Proposition 129 introduces an entirely new role in Colorado called a Veterinary Professional Associate or VPA, whose training would be mostly online with minimal hands-on instruction. If passed, Proposition 129 would allow VPAs to practice veterinary medicine, including performing surgery after only a one-semester internship. Read the full text here.
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Veterinarians practicing in Colorado today oppose Proposition 129. They know that adding mid-level positions doesn’t result in better clinical outcomes for animals.
When it comes to your pet’s safety and well-being, even routine procedures can become complicated. Proposition 129 would allow someone with inadequate training to perform surgery on your pet. A veterinary professional associate is not a mid-level provider like a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant to a doctor. It’s the equivalent of completing a mostly online program with minimal training, and this measure would allow Veterinary Professional Associates to perform surgery after only a one-semester internship.
Proposition 129 is designed to fool voters into creating a new position for a job that does not exist so colleges can make more money from unsuspecting students who will face limited job security due to varying state regulations. It is being pushed by a small group of special interests and corporations who stand to make millions by dangerously changing pet healthcare at the ballot box. Your pet deserves to be seen by a veterinarian—not an undertrained veterinary professional associate who received their training through mostly online coursework.
There is a reason we trust our vets.
Vote NO on Proposition 129.