Aanestad Veterinary Practice Bill Clears Senate Floor, California

Main Category: Veterinary
Article Date: 12 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Legislation designed to improve the care of animals in California gained the unanimous support of the State Senate during floor session earlier this week, and will now move to the State Assembly. SB 969, authored by Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley), addresses the bureaucratic barriers and contradictory regulations concerning Registered Veterinary Technicians and Unregistered Assistants that prevent timely treatment for animals under veterinary care.

"This legislation will improve access to veterinary care in California by allowing sick or injured animals to receive proper treatment from licensed individuals," said Senator Aanestad. "This change, in turn, will give licensed veterinarians more time to focus on additional patients."

Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs) and Unregistered Assistants (UAs) have been allowed to administer controlled substances under the indirect supervision of a Veterinarian for countless years. However, a recent ruling from the Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) legal counsel put a stop to this practice. The VMB has since taken action to resolve this problem for RVTs, but not for Unregistered Assistants.

The new regulations allow RVTs to administer controlled substances under indirect supervision of a veterinarian, but UAs would only be allowed to administer controlled substances under direct supervision - or when the veterinarian is directly on site.

"Although the VMB had good intentions with the new regulations, the action creates a problem for veterinarians who do not have RVTs on staff," said Senator Aanestad. "It's well known that there is a shortage of RVT's in California, and veterinarians who employ unregistered assistants face a real problem with this new regulation."

SB 969 attempts to alleviate this problem by allowing Registered Veterinary Technicians OR Unregistered Assistants to administer controlled substances under the indirect supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The change in law would not only help veterinarians in private practice, but also city and county animal shelters, which often do not have a veterinarian present on site.

SB 969 has the full support of the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and numerous veterinarians who operate private practices in California.

http://www.sen.ca.gov/aanestad

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