Becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist – You can do it!!

Kara M. Burns

MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition) VTS-H (Internal Medicine, Dentistry)

Kara Burns is a licensed veterinary technician with a master’s degree in physiology and a master’s degree in counseling psychology. She began her career in human medicine working as an emergency psychologist and as a poison specialist dealing with human and animal poisonings. Kara is the Founder and Past President of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians. She teaches nutrition courses around the world. Kara is an independent nutritional and well-being consultant, the Director of Veterinary Nurse Development for Wellhaven Pet Health and is the Editor in Chief of Today’s Veterinary Nurse. She is a member of many national, international, and state associations and holds positions on many boards in the profession: Pet Nutrition Alliance President, American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition executive board; Western Veterinary Conference Technician Education Manager; National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) Past President; Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics board member; and the Collaborative Care Coalition executive board, to name a few. She has authored many articles, textbooks, and textbook chapters and is an internationally invited speaker, focusing on topics of nutrition, leadership, and technician utilization. Ms. Burns has been featured on the cover of the Veterinary Technician Journal and the NAVTA Journal and most recently has been featured in PetVet Magazine. She was named the North American Veterinary Conference Technician Speaker of the Year in 2013, 2016, and in 2021. She was granted an honorary VTS (Internal Medicine) in 2011. She was also granted an honorary VTS (Dentistry) in 2012. She was named the Inaugural NAVTA Veterinary Technician of the Year in 2010, as well as the 2011 Dr. Franklin Loew Lecturer.