I support the new regulation to allow unlicensed but trained persons to place peripheral IV catheters in animals.

Many of my DVM colleagues would agree that licensed technicians are invaluable to our practices, however, there are certainly not enough of them to be available to all practices and even if there were this is a skill that can be taught and learned through experience . EMT responders are not licensed nurses they place I V catheters and even intubate patients in the field .

There are many skills that I have learned as a DVM however I can delegate certain skill sets to unlicensed and licensed personnel so that I can diagnose, do surgery and prescribe medications . Licensed technicians should be doing more than just placing IV catheters . We rely on them to discuss disease processes with our clients, to monitor our hospital patients and provide nursing care much like the equivalent of a human nurse.

Ultimately, perhaps we should consider some state or national certification for assistants that qualify them through standardized training . Then maybe the licensed technicians wouldnt feel threatened by the unlicensed personnel calling themselves "technicians".

Thank you for the opportunity to respond.