To the Board Members,

The majority of the responses are not in favor of making the proposed changes to the law 18 VAC 150-20.  I have been in the veterinary profession for 14 years and a LVT for 10 years.   I took an oath at the beginning of my career to do no harm and give the best care I can.  No disrespect to the doctors who have already posted but I am in favor that assistants should not be monitoring patients under anesthesia at any time.

It may be a hardship in the beginning but in the end, we as a profession will have giving a higher standard of care to our patients.   Over my time in the field I have met and talked to assistants who feel they are equal to LVT’s for they do everything a LVT does so why should they get licensed.  Some years ago, I had asked an assistant the name of the vein in the front leg which she draws blood; to which she replied she did not know she just draws the blood from there.  A few years later at another practice, I asked another assistant why while manually bagging for anesthesia did she not go over 20MmHg?  She answered she didn’t know she just does it because that is what she was told.  This assistant at the time had been in the field 20 plus years; both situations scare me.

If you look at the Essential Skill List for the NAVTA approved Assistant Certification course it states under VI Surgical Preparation and Assisting; subsection A “Assist in performing surgical preparations” item number 8:  Aid the veterinarian/ or veterinary technician with physical monitoring of recovering surgical patients. You will notice it does NOT state for assistants to monitor under anesthesia but to “aid” the doctor or technician.  It also states under VII Laboratory Procedures; subsection A “Assistance in the Laboratory” item 3:  Assist in the collection of blood samples with restraint and supply preparation.  You will also notice it does NOT state for assistance to draw blood but to assist.  Therefore, under 18VAC150-20-172 Delegation of duties subsection B number 9 “Drawing blood samples” should be removed.  The four-page skills list does not even list dental polishing and scaling of teeth.  Which is list under 18VAC150-20-172 “Delegation of duties” subsection B “Additional duties which may be delegated by a veterinarian to a properly trained assistant” (please remove “but not limited to”); item 8: Dental polishing and scaling of teeth above the gum line (supragingival).  The NAVTA Assistant Certification course should be the standard for all assistants to be taught whether they get certified or not.  Not every veterinarian or LVT can teach or will follow the law.  This is the only way Technicians as a profession will be respected by letting us do our job for what we were schooled trained for and licensed for.

A lot of the responses say it will be a hardship on their practice that there is a shortage of LVTs.  But if there is such a large shortage in Virginia then why are the only ads out on the different web sites are for the large hospitals, ER, or overnight shifts or hospitals in Maryland?  Where are all the small practices that don’t have LVT’s?    I have been looking since December if hospitals are truly looking for LVTs then where are their ads?  Its easier to train none licensed staff then to respect and pay LVTs.  This a major problem with our profession and I hope that you board members are brave enough to make the needed changes for the good of the patients. Below is my name and email if any board member or anyone else wants to discuss my views.

Theresa Gray, LVT  mgray42437@icloud.com

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