The VPA Is Here. The Profession Is Not Done Arguing About It.
A new kind of veterinary practitioner just became real in Colorado, and the rest of the country is watching closely.
On November 5, 2024, Colorado voters passed Proposition 129, creating the Veterinary Professional Associate, a mid-level veterinary role that does not exist anywhere else in the United States. The first VPAs could be working alongside veterinarians as early as 2027. Whether that is a solution to a genuine crisis or a threat to the profession depends entirely on who you ask.
What Is a VPA?
The Veterinary Professional Associate is a master's-level practitioner who can perform certain clinical tasks under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Think of it as the veterinary equivalent of a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in human medicine. Supporters of the model argued that Colorado's rural and underserved communities face a severe shortage of veterinary care, and that a supervised mid-level practitioner could help close that gap. The ballot measure passed with roughly 54% of the vote.
Opponents, including a significant portion of the veterinary profession itself — pushed back hard. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association opposed the measure. So did the AVMA. Credentialed veterinary technicians raised pointed questions about why a brand-new degree track was being created when their own scope of practice and professional recognition remain chronically undervalued.
NAVTA, the North American Veterinary Technician Association, has officially expressed opposition to the Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) or Mid-Level Practitioner (MLP) model, which was introduced in Colorado. NAVTA focuses on advancing credentialed veterinary technicians rather than creating a new role.
Why Veterinarians Are Worried
The access-to-care argument is real. Veterinary deserts exist. Wait times are long. Costs are high. Nobody serious is disputing any of that.
What veterinarians are disputing is whether this is the right fix — and whether the liability math adds up.
Under the VPA model, a supervising veterinarian carries legal responsibility for the VPA's clinical decisions. That is not a theoretical concern. It is a direct exposure question every practice owner and associate veterinarian will need to answer. What does supervision actually look like in practice? What happens when something goes wrong? What does your malpractice carrier say about it?
There are also deeper questions about what this does to the veterinary technician pipeline at a moment when the profession is already struggling to recruit and retain credentialed techs. If a VPA can perform tasks that previously required a veterinary degree, and a credentialed tech still cannot perform tasks they are fully trained to do, something is structurally broken in how this profession values its own people.
Is Colorado Just the Beginning?
Almost certainly yes. Ballot initiatives and legislative proposals around mid-level veterinary practitioners have been floated in other states. Colorado just became the proof of concept. Every state veterinary medical association in the country is now paying attention.
The debate is not going away. The VPA is not going away either.
What You Need to Know Right Now
Dr. Shannon Gregoire and Dr. Elan Armstrong break down the VPA debate from every angle on the latest episode of Catching Up with Vet Candy, Vet Candy's veterinary news show. They get into what a VPA is actually allowed to do, the liability risks for supervising veterinarians, what this means for credentialed technicians, and whether you should expect to see this conversation arrive in your state soon. If you have opinions about this — and you probably do — start here.
