The Board of Veterinary Medicine is currently considering a change to the regulations which would permit first, second, and third year veterinary students to practice veterinary medicine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Currently the regulations require that students have reached their fourth year before they can begin supervised hands-on practice.

This change was proposed to the Board by a third year vet student at VA Tech. As of today, there were just over 70 comments, almost totally from VA Tech faculty and students, and strongly supportive of this change. There is an interesting pattern to the students’ comments – they don’t feel that the clinical experience that they get in their fourth year adequately prepares them for independent practice.

The solution to that problem is not to begin their clinical experience before they have finished the classroom phase of their education. The solution is to revamp the fourth year of the program so that graduates are properly prepared. They deserve it, and all of the clients and animals they will care for during their careers deserve it.

There are serious problems with the proposed change. 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.

Would you find this situation acceptable for you and your animals?