Supervision Requirements for Veterinary Technicians Performing Dental Procedures in Kansas

Veterinary Technicians (VTs) are educated and experienced individuals who may be able to perform dental procedures on animals, such as teeth cleaning, with little or no assistance from anyone else.  As veterinarians become busy, they may leave many responsibilities in the hands of their trusted VTs.  While many VTs are competent to perform dental procedures without supervision, licensed veterinarians open the door to potential misconduct and liability for failing to adequately supervise VTs during dental, and other veterinary procedures.

In Kansas, as in all states, VTs are allowed to offer veterinary services and perform certain procedures but can only do so with supervision of a licensed veterinarian.  Veterinarians in Kansas must adhere to a strict set of standards in order to maintain their license to practice veterinary medicine.  A huge responsibility licensed veterinarians have is to properly supervise VTs and other veterinary staff.

Like most doctors’ offices today for people, veterinary offices are extremely busy and often short-staffed in terms of the number of licensed veterinarians available to see patients and perform procedures.  It becomes all too easy to rely on qualified VTs to see patients and perform procedures in place of licensed veterinarians.  For example, on a very busy day, a VT may be performing a dental procedure while the only licensed veterinarians on hand are seeing patients.  If those veterinarians are busy seeing patients, who is supervising the VT during the dental procedure?

Licensed veterinarians in Kansas must be aware that at no time can a VT be left alone when performing a procedure.  This will require veterinarians to put some patients on hold so that a VT can be adequately supervised.  This may upset some patients for having to wait longer to see a veterinarian, but compliance with all rules and regulations promulgated in the state of Kansas take precedence over ensuring patients are not frustrated with a little extra wait time.

As a licensed veterinarian in the state of Kansas, you likely have been in the situation where there simply aren’t enough veterinarians in your office to supervise all VTs while procedures are being performed.  It is no easy task to properly comply with all rules and regulations.  But, the one time you may leave your VT alone during a dental procedure could be the time when error occurs that may have been prevented had there been proper supervision.  The chance of error may be so low that you feel the benefit of leaving the VT alone outweighs the cost of you making a patient wait an extra thirty minutes.  In any professional field that requires a license, no rule is minuscule, especially rules regarding supervision of lower level employees and professionals.

If you are a licensed veterinarian or a veterinary technician and you are the subject of a complaint, or if you simply want some guidance on the rules regarding supervision, contact the Sanger Law Office today.  Danielle Sanger is a professional license defense attorney with experience on both the side of prosecuting professionals for misconduct and defending professionals to help them keep their licenses.  Contact the Sanger Law Office for a free, confidential consultation, by calling (785) 979-4353.  Danielle Sanger will defend your veterinary license by investigating your case thoroughly and ensuring that your rights are protected.  If you simply are concerned that you may not be in compliance with the supervision rules of veterinary practice, Danielle Sanger can advise you on how to effectively supervise your veterinary technicians during dental, and other procedures in your office.  If you are unsure of whether or not you are following the rules, contact us today before a small mistake strips you of your veterinary license.

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