A.G. Gancarski
Based on Wednesday’s action in the Legislature, your cats, dogs and other pets may have some extra help during future vet visits.
Sen. Jennifer Bradley’s legislation (SB 652), which qualifies “veterinary professional associates,” moved forward in the Regulated Industries Committee and now has two stops before the floor.
Hours later, the companion bill from Republican Rep. Lauren Melo cleared its first hurdle in the Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee.
However, in both committees, the bill was a subject of robust debate among lawmakers and stakeholders, as is typical historically when expansions of scope of practice are considered in Florida’s legislative process.
On the Senate side, Bradley noted that this bill simply extends the long-standing parameters that apply to human care to house pets.
“Almost 50 years ago back in 1976, we first recognized physicians’ assistants for humans, allowing PAs to practice under physician supervision. This bill brings the same model to veterinary care,” she said.
As with PAs, these assistants would not be able to do anything a vet can do.
These associates must be trained, with master’s degrees from approved programs. And in most cases, they must be supervised.
They can give shots and submit the animal to anesthesia with the vet on hand, and can give medicine and get stool and blood samples unsupervised. However, they are barred from prescribing drugs or performing surgery except for spaying and neutering.
The supervising vet is liable if the associate commits an error.
Reaction to the bill in the Senate defied traditional partisan lines.
Sen. Jim Boyd — a Republican, like Bradley — objected to the bill, saying that vets he had talked to had raised concerns about assistants doing these surgeries.
However, Senate Democratic Leader Jason Pizzo said he backs the legislation.
Ahead of the unanimous vote in the House hearing, Melo suggested also that the bill, which she said was an “optional tool for veterinarians,” could lower costs for pet owners.
She also noted that supervising vets would be liable in the case of malpractice, and added that said vets would have to be “in person or easily accessible.”
The Animal Legal Defense Fund and Americans for Prosperity support this proposal. However, representatives of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association expressed caution at both stops, arguing that VPAs wouldn’t have sufficient training to handle complex procedures, and that they couldn’t prescribe controlled medicine if needed during surgery.
The bill takes effect in July if ratified.
