VMBS Technician Appointed To TVMA Board Of Directors As Only LVT Representative
Story by Harley Nokes, VMBS Communications
Mandy Zachgo, a licensed veterinary technician supervisor in the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, was recently appointed to the Texas Veterinary Medical Association’s (TVMA) Board of Directors as the representative for licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs).
The TVMA Board of Directors includes 26 Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs) who represent 19 districts in Texas and just one LVT who is responsible for representing LVTs across the entire state.
Zachgo will be the second person to hold the LVT representative position on the TVMA board when she begins her duties in March.
“I was voted in by my peers state-wide, whereas for the DVM seats, DVMs in each district vote for their representative,” Zachgo said. “So it’s a big ask, but I’m very excited for the opportunity and am really honored to be the voice of all licensed vet techs in Texas.”
The position was added to the TVMA board in 2017 as demand for LVTs increased, ensuring LVTs could speak on matters that impact their education and work.
“TVMA makes big legislative decisions on the advancement of veterinary medicine, and licensed vet techs need to have a voice in those decisions,” Zachgo explained. “We’ve gained momentum in the last two years on what licensed vet techs can do based on their education and who can call themselves a vet tech, but there’s still this push to allow licensed technicians to do more to help the veterinary staff.”
During her three-year appointment, Zachgo plans to focus on LVT title protection and the improvement of technician utilization by providing DVMs knowledge about licensed technician education, encouraging them to hire technicians, and motivating them to utilize current technicians better.
“There’s a shortage of veterinarians and technicians, but the shortage for technicians is likely because of utilization issues, since there is no shortage of vet tech schools,” Zachgo said. “We need to empower DVMs to understand why it’s important to have licensed vet techs on their staff and how it can benefit them. If licensed vet techs are utilized properly in clinics, they can be valuable assets to the team.”
Zachgo also plans to advocate for LVTs and encourage LVT participation in state and national veterinary organizations through her position as a faculty member for the veterinary technician program at Blinn College.
“There are about 222 LVT members in TVMA versus about 2,200 licensed in the state,” Zachgo said. “We have a lot of work to do to get more LVT members to make up that difference and a focus of mine is getting more involvement from the technicians.”
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Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
