Suggested Reading

We cannot define conclusively the body of knowledge necessary to pass the AVECCTN examination, the following reading list is only a guideline. This is a representation of suggested readings that have been identified as useful for applicants studying for the AVECCTN examination. 

AVECCTN Suggested Reading List  (Updated 2026) 

Emergency and Critical Care Textbooks: 

Small Animal Critical Care Medicine. Silverstein and Hopper. 3rd Edition Published in 2024 

Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care for Veterinary Technicians, Battaglia and Steele. 5th edition published in 2025 

Advanced Monitoring and Procedures for Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care. Burkitt-Creedon and Davis. 2nd edition published in 2023 

Textbook of Small Animal Emergency Medicine. Drobatz, Hopper, et al. Published in 2018 (New edition coming 2027) 

Veterinary Technician's Manual for Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, 2nd Edition. Norkus. Published in 2018 

Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders in Small Animal Practice. Dibartola. Published in 2012 

Basic Monitoring in Canine and Feline Emergency Patients. Thomovsky, Johnson, et al. Published in 2020 

Acid-Base and Electrolyte Handbook for Veterinary Technicians. Angela Randels- Thorp and David Liss. Published in 2016 (New edition coming soon) 

Fluids and Electrolytes made Incredibly Easy! Laura M. Willis. Published in 2019 

Manual of Veterinary Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking 2016 (Yagi/Holowaychuk) 

Textbook of Small Animal Emergency Medicine 2018 (Drobatz, Hopper, Rozanski, Silverstein)  

Pain Management For Veterinary Technicians and Nurses 2025 (Cital, McNerney, Palmer) 

Basic Monitoring in Canine and Feline Emergency Patients 2020 (Thomovsky, Johnson, Brooks) 

Veterinary Nursing Guide to Monitoring Critical Patients: The Rule of 20 2026 (Melissa Evans) 

Point‑of‑Care Ultrasound Techniques for the Small Animal Practitioner 2020 (Lisciandro) 

Manual of Canine and Feline Cardiology 2024 (Tilley) 

Cardiac Arrhythmias in Dogs and Cats: Mechanisms, diagnosis, and management 2024 (Santilli)  

Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine in Dogs and Cats 2023 (Bussadori) 

Electrocardiography of the dog and cat. Diagnosis of arrhythmias 2018 (Santili) 

Small Animal Technician's Guide to the Intensive Care Unit 2026 Rebecca J. Roesler MVSc, RVT, VTS (ECC),, Angela M. Secchi AAS-VT, RVT, CVT,  

Journals: 

Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care - Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society 

JVECCS – RECOVER Guidelines/pediatric guidelines   

JVECCS -- RECOVER 2024 guidelines  -  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14764431/2024/34/S1 

Other: 

Multiple Disciplinary Tech Review – IVECCS 

https://recoverinitiative.org/resources/