Only a Week Left

As I expected, the vet school get-out-the-comments campaign is moving right along. If you haven’t gone on record with your position regarding vet student practice in private offices before the fourth year, now is the time: http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/comments.cfm?stageid=7088 The comments posted by students and faculty emphasize the benefits of continuous practice of skills learned. In principle, I agree with them and I wish I could support this proposal. However, to expand student practice in the current uncontrolled environment would put patients at risk and would not be beneficial to students, or in the long run, their future clients and patients. If the Board were to require these three things, I could change my position: 1. Require owner consent for students to perform any task which ordinarily requires a license 2. Set enforceable standards about what students are permitted to do at each stage of their education 3. Set enforceable standards for veterinarians to supervise students (remember that 25% of the Virginia practices on the vet school’s current list of approved sites have a vet with a disciplinary history) I have read all of the disciplinary reports, and I don’t believe that some of these veterinarians have the judgment to limit students to performing only the tasks for which they have already received instruction. So until the Board provides the public with safeguards against inappropriate student practice, I believe that student involvement with patient care in the first two years should be limited to observation only – and with owner consent for patient care by students in their third and fourth years. You may agree, or you may feel differently. Whatever your opinion, it’s important that you be heard, so please go to TownHall and add your comment: http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/comments.cfm?stageid=7088 As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions: LeeHenkel01@gmail.com