Many of the previous comments on this feed have suggested that a change in the current veterinary curriculum would be more beneficial than the proposed legislation.  However, as a junior student at the VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, I do not think this is a practical or even possible solution to the current lack of hands-on experience prior to graduation.  There simply is not enough time or faculty to teach EVERY procedure to each of the 100+ students in each class.  Even if we are allowed the opportunity to perform a procedure on one of the many wonderful dogs at our veterinary college, IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) protocol often restricts us to one attempt, which is NOT sufficient for building confidence in skill performance.  However, there are many competent, experienced veterinarians in private practice that are more than willing to take the time to appropriately teach and mentor ALL vet students IF the veterinarian is willing to do so.  This legislative change gives the LICENSED VETERINARIAN (rather than Virginia Law) the choice to decide if the student is competent enough to perform the procedure while supervised.     

As a side note and in defense of my school, VMRCVM staff has made many efforts to do what they can to help.  The school has increased exposure to hand-on skills through the use of models and a new “skills lab” where students can practice skills such as suturing, gowning and gloving, instrument handling, placing catheters, etc.  These efforts by the school allow students to become competent with techniques ON MODELS (suturing on foam boards, using IV tubing to simulate a vein) which is helpful, but there is NO substitute for practicing these same techniques on a live animal under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.  The confidence to perform these valuable clinical techniques cannot be obtained in a classroom, or a 2 hour laboratory, or even 12 months in clinics.  I hope you will consider the benefits this will have for our students, the community, and the animals that we have taken an oath to serve.