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Prop 129 info - lisac - 10-15-2024
Hi Jimtowners, Overlanders and Bar-K ers!
Many of you have contacted me about Prop 129 on the ballot- the creation of a veterinary professional associate (VPA), so I figured I would put this out there for your consideration. I recommend voting NO on Prop 129, and here's why.
This initiative, if passed would create a VPA who would be trained through three semesters of online courses and an internship. This VPA would then be able to diagnose, treat and perform surgery with very little training or experience. I feel this is really inadequate training and a serious risk to our pets. There is no national exam, accreditation or agreement on what this kind of certification would look like for this professional. There is also a hefty $50K- ish price tag on this education, with no assurance of accreditation or licensing. Indeed, the VPA liability insurance would fall under the veterinarian in the practice, which is likely to make insurance costs higher and could actually make pet care costs higher.
I am not opposed to the creation of a veterinary mid-level practitioner in general (which would be similar to an NP or PA in human medicine) but if this position is created I would like it to be a thoughtful collaboration of veterinary associations and schools throughout the country, which this initiative absolutely does NOT represent. The question is why this position is on the ballot for the public to decide at all. The answer is that every veterinary medical association is opposed to the position as it would be created by this initiative, so the proponents of the initiative paid a company to have people stand outside of big box stores collecting signatures to get this on the ballot. The language and advertising is meant to pull on pet family heartstrings and also makes it sound as though this will make veterinary care more affordable and accessible. The opposite is actually true.
Professional associations opposed to this initiative include the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and the CVMA (Colorado Veterinary Medical Association) and many others.
The AVMA statement can be read here:
https://www.avma.org/advocacy/workforce-what-best-safe-quality-animal-care/colorados-proposed-vpa
A recent study came out also found that there is unlikely to be a veterinary shortage in the next 10 years. The results of the study are discussed here:
https://www.avma.org/news/no-dire-shortage-veterinarians-anticipated-coming-years
There are 13 new colleges in the process of accreditation, which is set to increase the veterinary workforce by a significant amount and will help serve to stabilize pricing. In addition, Colorado recently passed a bill increasing the scope of practice of veterinary technicians to help with the workforce and accessibility issues. This is great news for certified veterinary technicians who have historically been underpaid and underutilized in our field. This bill will help stabilize the profession AND empower professionals already dedicated to animals with more responsibility and a living wage. The creation of a VPA would displace and dishonor our CVTs who have been to school and training for years and would be the best candidates to fill this role. You can read more about this bill here:
https://www.avma.org/news/colorado-enacts-bills-impacting-veterinary-technician-scope-practice-telemedicine
Lastly, I encourage everyone to read and research all of the propositions on the ballot this year carefully. The money trail can be convoluted, as it is in this case of Prop 129. I could go on and on about it but suffice to say that there are very wealthy corporate and private equity interests that have a lot of money behind this initiative. I've probably already written enough to challenge anyone's bandwidth with this one topic, but it is near and dear to me for obvious reasons. I'll cross post this on my FB page for anyone not on the BB.
TLDR: Please vote no on Prop 129!
Thanks for reading and considering!
Lisa Cass DVM CVMA
RE: Prop 129 info - Rose H-H - 10-15-2024
Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful piece. And thanks for helping with our ballot homework!!!
RE: Prop 129 info - tulkula - 10-15-2024
Thank you for taking the time and for caring so much Lisa!
RE: Prop 129 info - Nancy Farmer - 10-15-2024
Thank you for educating us on this, Lisa - it's a well thought out explanation and now I know that. If you post on FB I will share.