Advocating for career advancement and recognition for CVT’s of Colorado.
The Colorado veterinary community has been buzzing about the new recommendation for regulation of veterinary technicians. But what does this actually mean? What does the process look like? How will it affect your practice?
Starting April 2020, the CACVT formulated a task force of CVT’s from around the front range to put together a Sunrise Application to submit to DORA for title protection and regulation of veterinary technicians in the state. The sunrise review process was established by DORA “as a way to determine whether regulation of a certain profession or occupation is necessary ”. In CACVT’s annual survey to its members, they found that title protection was one of the most important things to CVT’s in the state. If you talk to most CVT’s they would tell you they are frustrated that their education, knowledge and certification are not appreciated in practice and that there is such a lack of recognition to their title.
The sunrise review involved the advocacy task force looking at the other 41 states in the country that require certification/licensure for their technicians, this included looking at their practice acts and determining the requirements to practice as a veterinary technician. They also had to answer questions on why regulation would be beneficial to the general public, pet owners, patients and our doctors. This was all submitted to DORA in November of 2020.
On October 15th, 2021, DORA agreed that regulation of CVT’s is needed. Regulation would be used to establish a minimum level of competency and an understanding of the appropriate duties for veterinary technicians. This would involve at least a requirement of graduation from an AVMA accredited program and passing of the VTNE. To read more about how regulation fulfills DORA’s main goal of public protection, take a quick look at the Sunrise Report.
With regulation, a handful of valid questions have come up. These include;
Q: Is there decision to allow alternate track credentialing for those who have been in the field for years or if they will be “grandfathered” in?
A: This is unknown at this time, the CVCVT Board of Directors is looking at different options and what this would look like.
Q: How will this affect the CVT shortage in Colorado?
A: Regulation of veterinary technicians would offer a positive impact on the industry. The CACVT and the CVMA have been working together to make sure that regulation would support growth for both veterinary technicians and the veterinary industry in the state.
Q: Would there be scope of practice that would limit tasks to credentialed veterinary technicians?
A: The CACVT is working with the CVMA on this as well but no developments have been made.
They have released a joint statement identifying their common goals. For insights into the above questions and more information from CACVT, you can visit their Professional Regulation webpage.
So where exactly is this Sunrise Review in the grand scheme of how a Bill becomes a Law? Looking at the flow chart below, we are just before “Introducing Legislation”. It is quite a lengthy process as we move along.
So what can you expect to see coming up? DORA has recommended that regulation is not implemented until 2023, so it’s unlikely that you will see any changes in the near future. For the latest information, CACVT and CVMA will be great resources!
Leslie is a CVT of 12 years, she is originally from Wisconsin where she received her Associates degree in Veterinary Technology from MATC and Bachelors degree in Animal Science from UW River Falls. She has a background in large animal medicine, research animal medicine, general practice and emergency/critical care. When not working for VSS, she works for Soul Dog Rescue running anesthesia, sits on the Board of Directors and the Advocacy Task Force for CACVT and is the Chair of the Wellbeing Task Force for NAVTA. Her passions include gaining title protection for CVT’s in the state of Colorado and helping fellow technicians have a work life balance. In her spare time, she enjoys horseback riding, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, down hill skiing, and camping. She currently resides in Arvada where she shares her home with her husband, cats Artie and Mama Cass and 1 adventure dog Malcom.