MESSAGES FROM THE BOARD The next meeting will be our annual Christmas Party & Election of Officers. It will be a pot luck dinner at the home of Nancy Ehrlich in Kensington. All members and their guests are welcome. The party will be on Thursday, December 18 at 7:30 pm. Please RSVP to Nancy, 510 524-6673, or nehrlichrvt@aol.com by 12/15. BAVTA will supply the drinks & the turkey, you bring the rest! We always have a wonderful time & great food. Don’t miss out!
It’s renewal time for August ,September and October duespayers. If your mailing label is highlighted, your dues have not been received. Your Association works hard to keep you represented and informed. Your dues are necessary to help us pay our expenses. Don’t miss out on upcoming events! (Note - membership is terminated if dues are not received by the third month following the anniversary date.)

LIMITED TERM ELIGIBILITY WINDOW REVISED: Due to a technicality, the Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) was required to hold an additional public hearing on the new eligibility category on October 22. Once again, the VMB approved the category that will allow assistants with at least 5 years on-the-job training and 24 hours of specific education to apply for the RVT exam. The ‘Limited Window’ will be open only for one year beginning on 1/1/09. For more details, see the enclosed document from CaRVTA. If you have any questions, you can call or e-mail Nancy Ehrlich , 510 524-6673, nehrlichrvt@aol.com, or the VMB at 1-866-229-0170 or e-mail Linda_Kassis@dca.ca.gov.

For more detailed information about the Limited Window, see here.

PRACTICE RVT EXAM: The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) offers a 75 question practice RVT exam with questions similar to the national and California RVT licensing examinations. This is an excellent tool for candidates preparing to take either exam. The cost is $45. For more info, or to sign up, go to www.AAVSB.org and select the Veterinary Technician section.

CaRVTA: A board meeting was held on Oct 2 in Davis. A new web designer has been hired and it was reported that the new web site should be up and running in the near future. Along with the new site, CaRVTA is actively working to create an e-mail alert system for members to get updates on the latest information. A mentorship program is also being established to help prospective RVTs. CaRVTA is planning to hold its future meetings ‘virtually’ using Skype to allow free conference calling. The first Skype board meeting will be held on Nov. 28. For more information about CaRVTA, e-mail pamrvt@gmail.com.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL: The joint CaRVTA/UCD all technician conference was so successful that it will be taken on the road. A one-day, 3-track program, ‘Back-to-School On the Road’, will be held at UC Irvine on March 22, 2009. Details about the program will follow.

VMB RVTC: At its October 21 meeting in Sacramento the RVTC members decided to postpone election of officers until the January meeting. A new bill, SB 1584, will require the VMB to formally appoint the members for new terms, which they will do at their November meeting. The committee also put off discussing a student exemption for RVT students, new regulations for the RVT school approval process, mandatory CE for RVTs and radiation safety training for unregistered assistants at least until their January meeting due to the illness of the legal counsel. Sub-committees will continue to meet on these topics to be ready for the January meeting. For information or questions about the RVTC or VMB, call (916) 263-2610 or toll free 1-866 229-0170, email vmb@dca.ca.gov, fax (916) 263-2621 or see www.vmb.ca.gov.

VMB: The next meeting will be on November 20 in Los Angeles. Questions regarding the VMB? Call (916) 263-2610, or see the web site www.VMB.ca.gov.

USDA NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE CORPS: The USDA NAHERC program is a national animal reserve emergency corp that is composed of Veterinary Medical Officers, Animal Health Technicians & Veterinary Medical Students assimilated into an elite cadre within the Emergency Management response community. Started in 2001, the NAHERC protects public health by providing a ready reserve of private & State veterinarians & veterinary technicians to combat threats to US livestock & poultry in the event of a large outbreak of an exotic or foreign animal disease. NAHERC staff can be activated & supplement existing USD-APHIS employees for periods of 3 weeks for domestic deployments or 30 days for international deployments. These positions are paid upon activation. NAHERC members must meet all qualifications at the time of application. To apply, go to: http://federalgovernmentjobs.us/jobs/Naherc-Animal-Health-Technician-866107.html.

4-YEAR BS DEGREE ELIGIBILITY CATEGORY TO BE ELIMINATED: A reminder that in January the VMB approved a regulation eliminating the 4-year degree in an animal related science plus 1 year practical experience as an eligibility category to sit for the RVT exam. This category is still in effect for now, but is expected to be finally eliminated soon. To find out more about all the current eligibility categories to sit for the RVT exam, or a list of approved schools in California, see www.vmb.ca.gov, or call the Veterinary Medical Board at 1-866 229-0170.

PENN FOSTER COLLEGE: BAVTA has negotiated a discounted price for Penn Fosterís RVT Program. The program is an AVMA approved interactive distance learning course, completion of which allows the student to sit for the California RVT exam. With our discount, students pay approximately $2900 for the course which takes 1 1/2 ñ 4 years to complete using reading materials and on-line chat sessions. All materials (except a computer) are provided. This is an excellent alternative for assistants who cannot attend traditional RVT school. In order to qualify for the discount, you must be a BAVTA member. For more information, contact us at BAVTAinfo@aol.com.