Based on the comments by Jennifer, I feel the need to revise my comments and now I do not support this change. change. 

First of all being a health care professional for 35 years and now specializing in patient safety events, quality and claims and litigation, I am well aware of the training process.  It is insulting to think that non-vets do not “understand”.

Second, unlike the human patient who understands when a student nurse, intern, resident or respiratory therapist is working with them, my cats do not understand.  My cats are stressed just being placed in the carrier and riding to the vets.  Then they have something of an exam by the vet tech, and then they are examined by the vet.  I see no need to add the extra stress of being examined by a student, who may not possess the appropriate skills to do the examination. Animals pick up very quickly if someone is not comfortable handling them.

While a thorough physical exam is not invasive, it is intrusive and stressful for some companion animals.

Third, I certainly do not want a student to be practicing drawing blood on my pets.  My cats do not understand why they are being stuck with a needle and I do not want them being stuck 2 or 3 times, so someone gets to practice. But my cats do know that the needle stick hurts.

And lastly, I am certainly not comforted by the comment that veterinarians are responsible for the health and care of their patients.  I had a fully licensed vet, leave a non-responsive kitten all alone without so much as a one minute phone call to the owners that the kitten who was previously waking up fine from surgery was not non-responsive 4 hours after surgery. This licensed vet lacked any critical thinking and certainly was not being responsible for the health and welfare of my kitten.  As a non-vet, but health care profession, I am well aware that a patient who is wakiing up well at 2:30 from a surgical procedure that ended at 1135 am and is non-responsive at 4:40 pm, is in dire need of emergent care.  Not to mention, this non-vet who does not "understand", would have immediately transferred my kitten to an overnight clinic had this "vet" possessed the critical thinking skills to make a phone call.  And this vet board, made up of licensed vets, found that to be an appropriate standard of care in VA.  But that notification is not required of vets in VA.  It is perfectly fine to leave a non responsive kitten all alone in the dark.  I should have been allowed to make an informed decision as to how to care for my kitten.  But I was denied that opportunity to make an informed decision for my kitten, by a vet who lacked any kind of critical thinking or compassion for the most innocent of all, a six month old kitten.  But this board did not even think this vet should be required to take additional training in the care of post operative animals who may not be responding well to anesthesia.

Respectfully submitted,

Molly Mittens Mom