In November 2024, Colorado voters approved Proposition 129, creating a new mid-level Veterinary role, the Veterinary Professional Associate or VPA. In concept, this role is intended to be the Veterinary version of a physician assistant, trained to manage clinical cases under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Colorado State University and Lincoln Memorial University have each launched a two-year Master of Veterinary Clinical Care degree program to train VPAs. Colorado’s first cohort started classes in Fall 2025, with graduation planned for Fall 2027 and LMU’s first class starts this fall.
Whether any of us supported or opposed the creation of this role, it is happening. We can either help shape it into a positive addition to Veterinary medicine or watch from the sidelines and critique the outcome after the fact.
I believe we have a responsibility to address our current situation by working together, engaging in open dialogue, and creating the best path forward for all of us—veterinarians, technician specialists, licensed and registered technicians, and trained Veterinary assistants alike.
Education and Current Law
For those who have not been following the details closely, here is what is currently in place. Both CSU and LMU require applicants to hold a bachelor’s degree, complete prerequisite science coursework, and submit multiple references and personal essays describing their Veterinary experience. Lincoln Memorial also requires applicants to be licensed or credentialed Veterinary technicians, while CSU requires a minimum of 150 hours of Veterinary experience or work instead. The curricula at both institutions closely mirror the DVM program for dogs and cats, with significant emphasis on advanced clinical skills, diagnostics, and client communication.
Currently, after the approval of proposition 129, only a few specifics have been outlined regarding requirements for these VPAs to enter the workforce and practice Veterinary medicine. The Colorado legislature approved HB25-1285, a bill establishing and modifying requirements related to VPAs. First, it states that VPAs must have a mutual supervisory agreement with a veterinarian. Second, it states that each veterinarian may supervise up to three VPAs at a time. The law also allows the board to establish an “equivalent registration pathway” for Veterinary Technician Specialists to register as VPAs after examination, potentially bypassing additional formal education.
Nearly everything else, including scope of practice to the creation of a licensing exam, is still being written. That is exactly why it is our responsibility to step up, speak up, and help ensure that this role prioritizes patient safety and strengthens our profession, rather than becoming a danger, driven primarily by financial pressures.
Small Animals First
So how should we curate and regulate a role that sits between technician and doctor? I believe the first step is agreeing on scope, starting with species.
The curricula at both Lincoln Memorial and Colorado State have one major thing in common. Nearly everything is focused exclusively on cats and dogs. Because of that, we should begin by limiting VPAs to those two species.
My proposal is that this first cohort be licensed as VPA-CP Small Animal, designating clinical practice, small animal. This clearly communicates the species restriction tied to their education and training. In the future, I think it would be ideal to parallel the VPA credentials to the current VTS credentials. This would not only allow our credentialed technician specialists the opportunity to eventually take a next step as a VPA, but also put additional specificity around the education and scope of these mid-level practitioners that may not be a VTS prior to starting their VPA program.
So for those who are interested working with exclusively felines, equines, production animals, or zoo animals, the pathways should require additional education, examination, and certification to become a VPA- CP Feline, VPA-Equine, VPA-CP Production Medicine, or VPA-Zoo respectively.
Depth before breadth is a safer place to start.
Defining the VPA Scope
If step one is clarifying species, step two is defining duties and placing guardrails. Proposition 129 states that “VPAs may perform tasks within their advanced education and training.” That language was intentionally broad and now sits in the hands of the Colorado Veterinary Board to clarify.
If I was sitting in the room discussing VPA scope, these would be my main points of conversation:
Liability: VPAs should carry their own professional liability insurance. While they practice under Veterinary supervision, responsibility for their decisions should rest with the VPA, not automatically shift to the supervising veterinarian. If this role is truly a step up from an LVT or VTS, then it should carry corresponding accountability. Without this, it is easy to understand why many veterinarians would remain hesitant to support and employ these professionals.
Illness care: Similar to a new graduate veterinarian, decisions about which cases a VPA can diagnose, treat, and manage independently versus collaboratively should rest with the supervising doctor. Each practice and veterinarian will know best which conditions, clients, and situations are appropriate for delegation.
Surgery and dentistry: A trained and experienced VPA-SA may be permitted to perform routine castration, ovariectomies, ovariohysterectomies, laceration repairs, and both simple and surgical dental extractions. These procedures should require a supervising veterinarian to be on site, with anesthetic protocols reviewed and approved in advance.
Preventive care: VPAs should be fully empowered to manage preventive medicine appointments. This includes wellness exams, vaccinations, parasite screenings, and client education related to nutrition, behavior, and general pet care.
Collaboration and the Path Forward
It is entirely reasonable that many of us in Veterinary medicine have concerns about introducing VPAs into our field. Questions around training standards, patient safety, and the impact on existing roles are valid and worth addressing.
But the law has passed, and arguing will not stop the train. What we can do is help decide where the tracks lead.
The Colorado Board of Veterinary Medicine is actively working with veterinarians, technicians, animal welfare advocates, and pet owners to draft the final rules. I strongly encourage colleagues across the profession, from practice owners to academics and from technicians to managers, to participate. Real world input now will matter far more than frustration later.
We also need to be intentional about protecting and elevating our Veterinary technicians. Many doctors and technicians worry that VPAs could diminish the technician role, and that concern should be taken seriously. The emergence of VPAs does not have to come at the expense of technicians. In fact, it can reinforce their importance if we are equally serious about defining technician scope, protecting credentials, and ensuring accountability across all paraprofessional roles, not just the newest one.
Change is coming, and that is both scary and okay. Veterinary medicine has evolved many times before with new vaccines, new drugs, new specialties, and new laws. This is simply the next chapter. Clearly defining what VPAs can do, while also confronting the inconsistencies already present in our workforce, will help ensure this role becomes an asset rather than another source of friction.
At the end of the day, this moment is less about choosing sides and more about choosing to be honest about where we are. If we are going to demand structure, accountability, and protection for one role, we should be prepared to extend that same standard to all members of the Veterinary team. Of course, these points offer only a 30,000-foot view of a deeply nuanced shift in our profession; the issue is far from straightforward, and we could easily spend pages and pages analyzing the complexities that require much more detailed conversation and debate.
By engaging proactively and focusing on quality care above all else, we can shape the Veterinary Professional Associate role into something that strengthens our teams, supports our veterinarians, and ultimately benefits our patients and clients alike.
REFERENCES:
Colorado Legislative Bill Colorado General Assembly. HB25-1285: Veterinary Workforce Requirements. 2025 Regular Session, Colorado Legislature, https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb25-1285
Colorado State University Veterinary Clinical Care Program Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Master of Science in Veterinary Clinical Care. Colorado State University, https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/degree-programs/graduate/master-of-science-in-Veterinary-clinical-care/
Lincoln Memorial University Veterinary Clinical Care Program Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine. Master of Veterinary Clinical Care. Lincoln Memorial University, https://www.lmunet.edu/college-of-Veterinary-medicine/graduate-programs/master-of-Veterinary-clinical-care/
AVMA on Veterinary Midlevel Practitioner / Workforce Policy American Veterinary Medical Association. Veterinary Midlevel Position (MLP). AVMA, https://www.avma.org/advocacy/workforce-what-best-safe-quality-animal-care/Veterinary-midlevel-position-mlp