I oppose the proposed regulation change. In the interest of providing the best medical care to the public, I believe that allowing non-licensed personel to place peripheral intravenous catheters unnecesarily puts veterinary patient at risk. I understand that many practices in the state are limited on their number of licensed technicians, but we as a group need to look at the problem as a whole. We should be asking questions such as why are there not enough licensed technicians in the state to support the demands of the field? Why are technicians leaving the field in large numbers, after only an average of 5 years. I believe if we look at these questions, we will start to understand the true problem.

When we allow unlicensed personnel to perform the tasks that should be designated to licensed personel, we disparage the skills and knowledge of the Licensed Veterinary Technician. In the veterinary field, our services as a whole are already so undervalued by the public due to the warped perspective that veterinary care should cost no more than their own health insurance co-pay. This affects the quality of medicine that we are able to provide to the public and puts patients at risk, because we are not able to compensate qualified staff who perform their veterinary care.

Instead of regressing, the field of veterinary medicine must push forward- and specifically outlining and defining duties to be assigned only to a Licensed Veterinary Techinician is a starting point. We must emphasize the value of technicians and the services they provide and the knowledge base that they possess. We must work to help the public understand the value of our licensure and our services, that we are not simply people who are trained 'on the fly', but professionals who have the education and skills necessary to provide appropriate and potentially life saving care for their pets.