From the Treatment Floor to the Leadership Table

Last week, my cousin graduated with her master’s degree in Nursing Leadership. She’s an RN in New York, and it sparked some thoughts, as well as research into what types of classes one takes for this degree — healthcare finance, operations management, team leadership, and patient quality outcomes…. I couldn’t stop thinking: why doesn’t this exist for veterinary technicians?

She now has access to roles like Director of Nursing, Chief Nursing Officer, Quality Improvement Coordinator and more.

Meanwhile, in veterinary medicine, our most experienced and skilled technicians often find themselves stuck - asked to lead but not empowered to grow, burned out from doing everything, and watching less experienced peers pass them by simply because there’s no formal path forward.

We’ve created incredible humans in vet med. But we haven’t created a future that honors what they’re capable of becoming.

The Gap Is Real: What Human Nurses Have That Vet Techs Don’t

In human healthcare, nursing is a respected, regulated profession with national consistency. Registered nurses have clear opportunities to pursue advanced practice, specialization, and leadership training.

For credentialed veterinary technicians, the landscape is entirely different.

• Credentialing is inconsistent across states.

• Titles like “veterinary nurse” aren’t universally protected or even recognized.

• There’s no national career ladder after initial credentialing.

• And there is no formal veterinary master’s program focused on leadership, operations, or team development for credentialed technicians.

That lack of structure doesn’t just hurt the people in the role - it impacts our hospitals, our patients, and our profession’s ability to grow.

What We’re Losing Without a Leadership Path

When there’s no clear next step, we lose the very people we should be investing in.

We lose veterinary technician/nurses who:

• Want more responsibility but are burned out from over-functioning without support.

• Could run departments, coach teams, and drive culture, but aren’t recognized for their leadership because they’re not DVMs.

• Love vet med but feel stuck, undervalued, or forced into lateral moves that don’t reflect their capabilities.

Veterinary hospitals need strong leadership at every level, and our future depends on creating more non-doctor pathways to leadership, not fewer.

What If a Master’s in Veterinary Nursing Leadership Did Exist?

Imagine a degree or certificate program designed specifically for credentialed veterinary technicians who want to lead.

A program that includes:

• Team leadership & conflict resolution

• Financial literacy & KPI management

• Clinical operations & patient care protocols

• Training and mentorship skills

• Culture building & DEIB frameworks

• Client communication & care coordination

We ask veterinary technicians to “step up” all the time. What if we gave them the tools, training, and titles to do it with intention?

This Is My Dream: Leading Veterinary Teams as a Launchpad

I’ve spent the last few years helping hospitals and teams build better systems, develop stronger leadership, and reimagine what veterinary care could look like when everyone is used to the top of their license.

But this, this right here, might be the next step for Leading Veterinary Teams.

I don’t have all the answers. I’m not a university. But I have the vision, the experience, and the network to start shaping something real:

• A Veterinary Technician Leadership Certificate as a pilot maybe?

• A partnership with credentialing bodies, CE platforms, or veterinary schools?

• A clear roadmap that helps veterinary professionals go from veterinary technician to trainer to team leader to director?

I don’t want to just keep talking about what doesn’t exist. I want to help build it.

Call to Action: Let’s Build What We’ve Been Waiting For

If you’re a veterinary technician who’s dreamed of a clearer path forward…

If you’re a leader who sees the potential in your techs but doesn’t know how to develop it…

If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be something more after this…..”

Let’s connect. Let’s talk. Let’s build something that doesn’t just fill the gap but redefines what veterinary leadership can be.