Arizona Veterinary Technician Association

03/09/2026

Please support Vets for Vets' Pets by volunteering this weekend. Compassion in action starts with showing up. Our veterinary community has an opportunity to help provide care for pets who need it most — and we’d love to see you there!

IT'S TIME TO MAKE A PAW-SITIVE IMPACT!We're calling all animal lovers!

📣 Sign up to volunteer and help us bring veterinary services to deserving pets in need!

Click the link below, pick a time slot, and SHARE with your friends & vet crew! Let's do this!

⬇️ https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AAEAE2AA3F9C07-62170279-vets #/ See less

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!

03/05/2026

Headed to the Stomatology Symposium?

AZVTA will be at the Annual Stomatology Symposium this weekend and we hope to see some of our veterinary community there!

Right now free registration is available, but the link will only stay active until 3 PM tomorrow, so don’t wait.

It’s a great opportunity to learn more about veterinary dentistry, oral health, and connect with colleagues across Arizona.

🔗 Grab your spot here:
https://animaldentalaz.com/events/annual-stomatology-symposium/

02/25/2026

AZVTA Fall Conference – Vendor Spots Now Open!

Last year was one for the books and our vendors were a HUGE part of that success.

From free iPhones courtesy of vettercare_official, to exclusive access to Vetpockets elevated veterinary medical app, and hospitals across the Valley sharing services, externships, and career opportunities

Our attendees include credentialed veterinary technicians, assistants, students, and hospital leadership from across Arizona.

If your company supports veterinary medicine, education, workforce development, or hospital growth, this is where you need to be.

⚠️ Vendor spaces are limited.
Secure your booth early to ensure placement. Let’s elevate Arizona veterinary medicine together. Email [email protected]

02/19/2026

Did you miss out on WVC this year?
Still want to be part of an incredible CE experience?

📆 Save the Date for the AZVTA Annual Fall Conference!
🌵Held at the beautiful Midwestern University Companion Animal Clinic.

This event brings high-quality continuing education, connection, and Arizona veterinary community all in one place. Stay tuned, registration details coming soon.

02/16/2026

📣 SB 1144: The data matters 📣

National VTNE pass rates show:
54% for on-the-job pathways
70% for accredited education

That’s a 16 percent difference in validated competency. Arizona already offers structured in-person and online educational pathways preparing veterinary technicians for safe, standardized practice.

Workforce shortages are solved through investment and proper utilization not by bypassing educational infrastructure.
Arizona should not send the message that structured postsecondary education is optional in regulated healthcare-adjacent professions.

The petition continues to grow because this issue impacts students, credentialed professionals, clinics, and pet owners alike.
Stay informed. Stay engaged. Sign and share.

02/15/2026

Arizona House: We are watching.
Veterinary medicine is healthcare-adjacent.
Standards matter. Titles matter. Transparency matters. When SB 1144 hits the House floor, every representative will cast a vote.

We will remember who protected:
✔ Professional standards
✔ Patient safety
✔ Credential clarity
And who did not.

📧 Contact your representative today.
📞 Call. Leave a message.
📢 Share this post.

We are the stakeholders. We are not done.
Key House Representatives:

Speaker of the House: Steve
Montenegro
[email protected]
(602) 926-3121

House Majority Leader: Michael Carbone
[email protected]
(602) 926-4038

House Majority Whip: Julie Willoughby
[email protected]
(602) 926-4153

House Minority Leader: Oscar De Los Santos
[email protected]
(602) 926-4221

Assistant Minority Leader: Nancy Gutierrez
[email protected]
(602) 926-4221

House Minority Whip: Quanta Crews
[email protected]
(602) 926-4221

02/13/2026

SB 1144: Ask the Hard Question

If SB 1144 creates an alternative pathway without strengthening educational standards, where is the wage protection?

Veterinary technicians are healthcare adjacent professionals. We monitor anesthesia, calculate drug dosages, assist in surgery, and manage critical patients. That level of responsibility should align with clear education, licensure, and compensation standards.

Expanding pathways without protecting title, scope, and pay does not elevate our field it increases labor supply without increasing recognition or wages.

Arizona doesn’t lack pathways. We lack:
• Wage protection
• Proper utilization
• Clear professional distinction

If this bill truly advances the profession, it should:
✔️ Strengthen standards
✔️ Protect compensation
✔️ Improve retention
✔️ Elevate recognition

Advancement should mean higher standards and better pay not diluted credentials and stagnant wages. Ask your legislators; How does SB 1144 protect veterinary technician wages?

02/11/2026

⚖️ Protect the License.
🩺Protect the Livable Wage.

Licensure exists for one reason: public protection through standardized education, national examination, and regulatory oversight. SB 1144 removes the accredited education requirement for a healthcare license. That is not advancement.

States that strengthen credentialing standards see increased technician wages, stronger utilization, and clearer public trust. Diluting standards risks wage stagnation, role confusion, and long-term damage to professional recognition.

If we want veterinary technicians treated as healthcare professionals, we must uphold healthcare standards.

Arizona deserves progress that elevates the field, not legislation that lowers the bar.

AzVTA remains firmly committed to protecting patients, the public, and the future of credentialed veterinary technicians.

02/09/2026

SB 1144 Update – Stay Engaged

SB 1144 is moving through the Senate. While public testimony is closed at this stage, our advocacy is not.
✔️ Our presence matters
✔️ Our numbers matter
✔️ Our voices return when this bill reaches
the House

We are asking supporters to take three critical actions:
🖊️ Sign & continue sharing the petition.
🗣️ Register to Speak (RTS) even if you don’t
testify, marking OPPOSE places your.
voice on the official legislative record (Link
in comments).
📧 Contact your legislators respectful
outreach still matters before the Senate
vote and ahead of House hearings.

This bill affects a regulated healthcare workforce. We must stay informed, unified, and visible. The House will hear this and we will be ready.

02/05/2026

⚠️SB 1144 Updates ⚠️

SB 1144 has been voted forward to the legislative floor. AzVTA remains opposed to this bill and firmly committed to protecting credentialed veterinary technicians, patient safety, and the standards of care Arizona animals deserve.

Advancing veterinary medicine means strengthening education, credentialing, and accountability, not lowering the bar. As this bill moves forward, AzVTA will continue to advocate for policies that elevate our profession rather than dilute it.

This work is not over!

🐾

02/04/2026

LAST CALL — Senate Read TOMORROW

Tomorrow’s senate read is a defining moment for veterinary medicine in Arizona.
This is the final chance for senators to hear from the real stakeholders in this field; not lobbyists, not theory, but those doing the work.

This bill is being framed as “advancement.”
It is not.

•You don’t protect patients by lowering standards.
•You don’t fix burnout by devaluing skilled professionals.
•You don’t improve retention or livable wages by weakening credentialing.

Veterinary technician utilization is the backbone of a sustainable industry. Well-educated, credentialed technicians protect patients, support veterinarians, and keep practices functioning.

If you work in vet med, care about patient safety, or want a future workforce that survives - email the key senators TODAY.

Silence will be taken as consent.
Tomorrow is the read. Today is the moment.

📧 Email now.
🐾 Protect patients.
💪 Protect the profession.

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

02/02/2026

CALL TO ACTION: Contact AZ State Senators — Oppose SB 1144!

Our petition opposing SB 1144 has made great progress, but now we need everyone to reach out directly to Arizona state senators. Public input can make a real difference, and right now the committee members need to hear from YOU.

What you can do today:
✔ Call the offices of committee members
✔ Email them with your personal concerns
✔ Share your story — tell them why you oppose SB 1144

Key Senators to Contact (Government Committee):

Vice-Chair: Frank Carroll (District 28) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-3249

John Kavanagh (District 3) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-5170

Vince Leach (District 17) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-3694

Kevin Payne (District 27) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-4854

Mitzi Epstein (District 12) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-4870

Brian Fernandez (District 23) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-3098

Analise Ortiz (District 24) — [email protected]
Office: 602-926-3633

Let the senators know: Oppose SB 1144 — Listen to Your Constituents