Rep. Karen McCormick to speak at Left Hand Animal Hospital

On August 11, at 12:30 p.m., the Left Hand Animal Hospital is hosting an event to discuss the Veterinary Practice Act (VPA) and technician regulation with State Representative Karen McCormick. Rep. McCormick was invited to the event as one of the prime sponsors of the bill. She is also a veterinarian in her professional life.

Erin Henninger, the Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT), has spent the past several years working to include technician regulation in the VPA.

“Prior to this regulation, anyone could work in the role of veterinary technician regardless of education, certification, and continuing education, so there was a lack of transparency surrounding the qualifications of individuals working on animals” Henninger said.

“The regulation establishes minimum competency qualifications … while also ensuring veterinary technicians and veterinarians understand what they are accountable for. We also support the experience-based pathways that are offered during the transition period from no regulation to regulation here in Colorado,” Henninger said. Those qualifications include graduation from an accredited program, passage of the Veterinary Technician National Exam, and completion of ongoing continuing education during one’s career.

The statute also outlines conditions for title protection for the titles “Registered Veterinary Technician” (RVT) and “Veterinary Technician” (VT). “Title protection is a means to clearly convey the qualifications of an individual using the title, which supports the goal of providing the public more transparency regarding the qualifications of the individuals working with their pets,” Henninger said. “We worked closely with stakeholder groups such as the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association and Rep. Karen McCormick to detail the statute language for the last legislative session.”

In 2021, Colorado was one of 10 states that do not currently license, register, establish minimum education criteria for, or define a scope of practice for veterinary technicians. Other requirements in the VPA include requiring veterinarians to create a written plan for the storage, security, and disposal of patient records and clarifying the requirements concerning confidential agreements.

This event will be held at 304 Franklin Street, Niwot, and is open to members of the public interested in becoming more informed on their veterinary healthcare team. Please RSVP before midnight on August 9.