<P> Paraveterinary workers are those people who assist a veterinary physician in the performance of their duties, or carry out animal health procedures autonomously as part of a veterinary care system . The job role varies throughout the world, and common titles include veterinary nurse, veterinary technician, veterinary assistant and veterinary technologist, and variants with the prefix of' animal health' . </P> <P> The scope of practice varies between countries, with some countries allowing suitably qualified paraveterinary workers a scope of autonomous practice, including minor surgery, whilst others restrict their workers to simple assisting of the veterinarian . </P> <P> In the majority of anglophone countries, paraveterinary workers with a formal scope of practice, and a degree of autonomy in their role, are known as veterinary nurses . The primary exception to this is in North America, where both the United States and Canada refer to these workers as veterinary (or animal health) technicians or technologists . http://www.navta.net/page/VeterinaryNurse </P> <P> Human nursing associations have often claimed rights over the term' nurse' and in some countries, this is protected by law . This was the case in the United Kingdom until 1984, where veterinary nurses were referred to as' registered animal nursing auxiliaries', in line with the naming convention at the time for less qualified assistants in human nursing, called' nursing auxiliaries' . </P>

Is a veterinary nurse the same as a veterinary technician