As the person who submitted this petition for the Board’s consideration, in light of some of the comments that have been posted, I feel that I should clarify what I hoped to accomplish with this petition. The purpose of this petition was not to in any way threaten the careers or earning potential of licensed veterinary technicians (LVTs). The purpose of this petition is to encourage the Board and its licensees to work together to solve the problem that the veterinary profession in Virginia currently faces. The problem is that there are inadequate numbers of LVTs to support the quality and quantity of veterinary services required to meet the prevailing standard of care for our patients. Long ago, the current regulation which prohibits unlicensed staff members from placing IV catheters was enacted with the intention of improving the quality of care for our patients and promoting an increase in the numbers of LVTs. Unfortunately, during the time the regulation has been in place, the number of LVTs has not kept pace with demand. As a result, the quality, timely availability and affordability of veterinary care are suffering.
Allowing unlicensed trained staff members to place IV catheters is only part of the solution intended to afford practitioners a mechanism to provide high quality patient care given the current LVT shortage. This must be coupled with other provisions that assure that the unlicensed staff members are trained to safely place IV catheters. Then, the regulations must be enforced. I propose a multifaceted approach to deal with this problem in stages. The first stage is allowing unlicensed trained staff members to place IV catheters. However, practices would only be allowed to utilize unlicensed staff members for IV catheter placement if certain requirements are met such as:
Keeping documentation on file that these unlicensed staff members receive adequate training to place an IV catheter.
Taking action to increase the number of LVTs in the workplace. One example that would meet this requirement would be to sponsor or contribute to an LVT scholarship program. Checking compliance with all of these requirements should be part of the veterinary facility inspection form. The inspector would confirm that the practice is meeting all requirements at the time of the facility inspection.
The next stage to address the shortage of LVTs would be for the Board to appoint an advisory panel composed of Board members, veterinarians and LVTs to objectively evaluate the current status of the veterinary work force and propose solutions that can be implemented on a widespread basis to increase the numbers of good quality practicing LVTs.
There are several factors contributing to the shortage of LVTs, some of which are the lack of career longevity, inability of training programs to recruit and retain qualified applicants and lack of opportunities for professional and financial advancement. No one regulation, one person or group, can address all of these factors successfully. Long term, consistent attention and cooperation will be required in order to improve the current situation. We as a profession, veterinarians, LVT’s, Board members, must work together to find creative solutions allowing us to meet the public’s demand for high quality patient care now and in the future. Our patients and clients deserve nothing less.
Rena Allen, DVM