AAVSB tapped to develop VPA licensing examination

Colorado is moving closer to putting the nation's first veterinary professional associate (VPA) into practice, but key questions about how these graduates will be credentialed and tested remain unresolved.

On June 11, the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine (CSBVM) voted to advance the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) as the developer of the licensing examination for the VPA role.¹ The board stopped short of naming a credentialing agency, however, deferring that decision until its August 13 meeting.

The timing carries weight. Colorado State University's master's in veterinary clinical care program, which is a 5-semester degree designed to prepare VPAs, is expected to enroll its first class this fall. Those graduates cannot practice until they are credentialed and licensed, placing pressure on regulators to finalize the framework.

A contested origin

The VPA position exists because of Proposition 129, a ballot measure Colorado voters narrowly approved in November 2024 with roughly 52% of the vote.² The measure passed over broad opposition from the veterinary community and established only minimal parameters for VPA education and qualifications. It fell to the CSBVM, housed within the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), to define the credentialing process, examination, and scope of practice through rulemaking. State legislators later passed House Bill 25-1285 to provide additional guidance.

The AAVSB, a national association representing veterinary licensing boards across the US and Canada, was the CSBVM's original choice to build the credentialing process and examination. Its board of directors approved funding in June 2024 to begin developing a national exam, a process that takes nearly 2 years, and the Colorado board voted in August 2025 to proceed with the association.

Complicating that partnership, the AAVSB adopted a resolution in September 2025 opposing endorsement of the VPA, also referred to as a midlevel practitioner. The resolution argued that Proposition 129 bypassed the traditional stakeholder-driven legislative process and left most regulatory boards nationwide unconvinced of the role's need, safety, or benefit. AAVSB leadership maintained the resolution would not affect its support for Colorado's implementation, though it indicated it would delay developing model documents until the VPA gained wider recognition.

Weighing the options

Following the resolution, the CSBVM reopened its rulemaking process to proposals from other vendors and to stakeholder feedback. According to Sarah Werner, deputy director for policy and communications in DORA's executive director's office, the board received 44 written comments split between backing the AAVSB and recommending an alternative. Suggested alternatives included the NAVC and the International Council on Veterinary Assessment, which administers the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination.

“The position statement is hard to let go, because the timing was impactful, in my opinion. We voted in August and the position statement came in September. I appreciate that staff is separate from the board, but the staff works under board’s direction. Whatever vendor we chose, we have to choose them to do their job and then step back, not tell them how to do their job. Let them know what we want as the outcome, but then let them do their job," said Tracey Jensen, DVM, DABVP, CVA.¹

Rather than issue a request for proposals, which could take months, the board approved forming a subcommittee to draft a memorandum of understanding with the AAVSB by August 13. As board member Anna Stout noted, the step does not bind Colorado to the association but moves the process forward while preserving the option to pursue another partner.

References

1. Larkin M. AAVSB to create veterinary professional associate licensing exam. American Veterinary Medical Association. July 15, 2026. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.avma.org/news/aavsb-create-veterinary-professional-associate-licensing-exam
2. Coloradans vote yes to midlevel practitioner proposal. dvm360. November 13, 2024. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://www.dvm360.com/view/coloradans-vote-yes-to-midlevel-practitioner-proposal