Dr. Eric Weigand
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SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — New powers proposed for registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) have the California Veterinary Medical Assocation (CVMA)
squarely opposed.
If passed at a Jan. 25 licensing board hearing, California would rank as the first state to grant RVT's authorization to incise
the skin for placement of intravascular catheters, among other procedures. The meausre's language also calls for requiring
an RVT license to administer IV chemotherapy drugs as well as anesthesia by January 2011.
Proponents of the expansion measure cite the new RVT job tasks as a means for increasing earning potential, which could translate
to higher retention, recruitment and career satisfaction rates. The state's "chronic" shortage of RVTs is rooted in lack of
pay, recognition and advancement as well as competition with unregistered assistants, the California Veterinary Medical Board's
(CVMB) Registered Veterinary Technician Committee (RVTC) says.
CVMA vows to fight. Its leaders paint the move as dangerous. While association representatives plan to take issue with the
job tasks expansion during the public hearing, they lack the power to stop a vote by the licensing board. CVMA President Dr.
Eric Weigand contends the proposal goes "too far." "Every definition of surgery starts with incision, and that's the job of a veterinarian," he says. "This is not good for California
consumers and especially not good for the veterinary profession. If this anesthesia language passes, you can bet we'll have
a crisis on our hands by 2011."
Domino effect
The fallout Weigand predicts involves owners forced to scramble for more RVTs when supply is low, and demand likely will cause
salaries to skyrocket, he says. According to CVMA figures, 3,556 RVTs are licensed in California, with many assumed to work
for universities and drug companies in the state. That means a shortage for California's 7,093 resident DVMs.
Sue Geranen
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"RVTs are tough to find almost anywhere," says Weigand, owner of a small animal practice in Claremont, Calif. "My registered
technician isn't here all hours of operation. If this passes, it will make services less available and more expensive to the
consumer. It will make referral oncology practices a nightmare to maintain."
Proficiency also is a concern considering programs are variable. "A license does not ensure competency, and that's a big issue,"
Weigand adds.
Promoting career advancement
At issue for Dr. Richard Johnson is CVMA's alleged unwillingness to legitimize RVTs. As chair of the licensing board's RVT
task force committee, Johnson notes the group's year-and-a-half commitment to developing the new rules and holds the CVMA
responsible for not addressing retention long ago. The owner of a 13-doctor practice in San Diego says California is the only
state in the country that designates differences between unlicensed and licensed technicians using only four job tasks: application
of casts and splints, anesthesia induction by inhalation or intravenous injection, suturing of existing skin incisions and
dental extractions.
"Why become an RVT if you're not doing anything different from people off the street?" Johnson asks. "We need to allow them
to do procedures outside of cleaning cages and holding dogs. Unless we give something else a try, we're just maintaining the
status quo. We're losing our technicians."
To Johnson and other expansion supporters, opening that door means eventually allowing technicians into the realm of diagnosing,
prescribing and minor surgery — duties physician assistants in California can perform.
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