I am commenting on proposed regulation change 18VAC150-20-172, Delegation of duties.  My specific concern is with section B, second sentence.  "An assistant shall also not be delegated the induction of sedation or anesthesia by any means. The monitoring of a sedated or anesthetized patient may be delegated to an assistant, provided the patient is no longer intubated and provided a veterinarian or licensed veterinary technician remains on premises until the patient is fully recovered".  My concern is the burden on both the veterinarian and the pet owner requiring all intubated animals to be monitored only by licensed individuals.  Currently, there are not enough available licensed technicians in the state of Virginia, especially in rural areas, to accommodate this proposed change.  Also, the increased staff costs would increase the cost of care making veterinary medicine unaffordable for many Virginians.  Most Veterinarians in the Common Wealth want to provide the best care possible and would agree that unlicensed individuals should not be making medical decisions.  But unlicensed assistants monitoring patients under the supervision of licensed DVMs and LVTs is different and necessary for many practices to be able to provide surgical/dental care to their patients.  I think the regulation should read something like "An assistant shall also not be delegated the induction of sedation or anesthesia. A sedated or anesthetized patient may be monitored by an assistant under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian or licensed veterinary technician and a licensed individual must remain on premises until the patient is fully recovered".