Our patients deserve skilled, licensed technicians caring for them during all aspects of their anesthetic experience. Recovery is known to be a very dangerous time- who better to monitor them through this period than a LVT? We are fortunate to have multiple Veterinary Technology programs in the state putting out excellent graduates every year. Online programs are easily available as well. I would suggest that veterinarians start paying a competetive wage and utilizing their LVT's to their fullest extent, in order to keep them in the field longer than 4-5 years. If you have assistants that you feel are so capable, maybe you should step up and help them get through an on line program in order to get their license? There are many ways to increase the number of veterinary techincians in your practice if you really want to.