Developing occupational standards for equine dental technicians.

The research article discusses the development of National Occupational Standards for equine dental technicians. The new standards aim to enable technicians to work legally and pledge to further safeguard horses and their owners by adhering to a stricter qualification and performance standard.

National Occupational Standards Development

• The research focuses on the development of National Occupational Standards (NOS) specifically for equine dental technicians. The aim is to produce guidelines that will allow these technicians to perform their work within the law.
• At the moment, all equine dental care is considered part of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. Therefore, legally, only veterinary surgeons should carry out these procedures.
• The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) have made strides towards changing this by creating a list of procedures that could be safely conducted by suitably qualified equine dental technicians.

Collaboration with Major Organizations

• In the quest to develop these standards, BEVA and BAEDT are collaborating with several major organizations. They include the British Veterinary Association (BVA), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the British Veterinary Dental Association, the Worldwide Association of Equine Dentistry, and Lantra.
• Lantra is the council responsible for the skills in the rural sector, and the organizations involved are hopeful that it will formalize the standards at the earliest.

Goal of the Standards

• The ultimate objective is to establish an Exemption Order. This order would provide better protection for horses and their owners by ensuring that only properly qualified individuals carried out equine dental care and treatment.
• The new scheme would make it easier to identify unqualified individuals. At the same time, those who are qualified would be held accountable if their performance is not up to standard.
• The development of these standards signifies progress towards an Exemption Order after many years of work with the BAEDT on continuing education and qualification for its members. This was a sentiment that Keith Chandler, the president of BEVA, expressed satisfaction over.