In my opinion, it would be a benefit to all concerned including the patient and would free up licensed personnel to do other more critical patient care. (There are simply not enough LVTs especially in rural areas to do everything themselves.) It would also allow them the opportunity to supervise and train those individuals they felt could safely and efficiently perform the procedure. In the majority of states including North Carolina, trained assistants can insert IV's under supervision. Also, in human medicine, certification is required but not licensure for IV catheters as well as interosseous catheters (Which are much more invasive) in patients being transported by paramedics or rescue squads. I served 8 years on the Board and I never did find out why this regulation was adopted. I never saw a case where a botched IV caused a problem but I ended up having to sanction a number of new LVTs that admitted inserting catheters between the time they were students and the time they were fully licensed.  They could legally do it as students or as licensees, but not in between. This was a real problem for those trained in other states where no such regulation existed. They would come for a job interview, be asked to place a catheter, later truthfully admit it on their license application, and end up having the application stopped and being sanctioned by the board. I absolutely hated it but the regulations offered no other options. It was sad!

Prior to this regulation being adopted, I had a young lady who was a Rescue Squad Volunteer working for me and she is still with me after 30 years. She was trained to place catheters in human patients and she was extremely proficient in placing them in animals as well. She placed nearly all my catheters until regulations required her to stop especially in small and difficult patients. She actually could do it better than I could and I appreciated the fact she was so helpful in my busy practice as it allowed me to do other things. I have also had several assistants that moved from other states that could place them in that state but not in Virginia. I have never seen any problem with a properly trained assistant placing an IV catheter and do not feel it would jeopardise patient care in any way.