While therapy dogs Pluto and Frankie took a rest Wednesday morning on the floor of Nurses Hall, budget advocacy kept chugging in the background.
Veterinary technicians were at the State House for the first Veterinary Youth Day, spreading the word about a Rep. Dan Hunt amendment (#1060) related to veterinary technician licensure that is expected to be considered by the end of the day.
“Currently, anybody can say that they’re a veterinary technician, regardless of what their background or their training is,” Massachusetts Veterinary Technician Association President Sandra Bolduc said. The amendment, which is also in a bill (H 4278, S 277) filed this session, would regulate technician licensure in Massachusetts.
The amendment directs the Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine to create rules and regulations to license and register techs, in order to develop and implement educational and practice standards, according to the association.
“Veterinarians need veterinary nurses to support them, and we’re just not seeing that same increase in output of veterinary technicians,” Bolduc said, noting that there’s been an increase in veterinary schools across the country, and therefore, veterinarians.
The field isn’t seeing enough techs to meet that rising demand, Bolduc said, “and not enough longevity in it. It can be challenging for folks to stay in the profession long-term, which is one of the things that we’re hoping for with licensure and title protection, is to sort of elevate the profession, make it more sustainable.”
Vet techs often get more hands-on time with their patients, Bolduc said, and have a shorter educational path than veterinarians via either a two- or four-year program and then a national credentialing exam.
The bill passed the House last session. Both House and Senate bills this session received favorable reports by the Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure and sit in their respective Ways and Means Committees.
Ella Adams is a reporter for the State House News Service and State Affairs Massachusetts. Reach her at ella.adams@statehousenews.com.Â
