March 19 Listening Session Scheduled
Branchburg, NJ – In a long-awaited position statement from the preeminent association representing Veterinary Technicians in the United States, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) today made clear it does not support the current Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) or Mid-Level Practitioner (MLP) model. Instead, NAVTA supports a progressive, Veterinary Technician-centered education and career pathway that builds on the profession’s existing strengths.
Following a comprehensive review by a special NAVTA Task Force, NAVTA said the current VPA/MLP model does not provide adequate clinical preparation and does not adequately recognize or integrate credentialed Veterinary Technicians. It also risks weakening, rather than strengthening, the collaborative team-based model that defines quality veterinary care
“Credentialed Veterinary Technicians are essential to delivering safe, high-quality care,” said Anna Santos, LVT, MPH, Task Force Chair and NAVTA President-Elect. “Our work focused on understanding how the current MLP model could affect these professionals and the veterinary healthcare team. We believe further alignment with established education and credentialing pathways is necessary to ensure strong clinical preparation and meaningful integration within the care team.”
NAVTA President Jennifer Serling, MVEd, BVSc, AAS, CVT, RVT, VTES, FVTE, added, “NAVTA’s strategic priorities center on advancing Credentialed Veterinary Technicians through advocacy, education, and professional recognition. By supporting structured educational pathways — from accredited associate programs to bachelor’s and master’s degrees, alongside robust specialty certification — we help ensure sustainable practice models, a strong veterinary workforce, and most importantly high standards of patient care.”
NAVTA will host a profession-wide “listening session” on Thursday, March 19, at 7 pm where Santos will discuss the Task Force’s work and how it came to its conclusions, which were unanimously approved by the NAVTA Board of Directors.
Click here for more information about the session and to register.
The full NAVTA statement on the MLP model is available here and below.
NAVTA Position Statement on the current Mid-Level Practitioner and Veterinary Professional Associate Models
March 12, 2026
Credentialed Veterinary Technicians are essential to the delivery of safe, high-quality veterinary care. Working alongside veterinarians, Veterinary Technicians are critical members of the veterinary healthcare team and play a vital role in protecting patient safety, supporting clinical excellence, and meeting the growing needs of animals and their owners.
The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) does not support the current Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA)/Mid -Level Practitioner (MLP) model.
As proposed, this model does not provide adequate clinical preparation and does not adequately recognize or integrate credentialed Veterinary Technicians. It also risks weakening, rather than strengthening, the collaborative team-based model that defines quality veterinary care.
NAVTA supports a progressive, Veterinary Technician-centered education and career pathway that builds on the profession’s existing strengths. By advancing Veterinary Technicians through structured education — from accredited associate degree programs to accredited bachelor’s and master’s-level advanced veterinary technology programs, in addition to robust specialized credentialling/certification programs — this approach strengthens the entire veterinary healthcare team, supports practice sustainability, ensures the highest standards of patient care, and offers an academically supported basis for future advanced scopes of practice.