• The ability to maintain patient comfort and ensure clean living conditions
• The ability to advocate for the patient and prioritize their best interests above all else

Other Skills

• The ability to perform dosage calculations and other critical veterinary calculations
• The ability to induce the patient for surgery, maintain and monitor anesthesia, prepare the patient for surgery, and assist the veterinarian in surgery
• The ability to sterilize instruments, prepare surgical packs, and maintain sterility
• The ability to restrain patients for examinations and procedures, ensuring the safety of the animal and all persons involved
• The ability to lift patients onto exam tables, into and out of cages, and help patients ambulate if they are unable to
• The ability to perform euthanasia or aid in the process
• The ability to maintain patient records and hospital logs
• The ability to log and track controlled substances
• The ability to triage patients and manage multiple animals concurrently

There are other additional skills and duties that will be discussed with specific pathologies and highlighted by "Technician Duty" boxes.

Diagnosis

The word "diagnosis" literally means "a state of complete knowledge" and labels the patient's condition.

Types of diagnosis include:

• A presumptive diagnosis is the identification of the likely cause of disease.
• A definitive diagnosis is the identification of the definite cause of the disease. This type of diagnosis involves diagnostic testing.
• A differential diagnosis is a list of possible diseases the patient could have. Testing will aid in ruling diseases out and narrowing down the list.

What comprises a diagnosis, and how does the technician contribute? Rarely do patients exhibit signs so unmistakable that veterinarians can immediately discern their illness. Attaining a diagnosis requires effort, involving a systematic process. Initially, a history is gathered, followed by a physical examination. This process generates a list of problems, aiding the veterinarian in forming a differential diagnosis. Diagnostic testing or imaging helps eliminate potential conditions. Technicians are instrumental throughout as the process extends beyond diagnosis. They administer treatment initiated by the veterinarian, maintain client communication during the animal's hospitalization, and provide further education upon discharge. Thus, veterinary technicians are integral to the entire process.

Immunity

Immunity is the ability of the body to fight off disease and can be categorized in several ways.

Nonspecific immunity/resistance is the general protection that does not initiate a response against a specific pathogen. Mucous membranes provide the first line of defense, and the skin provides a physical barrier. Innate immunity, including inflammation, fever, antimicrobial proteins, and phagocytes, is the body's second line of defense. Specific immunity/resistance is the body's third line of defense, giving the body the ability to target and destroy specific antigens. Specific immunity involves lymphocytes that produce antibodies and memory cells.

Active immunity is formed when the body is allowed to create its own antibodies against a pathogen. Examples of active immunity include antibodies formed when the body is exposed to a disease or a vaccine. Passive immunity is produced when the body receives preformed antibodies such as colostrum or plasma.

Cellular Immunity (cell-mediated immunity) is immunity involving the activation of T cell lymphocytes. These T cells have different functions:

• Cytotoxic T cells have the ability to attach to the antigen and attack it
• Helper T cells enhance the activities of other immune responses
• Suppressor T cells aid in control of the immune response
• Memory T cells create a memory of the antigen for a quicker response with the second exposure

Humoral immunity involves the production of antibodies from B cell lymphocytes. B cells transform into plasma cells, creating antibodies that neutralize the pathogen, prevent cell attachment, immobilize bacteria, and enhance phagocytosis. Antibodies formed are for specific antigens and initiate memory B cells that create a quicker response in future exposures.

Factors Involved in Infectious Disease

How can two animals come in contact with a disease in their environment, and only one gets sick? The answer involves factors or variables involved with each patient and circumstance. First are host factors, which deal with the patients themselves. Age, nutritional status, health...