Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Continuing Education

Failure to comply with continuing education requirements may result in disciplinary action against the licensee or registrant. The disciplinary action will be reported on the Department of Health license verification web site.

Veterinary Medicine

Each veterinarian is required to obtain twenty (20) hours of continuing education each calendar year. Fifteen (15) hours must pertain to the medical and surgical care of animals. Five (5) hours may pertain to a special interest in veterinary medicine in fields other than the medical and surgical care of animals, including but not limited to practice management and state and federal regulatory programs.  A maximum of ten (10) hours may be obtained in a multi-media format.

For every two-year period, two (2) of the required hours must pertain to regulatory issues, controlled substances, or professional ethics.

A licensee is exempt from continuing education requirements during the calendar year of the licensee’s graduation from an approved school or college of veterinary medicine.

The Board approves courses for only the number of hours contained in the course. A licensee will not receive credit for repeating the same course in a calendar year.

The due date for attendance and completion of the required continuing education hours is December 31 of each year.  Each veterinarian must retain independent documentation of attendance and completion of all continuing education courses. This documentation must be retained for a period of four (4) years from the end of the calendar year in which the course is completed. This documentation must be produced for inspection and verification, if requested by the Board.

Course Approval for Veterinarians

All courses to be offered for credit toward the required continuing education hours must, unless otherwise provided, receive approval from the Board.

The following courses need not receive prior approval and shall constitute Board approved continuing education courses:

1.  Courses sponsored or approved by any of the following organizations:

• American Animal Hospital Association
• American Association for Wildlife Veterinarians
• American Association for Women Veterinarians
• American Association of Avian Pathologists
• American Association of Bovine Practitioners
• American Association of Equine Practitioners
• American Association of Sheep and Goat Practitioners
• American Association of Swine Practitioners
• American Association of Veterinary Clinicians
• American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists
• American College of Veterinary Toxicologists
• American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
• American College of Poultry Veterinarians
• American College of Theriogenologists
• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• American Dairy Science Association
• American Society of Animal Scientists
• American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology
• American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology
• American Veterinary Epidemiology Society

2.  Educational courses sponsored by an accredited school of veterinary medicine or AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization.  A course taken for  or assigned three (3) semester credit hours or equivalent quarter credit hours counts as fifteen (15) continuing education hours.  No credits will be counted for courses failed.

3.  Courses and programs approved by the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE), which is the American Association of Veterinary State Boards national clearinghouse for approval of continuing education.

4.  Educational programs dealing with the practice of veterinary medicine provided by any local, state, regional, national or international veterinary associations; Board-certified specialties recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA); schools or colleges of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA;  the United States Department of Agriculture; and any program approved by another state veterinary board.

Timely completion of continuing education credits is solely the responsibility of the licensee.  Except for multi-media courses, the licensee must be physically present at these continuing education meetings and will be required to attest, at the time of renewal, that the requirement has been met.

Veterinary Technology

Each Veterinary Medical Technician is required to obtain twelve (12) hours of continuing education each calendar year. A maximum of four (4) hours may be obtained in a multi-media format.

A licensee is exempt from continuing education requirements during the calendar year of the licensee's graduation from a veterinary technology program approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

The Board approves courses for only the number of hours contained in the course. A licensee will not receive credit for repeating the same course in a calendar year.

The due date for attendance  and completion of the required continuing education  hours is December 31 of each year.  Each veterinary medical technician must retain independent documentation of attendance and completion of all continuing education courses. This documentation must be retained for a period of four (4) years from the end of the calendar year in which the course is completed. This documentation must be produced for inspection and verification if requested by the Board.

Course Approval for Veterinary Medical Technicians

All courses to be offered for credit toward the required continuing education hours must, unless otherwise provided, receive approval from the Board.

The following courses need not receive prior approval and shall constitute Board approved continuing education courses:

1.  Courses sponsored or approved by any of the following organizations:

• American Animal Hospital Association
• American Association for Wildlife Veterinarians
• American Association for Women Veterinarians
• American Association of Avian Pathologists
• American Association of Bovine Practitioners
• American Association of Equine Practitioners
• American Association of Sheep and Goat Practitioners
• American Association of Swine Practitioners
• American Association of Veterinary Clinicians
• American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists
• American College of Veterinary Toxicologists
• American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine
• American College of Poultry Veterinarians
• American College of Theriogenologists
• American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
• American Dairy Science Association
• American Society of Animal Scientists
• American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology
• American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology
• American Veterinary Epidemiology Society

2. Educational courses sponsored by an accredited school of veterinary medicine or veterinary technology. A course taken for or assigned three (3) semester credit hours or equivalent quarter credit hours counts as fifteen (15) continuing education hours. No credits will be counted for courses failed.

3. Courses and programs approved by the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE), which is the American Association of Veterinary State Boards national clearinghouse for approval of continuing education.

4. Educational programs dealing with the practice of veterinary medicine provided by any local, state, regional, national or international veterinary associations; Board-certified specialties recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA); schools or colleges of veterinary medicine accredited by the AVMA; the United States Department of Agriculture; and any program approved by another state veterinary board.

Timely completion of continuing education credits is solely the responsibility of the licensee. Except for multi-media courses, the licensee must be physically present at these continuing education meetings and will be required to attest, at the time of renewal, that the requirement has been met.