Guidance on Task Supervision Levels for Veterinary Technicians and Assistants

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Supplemental Information Items Highlighted in Green were clearly delineated in existing regulation and are not changes or

clarifications to existing practices that should have been followed. Items Highlighted in Red have the following clarifications listed below:

1. Administering Rabies Vaccines - CH0588(2023 HB0325) Established that animal shelter

workers under the Indirect Supervision of a Veterinarian may administer Rabies Vaccines to shelter animals under the care and control of the shelter.

1. Euthanasia at an Emergency Hospital - Veterinary Technicians may perform euthanasia's in
   Emergency situations at the Veterinarian's discretion. An exam must have been completed by the Veterinarian and the owner should be informed that the procedure will be done by a Veterinary Technician. The Board highly recommends Veterinary Technicians be certified through a Euthanasia by Injection training course.

2. Basic Life Support (CPR) - Veterinary Technicians may initialize CPR before being seen by a

Veterinary Practitioner in emergency situations. A Veterinarian should immediately be made aware of the situation and make every effort to address the emergency as soon as actionable.

1. Basic Life Support (CPR) - The Board understands that a Veterinary Practitioner may utilize
   all of the resources available at the time of an emergency presentation to provide life saving support to a patient. This would include utilizing a Veterinary Assistant who has been appropriately trained to aid in CPR.

2. Gastric and Tracheal Intubation, Urinary and IV Catheter Care, and Phlebotomy, Blood
   Typing, and Monitoring Transfusions, Suture and Staple Removal - These tasks may be performed by a trained Veterinary Assistant under the immediate supervision of a Veterinary Practitioner while the Veterinary Practitioner is actively engaged in the care/treatment of the patient for which auxiliary support is being provided.

3. Administering Vaccines (Other Than Rabies) - A Veterinary Assistant may administer a

Vaccine(other than rabies) following a Veterinary Practitioners recent physical examination that has determined that the patient is healthy enough to be vaccinated. This would

include follow-up vaccine appointments that occur for vaccines in a series (such as

distemper) in which the patient did not have an adverse reaction to the initial vaccine. The Veterinary Assistant should be trained to identify any visible condition that may be reason to believe a Veterinary Practitioner should perform an exam before administering series vaccines and if a Veterinary Practitioner is not available due to other appointments the appointment should be rescheduled with the Veterinary Practitioner.

1. Filling Prescriptions - A Veterinary Assistant may fill a prescription for a non-controlled

substance under direct or immediate supervision. The supervising Veterinary Practitioner

or Veterinary Technician should verify the accuracy of the prescription before it is provided to the client. Veterinary Assistants should never have access to Controlled Dangerous Substances.

1. Microchip Insertion, Husbandry, Nail Trims - While these are common practices that occur

at a Veterinary Hospital, these items are not limited to Veterinary staff and do not require Veterinary supervision to be performed unless these require an animal to be sedated for safe handling.