Pets have gone from the barnyard, to the backyard, to the bedroom to the bed.  At the same time, the quality of veterinary care has become equal or better in certain aspects than our own healthcare.  While it may be unclear which caused the other, it is imperative we stay on this trajectory.  

A recent study by NAVTA  and AVMA reported almost half of the 2,790 respondents had left the field for "insufficient pay, lack of respect from the employer, burnout, lack of benefits, childcare difficulties, lack of respect for the profession and compassion fatigue".  

This proposal is completely counterproductive, as it will compound our current shortage of LVTs and continues to perpetuate that our patients are "just animals" and the standardization of paraprofessionals and professionals is unnecessary nor valuable.  

When are we going to unite as a profession and keep raising the bar?  We should invest in improving the quality and availability for on-going education and training within our profession.  In my own community, we are proud to have one of the 23 NAVTA approved Veterinary Assistant Programs.  This has been a real benefit.  Beyond providing well trained assistants to our local community, it is bringing an awareness to the pet owning public as a whole that it matters who handles your pet and their education, training, etc. 

Vote NO on this proposal.  

Thank you,

Danielle T. Russ, LVT, BS, BA, AS