Veterinarians: veterinarian-client-patient relationship.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not specify whether the veterinarian must still be available quickly to help if needed, nor does it explicitly state that other parts of the law about how vet techs work with vets in regular veterinary clinics are unchanged.

Veterinarians: Rules for Vet Techs Administering Vaccines

The law allows registered veterinary technicians to give vaccines and medications in certain animal shelters if a veterinarian is nearby or can be reached by phone.

What This Bill Does

• Changes the rules so that vet techs can give vaccines and medicines for parasites at public, private, humane society, and cruelty prevention animal shelters if a vet is close by or reachable by phone.

Who It Names or Affects

• Registered veterinary technicians who give vaccines and medications to animals.
• Veterinarians who supervise registered veterinary technicians.
• Public, private, humane society, and cruelty prevention animal shelters where vet techs work.

Terms To Know

registered veterinary technician

A person trained and licensed to assist veterinarians in giving medical care to animals.

Veterinary Medicine Practice Act

The law that sets rules for how veterinarians can practice medicine in California.

Limits and Unknowns

• Only applies to certain types of animal shelters, not all places where animals are kept.
• Does not explain the consequences if a vet tech gives vaccines without following the new rules.
• The law does not specify how much it will cost or who pays for ensuring compliance with these rules.

Official Summary Text

SB 602, Cortese.
Veterinarians: veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board within the Department of Consumer Affairs for the licensure and regulation of veterinarians and the practice of veterinary medicine and makes a violation of the act a crime. Existing law authorizes a veterinarian to allow a registered veterinary technician to act as an agent of the veterinarian for the purpose of establishing the veterinarian-client-patient relationship to administer preventive or prophylactic vaccines or medications for the control or eradication of apparent or anticipated internal or external parasites by satisfying specified conditions, including, among other things, imposing different requirements relating to the proximity of the veterinarian depending upon where the registered veterinarian technician is administering the vaccine or medication. Specifically,
existing law requires either that the veterinarian is physically present at the premises when the registered veterinary technician is working at a registered veterinary premises, or, if working at a location other than a registered veterinary premises, that the veterinarian is in the general vicinity or available by telephone and is quickly and easily available.
This bill would revise the above-described condition to authorize a registered veterinary technician to administer the vaccine or medication in a registered veterinary premises that is a public animal control agency or shelter, private animal shelter, humane society shelter, or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter when the veterinarian is in the general vicinity or available by telephone and is quickly and easily available.
Because a violation of the bill’s provisions would be a crime under the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, the bill would
impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF