The VPA model doesn't solve veterinary medicine's real problem

Colorado's Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) role is now law, created through Proposition 129 (Prop 129) in 2024 and then codified by House Bill 25-1285 on January 1, to bring a new mid-level credential into clinical practice.¹ VPAs will be permitted to practice veterinary medicine under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, following the completion of a master’s degree in veterinary clinical care. That may seem like a generous amount of training, until you compare it to the veterinarian pathway: when placed side by side, the training gap is substantially noticeable.

As one of the nation's largest veterinary groups, supporting more than 900 hospitals and 21,000 teammates, Mission Pet Health is opposed to the VPA role and its potential expansion into other states.² This isn't about protecting our turf. It's about preserving the highest clinical standards for pets and supporting, championing, and advocating for those already working within our hospitals and the profession more widely.

Workforce challenges within the veterinary profession, and access to veterinary care, are real issues that deserve attention, but trying to tackle the issue through added headcount via a new role is the wrong solution. Rather, we need to think differently about how we utilize the team members we already have. Credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs) are already licensed and trained, but in many practices, they're working well below their credentialed capacity. Building a new tier around them, rather than expanding what CrVTs are permitted and incentivized to do, only creates complexity and unnecessary competition between 2 roles with levels of education and accountability that are not comparable. It also does nothing for the forces driving attrition, including educational debt for veterinarians and lack of recognition, title protection, and limited advancement pathways for technicians who want more clinical responsibility and don't have anywhere to take it within the existing structure.

Prop 129 also assumes that VPA graduates will increase access to care by filling gaps in rural and low-income areas where veterinary care is scarce. That argument deserves scrutiny too, as if recent veterinary school graduates already gravitate away from those markets, there’s no clear evidence that a VPA would change that reality by choosing to work in those areas. Meanwhile, the underlying workforce data is shifting under the policy's feet. Projections show that there is likely to be sufficient DVM graduates to meet demand by 2035, following the post-COVID-19 expansion of veterinary school seats.³ Clinical volumes and new-client visits are already trending down industry-wide as practices adopt tools that improve efficiency and reduce burnout. VPAs would be entering the profession at precisely the moment the pressure is easing, directly competing with new DVM graduates for the same caseload.

There's also a supervision liability specific to this model that clinicians need to weigh carefully. Routine work is only routine until it is not. VPAs operate under veterinary supervision, but when something goes wrong, it's the supervising veterinarians license on the line, not the VPA's. That's a lot of risk to assume for decisions made by an individual with a fraction of the training.

We aren't alone in our opposition to the VPA role. The American Veterinary Medical Association, all 50 state VMAs plus the Washington DC, and Puerto Rico associations, American Animal Hospital Association, and National Association of Veterinary Technicians in American have each come out against the mid-level practitioner model.^4-6 That's a near-unanimous signal from a profession where often if you ask 3 individuals for their opinion on a subject, you get 4 views back.

Instead of adding complexity and competition from a role without the same level of training and accountability, we should be focused on supporting the CrVT professionals who are already integrated, yet underutilized, within the veterinary industry. This path better aligns with the data and offers meaningful career advancement for our very capable colleagues. At Mission Pet Health, we are advocating for title protection, expanded scope of practice for CrVTs, and real investment in veterinary technician specialist pathways.

Any proposed workforce solution should strengthen the existing clinical team rather than divide it. The profession doesn't need a new role competing for the same work. It needs the practitioners already in the building operating at the top of their license.

Dos Santos, FRCVS, graduated from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 2012, and spent a decade in first-opinion companion animal practice. In 2019-2020 she served as the youngest ever President of the British Veterinary Association, has served on various charity and not-for-profit boards, and has extensive experience in veterinary policy and advocacy, including animal welfare policy, workplace culture and regulation. Dos Santos relocated to Columbus, Ohio and joined Mission Pet Health in March 2026 as the Director of Governmental Relations.

References

1. HB25-1285, veterinary workforce requirements. Colorado General Assembly, 2025 Reg Sess. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1285
2. Mid-level practitioners and veterinary professional associates position statement. News release. Mission Pet Health. August 6, 2026. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://missionpethealth.com/2026/08/06/mid-level-practitioners-veterinary-professional-associates-position-statement/
3. Gitter R, LaFayette B. Demand for and supply of veterinarians in the US to 2032. American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges; 2024. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://www.aavmc.org/resource/demand-for-and-supply-of-veterinarians-in-the-u-s-to-2032/
4. Veterinary midlevel position (MLP). American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://www.avma.org/advocacy/workforce-what-best-safe-quality-animal-care/veterinary-midlevel-position-mlp
5. AAHA opposes mid-level practitioner role in veterinary medicine. American Animal Hospital Association. Published October 17, 2024. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://www.aaha.org/newstat/publications/aaha-opposes-mid-level-practitioner-role-in-veterinary-medicine/
6. NAVTA does not support VPA/MLP model, says credentialed tech-centered career pathway is the way to go. National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. Accessed August 12, 2026. https://navta.net/advocacy/navta-does-not-support-vpa-mlp-model-says-credentialed-tech-centered-career-pathway-is-the-way-to-go/