The Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) Concept: Suggested Roles, Responsibilities, Skills, Knowledge, and Competencies

Capacity in the veterinary medical profession is currently insufficient to meet demand for veterinary services in the U.S.1,2,3,4 Although expansion of educational programs to train more veterinarians and veterinary nurses/technicians is well underway,4 it has been suggested that creating a new class of professional, a non-veterinarian clinician, should be considered.1 A group of thought leaders in academic veterinary medicine convened to consider this concept as one method to help address inadequate capacity in the veterinary medical profession. By consensus, the group agreed the Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) would be a new professional position in veterinary medicine that would bolster healthcare access and outcomes, while enhancing operations of healthcare teams. The VPA should work under supervision of a licensed veterinarian and would be distinguished from a Credentialed Veterinary Nurse/Technician (CrVN/T) in that their education would emphasize competencies in front-line assessments, including obtaining a history and identification of abnormal findings on physical examination and diagnostic tests. In addition to education and training in the performance of basic medical and surgical skills, VPA training should also emphasize competencies in client communications, which will bolster the paradigms of contextual, incremental, narrative, adaptive, culturally competent, and spectrum-of-care delivery. The VPA would improve health care delivery through progressive team leadership and advanced care coordination/management, along with advanced case management, relieving the supervising veterinarian of these responsibilities. The VPA’s capability to serve in a front-line capacity and perform a variety of downstream medical and surgical tasks would enhance the efficiencies and proficiencies of the veterinary healthcare team.