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“Leveling up” in veterinary medicine does not have to mean immediately earning another degree or changing careers. It can start with one manageable challenge, deeper skill in an area you care about, better support for a colleague, or a small act of self-care that helps you stay effective at work.
That is the central message from Amanda Shelby, RVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia), in an American Animal Hospital Association interview published May 17, 2023, after a conversation at AAHA Con 2023 in San Diego. Her approach connects individual development with a larger purpose: helping the whole veterinary team communicate clearly and provide better care for pets and people.
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What does “leveling up” look like in veterinary medicine?
In Shelby’s framing, professional growth is a series of deliberate steps rather than one dramatic leap. You identify an area that matters to you, choose a challenge that is realistic alongside your current responsibilities, and use what you learn to strengthen care and teamwork.
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“Stretch your comfort zone, chase your dreams, and try to do better,” Shelby says. The wording is ambitious, but the first step can be modest. A veterinary professional does not need a fully formed five-year plan before taking action.
Start with a manageable challenge
A useful first question is: What would make me more capable or more useful in the next few months? The answer might be learning a topic that repeatedly arises in appointments, asking to observe a different workflow, practicing a difficult client conversation, or helping organize a team education session.
Choose an action that has a clear beginning and end. A bounded project makes it easier to assess what you learned and whether you want to continue. It also reduces the risk that “professional development” becomes an indefinite obligation added to an already full schedule.
Include self-care in the definition of growth
Shelby’s message also leaves room for a small act of self-care. In a demanding clinical environment, rest, boundaries, and support can be conditions for sustained performance rather than rewards that come only after every task is complete. A plan that exhausts you is not automatically a successful plan.
Why deeper expertise can improve patient care
Specialization is one possible route for credentialed veterinary technicians who want to develop substantial knowledge in a particular field. Shelby specifically discusses becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist, or VTS, as an avenue for pursuing a specialty that matches a technician’s interests.
Her point is practical as well as professional. Stronger expertise can help a veterinary professional notice when a patient is responding unexpectedly or when a medication may be causing a side effect. Recognizing that something does not fit the expected pattern is an important contribution to the clinical team. The interview does not provide a dosing protocol or a substitute for case-specific veterinary judgment; it describes how focused learning can sharpen observation and raise useful questions.
Specialization is an option, not a requirement
Not every professional needs or wants a specialty credential. A technician may prefer broad clinical work, client education, leadership, training, or practice operations. A receptionist may want to understand medical terminology and billing explanations more clearly. A practice manager may be interested in systems, staffing, or communication. “Leveling up” should fit the role and the person’s goals.
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Shelby describes this wider view of development in her discussion of credentials and career paths: “I really think that allowing people an avenue for growth in their professional career, whether that’s through becoming a VTS if you’re a credentialed veterinary technician and you’d like to pursue a specialized field, or even the practice management end of things; having those certifications and allowing people to really excel in areas that they’re passionate about is going to help our profession.”
Possible paths for professional growth
The interview does not compare named programs or give current eligibility rules. The routes below are therefore decision categories, not a ranking. Before committing, verify the requirements, schedule, cost, and availability with the organization offering the opportunity.
| Growth route | May suit someone who wants to | Known prerequisite or consideration | What to clarify before committing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterinary Technician Specialist pathway | Build deeper expertise in a field that interests them | The interview refers to credentialed veterinary technicians pursuing a VTS | Current credentialing requirements, documentation, examination or experience expectations, time, and energy |
| Practice-management development | Improve leadership, operations, or the way a practice supports its team | The interview identifies practice management as another possible direction; specific credentials are not stated | Which skills are covered, who recognizes the credential, workload, and relevance to the person’s role |
| Medical or communication training for reception staff | Explain bills, services, and clinical concepts to clients with greater clarity | No formal prerequisite is stated | Training scope, supervision, boundaries, and how information will be kept accurate and consistent |
| Local veterinary association involvement | Meet colleagues, learn about local needs, or begin serving the profession | Start by identifying the veterinary medical association in your area | Membership terms, meeting schedule, volunteer expectations, and whether a current opening exists |
| Participation in larger professional organizations | Explore education, advocacy, committees, or networking beyond one practice | Shelby points readers toward AAHA, AVMA, and professional credentialing organizations; specific opportunities can change | Eligibility, current projects, time commitment, and the type of experience offered |
| Self-directed stretch project | Test an interest before pursuing a formal credential | No credential is required for the act of taking on a manageable challenge | Goal, mentor or feedback source, time limit, and how success will be evaluated |
How to choose the right next step
Instead of asking which path is most prestigious, ask which path answers your actual development need. Four questions can narrow the choice:
- What do you want to improve? Name the skill or outcome: clinical depth, client communication, leadership, teaching, confidence, or professional connection.
- What are you eligible to do now? A specialty credential may require a particular professional status or documented experience. An association project may have its own membership or application rules.
- What time and energy can you reliably give? A demanding program or volunteer role has consequences if it competes with patient care, family responsibilities, rest, or existing commitments.
- What experience do you want in return? Decide whether you are seeking clinical learning, education, management practice, leadership, advocacy, or community.
Write down one primary goal and one limit. For example: “I want to become more confident explaining treatment estimates, and I can devote one hour each week for eight weeks.” A defined limit helps you distinguish a useful experiment from an obligation that keeps expanding.
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- Identify a friction point. Notice a recurring question from clients, a task that causes avoidable delays, a clinical topic you want to understand better, or a team process that leaves people uncertain.
- Discuss it with the right person. Bring the idea to a supervisor, practice manager, veterinarian, experienced technician, or colleague who can confirm the need and clarify your scope.
- Select one small action. Examples include attending a local meeting, arranging a short job-shadowing session, reviewing an approved educational resource, or drafting a clearer explanation for a common client question.
- Set a time boundary. Choose a date to review what happened. A time boundary protects your workload and gives you evidence about whether the path is worth expanding.
- Share the learning. If the action helps, turn it into a brief team discussion, checklist, demonstration, or resource that others can use. Development has a larger effect when it is not trapped in one person’s head.
Why the whole veterinary team matters
Shelby argues for supporting every role, from reception through clinical staff. A practice’s ability to care for pets is shaped not only by diagnosis and treatment, but also by how information moves through the building and how clients understand what they are being asked to do.
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Reception is part of the care experience
Receptionists often receive questions about invoices, appointment instructions, medications, and services. Shelby says medical-based training can help reception staff explain bills and clinical concepts to clients. That does not mean asking receptionists to diagnose, prescribe, or step outside their authority. It means giving them enough accurate context to communicate within a clearly defined role and to know when a question must be referred to a veterinary professional.
When the front desk and clinical team use consistent language, clients are less likely to hear contradictory explanations. A shared glossary, short teaching sessions, and clear escalation rules can support that consistency without turning every employee into a clinician.
Clinical staff also need development support
Technicians and assistants may need time to build skills, practice procedures under appropriate supervision, or pursue a specialty interest. Veterinarians and managers benefit when they make room for questions and recognize contributions from colleagues whose expertise differs from their own.
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Development should be discussed as part of regular supervision rather than treated as an extra that only the most assertive employee receives. Ask each team member what they want to learn, what support they need, and how the practice can protect time for it.
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Better technical knowledge does not automatically produce better client conversations. A team member may understand a medical concept yet struggle to explain why it matters, what a bill includes, or what the client should do next.
Useful communication practice can include translating jargon into plain language, checking understanding, acknowledging financial or emotional concerns, and handing off questions at the right moment. The goal is not to promise an outcome or pressure a client. It is to make the care plan understandable enough for an informed decision.
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Respectful collaboration starts with the shared purpose Shelby identifies: “The common goal is already established: that’s to optimize care to pets and people.” Different roles can disagree about methods, priorities, or timing while still returning to that common goal. Listening carefully, asking what information is missing, and addressing the issue rather than a person’s status keeps disagreement productive.
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Shelby recommends beginning with a local veterinary medical association. A local group can make professional participation feel concrete: you may learn what issues affect practices in your area, meet people with different responsibilities, or find a volunteer task that matches your available time.
After that first step, she points interested professionals toward larger organizations such as AAHA, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and professional credentialing bodies. These organizations may offer education, communities, committees, or other ways to participate, but the interview does not establish that any particular committee or opening is currently available. Check each organization’s current information and eligibility requirements before planning around an opportunity.
Choose service you can sustain
Association work is still work. Meetings, preparation, travel, correspondence, and follow-through can consume time and energy. Ask what the role requires during an ordinary month, not only during a launch or annual event. If the commitment is too large, a one-time local task or short-term project may be a better beginning.
Illustrative ways this approach can look
These examples apply Shelby’s principles without describing specific people from the interview.
- A credentialed technician with an anesthesia interest might first discuss a specialty pathway with a supervisor, confirm the current requirements, and set aside a limited weekly study period before making a larger commitment.
- A receptionist who hears repeated billing questions might ask a veterinarian or manager for a short training session, create a plain-language explanation approved by the clinical team, and establish which questions must be transferred.
- A new practice manager might attend a local association meeting, identify one leadership skill to develop, and ask a colleague to provide feedback after a defined trial period.
- An experienced team member with limited spare time might mentor one colleague for a short project or take one small self-care action that makes continued work more sustainable.
What this interview does—and does not—promise
The AAHA conversation is professional-development guidance, not a clinical protocol. It does not provide anesthesia instructions, medication doses, patient-specific recommendations, or a guarantee that a credential or association role will produce a particular career outcome. Its value is the framework: choose growth that matches your interests, support development across the team, communicate more clearly, and contribute in ways you can sustain.
For a veterinary professional deciding what to do next, “leveling up” can therefore be measured by useful change: a sharper question noticed sooner, a client who understands the plan, a colleague who receives meaningful support, or a team that works together more respectfully. Those increments are small enough to begin now and substantial enough to improve the care experience for both pets and people.
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