The U.S. state of Colorado decided to allow diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and surgery for non-veterinarians – Daily Bet

Last week, when the United States elected Republican candidate Donald Trump as the next president, a major inflection point occurred in the American veterinary community.

In Colorado, Proposition 129, which creates a new position called ‘Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA)’, an intermediate position between a veterinarian and a technician, has passed a referendum.

Although guidance and supervision by a veterinarian is assumed, VPA is allowed to diagnose diseases, determine prognosis, and even perform surgery. A number of related groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association, protested, but were unable to prevent the passage of the residents’ initiative.

Those who supported the creation of the VPA were animal protection groups such as the ASPCA. The argument that accessibility to veterinary care has decreased as demand for animal care has skyrocketed since the coronavirus pandemic has gained momentum.

VPA created due to lack of veterinarians

Intermediate position between veterinarian and technician

Even though it is supervised by a veterinarian, diagnosis, treatment plan establishment, prognosis, and even surgery are allowed.

Several states in the United States, including Colorado, have a citizen initiative system. Instead of going through the state legislature, residents can directly propose laws or ordinances and submit them to a referendum.

Colorado’s Proposition 129, which seeks to establish a VPA, was held for referendum along with this presidential election. As of November 10, the vote count had reached 94%, and passage was confirmed with an approval rate of 52.7%.

Proposition 129, proposed earlier this year, states, “There is a crisis in access to veterinary care in Colorado due to a shortage of veterinary personnel. “This is threatening the welfare of companion animals,” he said, adding, “We propose mid-level veterinary clinical training as a solution.”

Since there is a shortage of veterinarians right now, they plan to add new assistant positions who can take on the work of veterinarians. That assistant position is VPA.

According to the proposition, VPAs would be allowed to perform animal care duties under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. This is what comes to mind from the name ‘Associate’.

Although there was a stipulation that delegated tasks be performed under the supervision of a veterinarian, it did not specify specifically what the VPA does. It was comprehensively defined, saying, ‘Acts can be performed at a level normally permitted by veterinary medical care standards.’

Regarding this, it is expected that the VPA will be responsible for diagnosing diseases, determining prognosis, and even performing some surgeries such as neutering. In fact, he is close to a veterinarian. This is even more true than veterinary technicians, who are mainly responsible for performing surgical procedures such as sample collection or injections ordered by veterinarians.

Excluding the right to prescribe drugs, which is limited to veterinarians under U.S. federal law, most of the rights to treat animals that were limited to veterinarians are extended to VPAs.

Colorado is the first state in the U.S. to institutionally establish an intermediate position other than a veterinarian or technician, such as VPA.

The veterinary association opposed it, saying, ‘Lack of capacity and shortage of veterinarians are not solved’

Animal protection group supported ‘Increasing access to pet treatment’

Veterinarian groups opposed the creation of the VPA. Not only the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association, but also the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the American Veterinary Student Association (SAVMA), clinical veterinarian groups for each livestock species, and the American Kennel Club were listed as opposing groups.

One of the issues mainly criticized by local veterinary organizations is poor education. While the authority given to a VPA is excessive, the educational requirements required to become a VPA do not provide the ability to do so.

The proposition requires a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care as an educational requirement for VPA. It is reported that the master’s program will be conducted at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. It consists of three semesters of online classes and two semesters of clinical practice. It is difficult to compare it to formal veterinary education in the United States, which is a four-year graduate program.

The Veterinary Medical Association criticized that it is impossible to accumulate sufficient clinical experience through an online master’s program, that there is no certification for the educational program, that there is no test to judge the competency of graduates of the program, and that there are no qualification requirements for the evaluation. If a VPA with such poor capabilities is produced, it can actually threaten the health of animals.

There were also concerns that if a VPA with veterinary discretion causes a medical accident due to lack of competency, the veterinarian responsible for guidance and supervision would be at a disadvantage.

The AVMA pointed out that the American Veterinary Medical Board (AAVSB) decided not to pursue mid-level positions such as VPA based on the results of a survey of 14,000 veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

Karen McCormick, a Colorado veterinarian and lawmaker, told the AVMA, “(VPA) doesn’t help at all with the veterinary shortage problem. “If one veterinarian (VPA) supervises 2 to 4 people, the veterinarian and the patient become further distant and the accuracy of treatment is diluted,” he said. “Only large corporations that want to treat more patients and find ways to somehow lower business costs will benefit.” “It is,” he criticized.

The American animal protection group ASPCA supported the creation of the VPA.

On the other hand, animal protection groups supported the proposition. ASPCA, an American animal protection group, welcomed the passage of Colorado’s VPA resident initiative on November 8 and said, “It is a victory for people, pets, and veterinarians.”

They said that VPA is similar to a PA (Physician Assistant) that assists human doctors, and expected that it would increase access to treatment for pets and reduce the workload of existing veterinarians.

According to local reports, the pros and cons of Proposition 129, led by the ASPCA and the American Veterinary Medical Association, each raised political funds and waged a publicity campaign. In the end, the victory went to the yes side. The simple logic of ‘there is a shortage of veterinarians, so we will create replacements’ was more persuasive to Colorado residents.

This resident initiative to establish a new VPA will take effect on January 1, 2026.

Research on veterinary supply and demand in Korea is still in progress.

Will the problem of lack of professional skills in some areas, including civil servants, become a problem?

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are currently 13 veterinary schools preparing to open new schools in the United States. There are even projections that the number of annual veterinary school graduates will increase by 40% by the 2030s. Despite this, a quasi-veterinarian literal translation called VPA was created. In this way, the aftermath can go to the wrong place.

Can we just see this as something happening across the ocean in the United States? It was two years ago when a protest was held in the harsh winter to oppose the establishment of a new veterinary school at Pusan ​​National University.

At the time, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which was in charge, drew a line, saying, “Research on the supply and demand of veterinarians comes first.” The supply and demand study was conducted last year. Although the results of the study were not officially made public, it was reported that the conclusion was that there was an ‘oversupply of veterinarians.’

But that wasn’t the end. This year, a veterinary supply and demand research service was once again provided. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs recently commissioned the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training to develop a veterinary manpower supply and demand analysis model by January next year.

In particular, there are concerns about how the shortage of certain positions, such as veterinary government officials, may affect the overall supply and demand outlook. The government has even officially mentioned non-veterinarian livestock quarantine officers and non-veterinarian quarantine officers. This is even more so when we look at the fact that medical school quotas have been increased due to a shortage of doctors in certain medical departments and regional areas that are considered essential medical services.