When Great Technicians Leave: Protecting Diagnostic Imaging Quality in Your Veterinary Practice

Few things disrupt a veterinary practice more than losing a great technician. I remember witnessing this happen to one of my best clients who is now retired. His head technician of over 15 years (we will call her "Beth") left his practice because her husband was military and was transferred to a new base across the country. Beth was a rock star. She could take perfect thoracic radiographs and she also captured perfect views of shoulders and elbows in dogs. Beth was there during the veterinary practice's transition from frustrating automatic film processing to instant and beautiful captures using digital radiography. When Beth was gone, the doctors noticed and their consulting radiologist noticed too. High quality radiographs captured quickly and returned with radiologist interpretations that same day were common when Beth was there. Now, x-rays took longer to complete and the consulting radiologist was asking the doctor what had happened to cause such a decline in their image quality. The doctor was frustrated that he did not have the time or expertise to train his other technicians to be as good as Beth was. Luckily I lived a few minutes drive from this practice and I was able to train two of their technicians on capturing high quality radiographs.

I have seen similar scenarios play out with many other veterinary practices over the years. Equipment vendors and most teleradiology companies do not have the resources to respond with onsite training that these practices needed. This is exactly why I built the onsite imaging training service at Veterinary Intelligence.

Unfortunately, many practices discover just how much they depended on that technician only after they are gone. Customer service will often suffer because delays are happening in treatment causing longer wait times for pet owners. Associate veterinarians begin shying away from ordering radiographs and I have seen them go to the extreme of referring the patient to a specialty center. This can degrade the practice's reputation and also negatively affect the financial health of the practice.

The problem is not usually the equipment; it was the skills and knowledge that departed with that highly valued technician.

Team Work Makes The Dream Work

I believe we should be making great imaging more of a team skill. Instead of there being an imaging tech, what if we had a tech team who were all pretty good at capturing diagnostic images? High-quality diagnostic imaging is rarely the result of one talented individual. The strongest veterinary practices develop systems that allow multiple team members to produce consistent, diagnostic-quality images.

This is especially important for:

• Digital radiography

• Ultrasound examinations

• Dental radiography

• Computed tomography (CT)

• Advanced imaging workflows and PACS systems

  
  

When only one person knows how to perform these tasks, the practice becomes vulnerable. Cross-training is essential.

Every practice should identify at least two or three team members who can confidently perform imaging studies. Written protocols, positioning guides, and standardized workflows should become part of daily operations. The goal is simple: if your most experienced technician is absent tomorrow, patient care should continue uninterrupted.

Many veterinary hospitals train new technicians only when a problem develops.

I would encourage practices to think differently. Imaging training should be ongoing.

Regular coaching sessions, case reviews, and hands-on instruction help maintain consistency and improve diagnostic confidence. Continuous education also keeps experienced technicians engaged and helps newer team members develop skills more quickly. Most imaging problems that I encounter in veterinary practices are not equipment problems. They are training problems.

Build an Imaging Culture

The practices that consistently produce outstanding diagnostic images have one thing in common: they build a culture around imaging excellence.

They invest in:

• Cross-training multiple technicians

• Standardized imaging protocols

• Continuing education

• Ongoing quality improvement

• Mentorship and coaching

These practices are less affected by staff turnover because imaging knowledge belongs to the entire team and not just one individual.

How Veterinary Intelligence Can Help

At Veterinary Intelligence, we understand that staffing changes happen. Our goal is to help practices maintain diagnostic confidence regardless of personnel changes.

We provide hands-on training for:

• Radiograph positioning and technique

• Small animal ultrasound acquisition

• CT and CBCT acquisition workflows

• Image quality improvement

• Case-based coaching and mentoring

Whether you are onboarding a new technician, cross-training existing staff, or simply want to improve image quality across your hospital, we can help your team become more confident and consistent.

Exceptional diagnostic imaging should never depend on one person. It should be built into the culture of your practice.

- Robert W. Whitaker