Know the facts about the proposed midlevel practitioner

Efforts underway across the country aim to create a new “midlevel practitioner” (MLP) in veterinary medicine whose role would overlap the training and responsibilities of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician specialists. In fact, most proposals would authorize the MLP to diagnose, prognose, and develop treatment plans, including performing surgery, but with vastly less education and clinical exposure than a veterinarian receives while earning their doctor of veterinary medicine degree. The AVMA opposes these efforts due to clear threats to patient health and safety, the safety of animal products, and public health.

Alarmingly, proponents want to make the supervising veterinarian legally responsible for all of the actions of a midlevel practitioner, whether they failed to identify a problem and address it or whether they identified a problem and the action taken was deemed inappropriate. With significantly less education and training than a veterinarian, a midlevel practitioner would be highly vulnerable to clinical errors, board complaints, and malpractice claims, and the supervising veterinarian would be held accountable. Proponents, often not veterinarians, are asking veterinarians to shoulder all the risk.

One example is a proposed program being considered at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The program’s proposed curriculum—comprising a mere three semesters of online lectures (no laboratories); a fourth semester of truncated clinical skills training; and a fifth semester off-campus internship/practicum—would not prepare its graduates to safely and effectively care for animal patients. Yet, despite this severely compressed curriculum and minimal clinical exposure, graduates would be expected to diagnose, prognose, create treatment plans, and perform surgery (neuters, spays, and dentals (including surgical extractions), which ironically are among the top drivers of complaints to professional liability program sponsored by the AVMA PLIT)—all without passing a national examination or being licensed. On Thursday, April 24, 2024, the AVMA and Colorado VMA met with leadership from CSU to convey our considerable concern about the program.

However, the program at CSU is just one example of several efforts toward creating such a position. It’s imperative that you, as a future veterinarian, understand the negative impacts such proposals would have on the quality of veterinary care delivered, animal health and safety, and the careers of veterinary professionals, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Learn more about the risks of a proposed midlevel position here.