I was present at the Legislative and Regulatory Committee where the change regarding monitoring of sedated and anesthetized patients was discussed and approved.  As I remember it, the discussion was not about what happens during surgery, when licensed staff are present.  The change was proposed in response to complaints regarding deaths which occurred when patients that had not fully recovered from anesthesia were left in the care of an unlicensed individual when the licensed staff left for the day.  Perhaps the concerns of the previous commenters could be resolved by rephrasing the section in question to read “The postoperative monitoring of a sedated or anesthetized patient may be delegated to an assistant, provided the patient is no longer intubated and provided a veterinarian or licensed veterinary technician remains on premises until the patient is fully recovered.”