My very first textbook as a budding animal health technician in the 1980’s was the first edition of this text. We referred to it as the "veterinary technician bible". In retrospect, it was a mere shadow compared to the huge 1249 page text it is today in this 6th edition. Now boasting a large supply of very helpful tables, technician tips, pictures, graphics, and huge index this text is still an excellent resource for the veterinary technician. With input from almost 50 contributors including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician specialists, as experts in their fields, McCurnin and Bassert have allowed this text to stay in step with the vast changes of veterinary technology over the past 20 years.
Nice additional features that exemplify the educator’s love of the profession and the importance of education of and for veterinary technicians include a timeline of historical veterinary technology events and an appendix of common abbreviations. Something new is a website listing for Student Resources as well as an added CD included inside the back cover that includes several methods to test one’s expertise such as crossword puzzles, picture-it exercises, hangman games, quiz shows, and large list of web links to supplement the text.
The text is overall divided into an introduction to the profession of veterinary technology and six parts covering everything basic a veterinary technician should know. The introduction covers the history of the profession and where it is today including terminology/nomenclature discussions, which are often the most confusing part of becoming a veterinary technician. Laboratory animal technicians are also briefly mentioned to incorporate just one of the multitudes of professions that a credentialed veterinary technician can hold outside of a standard general practice. The Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE) which is the national exam for both the United States and Canada is discussed early on to give the reader a glimpse into the broad topic coverage of the textbook. Laws, ethics, and professional organizations round out the introductory section and act as a quick reference for anyone in practice.
Part One is entitled "Clinical Procedures" and covers the very basics starting with restraint; history and physical exam; diagnostic sampling and therapeutic techniques (aka sample collection, etc.); wound healing, management, bandaging; and basic necropsy. This section lends to the need for more definite texts covering anatomy and physiology for the professional student. Unfortunately, since these concepts are also key foundations of understanding how the entire animal functions, this part of the text lacks the depth to make it the complete veterinary technician’s bible.
Part Two deals with Clinical Sciences and covers clinical pathology, parasitology (nicely divided into types of parasites and then species specifics), clinical microbiology, diagnostic imaging, and oncology.
Part Three addresses Patient Management and Nutrition including preventative health programs; neonatal care of the puppy, kitten, and foal; geriatric area of companion animals; animal behavior (covering dogs and cats only), companion animal clinical nutrition (including small exotics, reptiles, and equines, and several levels of healthy versus non healthy pets); large animal clinical nutrition (food animal); animal reproduction (covering most non exotic mammals); and care of birds, reptiles, and small mammals (an unfortunately short section that at least covers the most common of the 'other' critters a practice may see).
Part Four discusses Anesthesia and Pharmacology covering veterinary anesthesia including ventilation; pain management; and pharmacology and pharmacy (nicely differentiated into drug classes as well as the inclusion of a section on material safety data sheets and quick reference section on calculations).
Part Five is a very large section that covers the nuts and bolts of a veterinary technicians nursing job. Surgical and Medical Nursing covers surgical instruments (with very nice pictures of standard instruments) and aseptic techniques for the staff, surgeon, and operating area. Surgical assistance and suture materials are also covered. Small Animal Nursing covers common surgical procedures and the care of the patient while Small Animal Medical Nursing covers discussion of the general '-ologies' in medicine. Emergency Nursing has great quick reference nursing tips for the myriad of small animal emergencies. The Toxicology and Veterinary Dentistry sections complete the small animal portion of Part Five. Equine and Food Animal Medical and Surgical Nursing sections cover specifics for those groups. Alternative Medicine also has a chapter in this section including the growing field of massage and physical therapy as well as acupuncture and herbals; again giving a basic coverage of the several latitudes a veterinary technician of today can explore.
Part Six rounds out the book by discussing multiple topics in Practice Management which is proving to be a lucrative career path for seasoned technicians allowing this text to hold a spot on any veterinary technician’s desk as a reference source. This last section also seems to be the catch all section including zoonoses and public health, euthanasia, bereavement and the human-animal bond. These are relatively short sections, but nonetheless extremely important, addressing topics of which this reviewer would like to see more information. A straightforward section on Stress and Substance Abuse rounds out the text acknowledging the unfortunate hazards veterinary technicians may be exposed to outside the animal related hazards.
Dr.’s McCurnin and Bassert and their wealth of contributors have continued to lead the profession of veterinary technology and it would behoove the veterinarian to review this text to see to what extent s/he should be utilizing his/her veterinary technician! This text has grown and gotten more elaborate over the years providing something for everyone in an effort to reach the multiple levels of learning and the wide variety of individuals that are looking to become veterinary technicians. The text is still listed at the top of my highly recommended texts for veterinary technician students and as a desk reference for the entire staff.
Publisher: Elsevier Saunders (2006).
ISBN-13: 978-0-7216-0612-5
ISBN-10: 0-7216-0612-1.