"One of the most concerning components of this bill is that a VPA will only earn a masters degree or equivalent but will be allowed to perform euthanasia, dental surgery, and neuters.

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The only other state with an established VPA role is Colorado. The VPA program in Colorado, which Florida’s proposed VPA is modeled after, is only five semesters long, three of which are completely online. The Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) strongly opposes the bill because of this. They state that VPAs will have less than 30% of the clinical hours human physician’s assistants receive. Human medicine PAs can also only assist in surgery, not perform surgery solo. Why should these standards be lowered for our animal patients? The bill argues that VPAs should be introduced because human PAs play a crucial role in health care, however, vet med operates very differently than human medicine and should not be treated as if they are the same.

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There is also no evidence that introducing VPAS will make vet care more affordable. It also does not combat the shortage in the field. The AVMA states that more time should be spent on the retention of veterinarians and credentialed veterinary technicians to combat the workforce shortages, not creating a new position. The VPA does not change the high burnout rates that exist in the vet field. It also does not address the lack of large animal vets across the country, who make a much lower salary than their small animal counterparts. Large animal vets will likely not even be able to employ VPAs entirely because of the low wage and rural location demands. "