This is a very bad idea.  Clearly it is a very popular idea with vet students and faculty, but I doubt that the general public would be pleased to have their animals cared for in this fashion.  I personally wouldn’t tolerate it.

These students have not yet had enough class time to really know what they are doing.  Hands-on practice is what their fourth year of school is all about.  If they aren’t getting what they need in that part of the program, someone needs to look at the program and redesign it, not send inexperienced students out to learn by doing.

There are no controls – NONE – on what a first, second, or third year vet student can do.  It’s totally up to the supervising veterinarian.  No requirement that pet owners be notified, or consent.  No indication of who is liable if something goes wrong.  No indication that the vet school has any responsibility for assuring that the work experience is in fact educational, and not cheap or free labor.  If we’re realistic, we recognize that practicing veterinarians cover the entire spectrum of clinical competence, from barely adequate to superb, and their ethics cover the same range.  We also know that not every highly qualified professional is able to teach effectively.

If you accept this proposed change, you will be creating an “anything goes” situation that can adversely affect the health and safety of Virginia pets and farm animals.  Please don’t do that.