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Tampa, FL – She owns 2 dogs, 1 cat, 3 geese, a leopard tortoise, a Pionus parrot and a horse! So, becoming a Certified Veterinary Technician was a natural choice for Amy Johnson, of Florida Veterinary Specialists (FVS) in Tampa. In fact, the love of the profession runs in the family. Amy’s mother, her mentor, is also a veterinary technician. “I’ve always been around animals and had a variety growing up,” says Amy. “My mom currently has every kind of animal at her ranch in Brooksville: 30 cattle, 15 horses, goats, dogs, cats, chickens and more. She’s the ranch’s veterinary technician!”
As if Amy’s home life doesn’t provide enough variety, she works in the Avian and Exotics department at FVS. She’s treated everything from an iguana that swallowed a pregnant woman’s pair of thong underwear, to a Moluccan Cockatoo who ate the owner’s diamond earrings 10 years ago and still contains the gems in its gizzard. “We take an x-ray every two years or so, to make sure the diamonds are still there!”
Amy is thrilled that her profession is recognized during National Veterinary Technician Week, October 9-15. It provides vet techs (common abbreviation) the opportunity to promote the career and dispel any myths. “Everyone thinks we have the best job because they think we always play with the animals. But, it’s not all fun and love. It’s a lot of heartbreak too. You’re dealing with sick, grumpy animals. You hold them when they’re in pain, yet use a caring hand.” That, of course, is just one of many duties assigned to a vet tech. “We actually do more than a human nurse,” according to Amy. “Human medicine has become so specialized these days, whereas vet techs do a variety of things.” And, Amy does it all for the love of animals and not for anything else. “The coolest part of the job is watching an animal get better. Maybe its watching a bird or a turtle eat on their own, after they haven’t eaten for weeks!”
Media and Visual Opportunties: On any given day, Amy’s tasks include: caring for avian and exotic animals (i.e., a gopher tortoise that was recently hit by a car), client education, nursing animals, assisting surgery, lab work, monitoring anesthesia and more.
The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America celebrates National Veterinary Technician week annually to recognize veterinary technicians nationwide, for their contributions as members of the veterinary health care team. For more information, check out http://www.navta.net/nvtw.htm
Florida Veterinary Specialists state-of-the-art facility is designed and equipped to provide emergency, specialty and critical care for pets. Specialty services include: dermatology, neurology, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, radiology, surgery, acupuncture, avian and exotics and more. It’s located at 3000 Busch Lake Blvd. in Tampa. Check out www.fvs.com for more.
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