4 CCR 727-1.7 - VETERINARIAN LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
This Rule is promulgated pursuant to sections 12-20-202, 12-20-203, 12-20-204, 12-20-404, 12-315-106(5)(g), 12-315-107, 12-315-108, 12-315-109, 12-315-110, 12-315-111, and 12-315-114, C.R.S.
A. Licensure by Examination
1. All documents required as part of a
licensure application, except for license renewal, must be received by the
Board within one year of the date of receipt of application. An application is
incomplete until the Board receives all additional information requested or
required in order to determine whether to grant or deny the application. If all
required information is not submitted within the one year period, then the
original application materials will be destroyed and the applicant will be
required to submit a new application, fee, and all required documentation. The
only exception to this are examination results; they will be maintained for an
additional one year if the application is not completed within one year of
receipt of the application before they are also destroyed if a new application
is not filed before that time.
2.
Each applicant shall submit a completed Board approved application along with
the required fee in order to be considered for licensure approval and must also
verify that the applicant:
a. Graduated from
a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). The applicant must submit official
documentation bearing the seal of the institution in the form of one of the
following:
(1) A final official transcript
showing proof of degree or
(2) A
letter from the Dean of the School/College of Veterinary Medicine or the
College/University Registrar stating that the applicant has been awarded the
degree Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
b. Graduated from a non-approved school or
college of veterinary medicine. The applicant must submit official certificate
of completion from one of the following programs in lieu of school transcripts:
(1) Educational Commission for Foreign
Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or
(2)
Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Educational Equivalence
(PAVE).
c. Successfully
completed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)
administered by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA)
after November of 2000.
3. Each applicant will also be required to
verify that the applicant:
a. Accurately and
completely list any acts that would be grounds for disciplinary action under
the Practice Act and provide a written explanation of the circumstances of such
act, including supporting documentation if required.
b. Accurately and completely provide any and
all information pertaining to any final or pending disciplinary action by any
state or jurisdiction in which the applicant is or has been previously
licensed.
c. Demonstrates current
clinical competency and professional ability through at least one of the
following:
(1) Graduated within the twelve
months immediately preceding the date the application is received with a DVM
degree from a school or college of veterinary medicine, which at the time of
the applicant's graduation was accredited by the AVMA;
(2) Earned a certificate from either ECFVG or
PAVE within the twelve months immediately preceding the date the application is
received;
(3) Engaged in the active
licensed clinical practice of veterinary medicine in this or another
jurisdiction for at least three years of the five years immediately preceding
the date the application is received (experience from postgraduate training,
residency programs, internships, or research during this time will be evaluated
on a case-by-case basis);
(4)
Engaged in teaching veterinary medicine in an AVMA accredited program for at
least three years of the five years immediately preceding the date the
application is received;
(5)
Engaged in service as a veterinarian in the military for at least three years
of the five years immediately preceding the date the application is
received;
(6) Passed the NAVLE
within one year of the date the application is received; or
(7). Successfully completed a Board approved
evaluation by an AVMA accredited institution within one year of the date the
application is received, which certifies the applicant's proficiency as
equivalent to the current school graduate. An applicant must submit a proposed
evaluation for pre-approval by the Board before it is begun. The Board may
reject an evaluation for which a proposal has not been pre-approved or for
other good cause.
d. The
Board may also consider applying one or more of the following towards
demonstration of current clinical competency:
(1) Practice under a probationary or
otherwise restricted license for a specified period of time;
(2) Successful completion of courses approved
by the Board; or
(3) Any other
professional standard or measure of continued competency as determined by the
Board, including successful completion of species-specific
examination(s).
B. Licensure by Endorsement
1. In order to be eligible for licensure by
endorsement, an applicant must certify that the applicant does not currently
possess a revoked, suspended, restricted, or conditional license to practice
veterinary medicine, or is currently not pending disciplinary action against
such license, in another state or territory of the United States, or through
the federal government.
2. Each
eligible applicant shall submit a completed Board approved application along
with the required fee in order to be considered for licensure approval and must
also verify through the state in which, or federal agency through which, he or
she is seeking endorsement from that the applicant meets the requirements
listed under Rule 1.7(A)(2).
3. The
requirements in Rule 1.7 apply for purposes of this Rule.
C. Academic License
1. A veterinarian who is employed at an AVMA
accredited school of veterinary medicine in this state and who practices
veterinary medicine in the course of his or her employment responsibilities and
is applying for an academic license shall submit with the application and fee
the following credentials and qualifications for review and approval by the
Board:
a. Proof of graduation with a degree
from a school of veterinary medicine located in the United States or another
country.
b. Evidence of the
applicant's employment by an accredited school of veterinary medicine in this
state; actual practice is to commence only once licensure has been
granted.
c. The requirements in
Rule 1.7(A)(2)) apply.
2.
An academic license shall authorize the licensee to practice veterinary
medicine only while engaged in the performance of his or her official duties as
a university employee in Colorado. An academic licensee may not use an academic
license to practice veterinary medicine outside of his or her academic
responsibilities.
D.
Education, Training, or Service Gained During Military Service and Military
Spouses
1. Education, training, or service
gained in military services outlined in section
12-20-202(4),
C.R.S., to be accepted and applied towards receiving a license, must be
substantially equivalent, as determined by the Board, to the qualifications
otherwise applicable at the time of receipt of application. It is the
applicant's responsibility to provide timely and complete evidence for review
and consideration. Satisfactory evidence of such education, training, or
service will be assessed on a case by case basis.
2. Regulation of Military Spouses.
a. Pursuant to section
12-20-202(3)(f),
C.R.S., a military spouse duly licensed in good standing in another state or
United States territory to practice veterinary medicine may, upon application
to the Division, obtain a temporary license to practice veterinary medicine
upon submission of satisfactory proof, under penalty of perjury, of the
military spouse's active license in another state or United States territory in
good standing, and that the applicant has not committed an act that would be
grounds for disciplinary action under the veterinary practice act, Article 315
of Title 12, C.R.S.
b. For the
purposes of this Rule
(1) "In good standing"
means that a license has not been revoked, expired, or suspended, and against
which there are no outstanding disciplinary or adverse actions.
(2) "Military spouse" means the spouse of a
person who is actively serving in the United State armed forces and who is
stationed in Colorado in accordance with military orders.
c. A temporary license issued to a military
spouse is valid for three years after the date of issuance and may not be
renewed.
d. The Board hereby waives
the application fee for temporary licenses issued.
E. Inactive Status and Reactivation
of a License
1. Pursuant to section
12-20-203, C.R.S., a veterinarian
may apply to the Board to inactivate their license. The holder of an inactive
license shall not be required to comply with the continuing education
requirements for renewal during the time the license is inactive.
a. If a veterinarian's license is inactive,
the veterinarian shall not perform acts restricted to active licensed
veterinarians in Colorado pursuant to section
12-20-203(3),
C.R.S. The Board shall retain jurisdiction over inactive veterinarians for the
purposes of disciplinary action pursuant to section
12-315-112(1)(w),
C.R.S.
b. Practicing veterinary
medicine with an inactive license shall constitute unlicensed practice and,
therefore, may be grounds for disciplinary or injunctive action, up to and
including revocation.
c. Licensed
veterinarians with inactive licenses are required to renew their license every
two years and submit the applicable fee.
d. A licensed veterinarian with an academic
license is not eligible for inactive status.
2. To be considered for licensure
reactivation, an applicant must submit a completed reactivation application
form and the reactivation fee.
3.
Each applicant for reactivation shall certify the following:
a. Every license to practice veterinary
medicine held by applicant is in good standing;
b. Applicant has reported to the Board any
injunction or disciplinary action completed or pending against the applicant's
license to practice veterinary medicine in any state;
c. Applicant has reported to the Board any
malpractice judgment, any settlement of a malpractice action or claim, and any
malpractice action or claim pending against the applicant in which the
malpractice allegedly relates to the applicant's practice of veterinary
medicine;
d. Applicant has reported
to the Board any inquiry/complaint pending, investigation being conducted by,
or disciplinary proceeding pending before the licensing, grievance, or
disciplinary board of any jurisdiction in which the applicant is licensed to
practice veterinary medicine in which the complaint, investigation, or
proceeding concerns the applicant's practice of veterinary medicine.
4. The Board may decline to
reactivate a license if disciplinary action is pending or if there is an
unresolved complaint.
5. If the
license has been inactive for less than two years, then the applicant is
required to submit proof of fulfilling the requirements of Rule 1.7 for the
two-year period in which his or her license was last active as well as the
two-year period in which the license was expired or inactive.
6. If the license has been inactive for two
or more years, then the requirements in Rule 1.7(A)(3)(c) apply.
7. All applicants for reactivation are
required to fulfill the substance use prevention training
requirements..
F.
Reinstatement Requirements for Expired Licenses
1. In order to reinstate or reactivate a
license back into active status, each applicant shall submit a completed Board
approved application along with the required fee in order to be considered for
licensure approval and must also verify that the applicant:
a. Accurately and completely lists any acts
that would be grounds for disciplinary action under the Veterinary Practice Act
and provides a written explanation of the circumstances of such act, including
supporting documentation, if required, since last renewing their license to an
active status in this state.
b.
Accurately and completely provides any and all information pertaining to any
final or pending disciplinary action by any state or jurisdiction in which the
applicant is or has been previously licensed since last renewing his or her
license to an active in this state.
2. If the license has been expired for less
than two years, then the applicant is required to submit proof of fulfilling
the continuing education requirements for the two-year period in which the
applicant's license was last active as well as the two-year period in which the
license was expired or inactive.
3.
If the license has been expired for more than two years, then the requirements
in Rule 1.7(A)(3)(c) apply.
4. All
applicants for reinstatement are required to fulfill the substance use
prevention training requirements.
G. Revocation
This Rule is promulgated pursuant to sections 12-20-204, 12-315-106(5)(g), and 12-20-404(3), C.R.S.
Any person whose license to practice is revoked will be ineligible to apply for any license under the Veterinary Practice Act for at least two years after the date of revocation or surrender of the license. Any subsequent application for licensure shall be treated as an application for an original license.
H. Renewal
A licensed veterinarian is required to renew their license biennially and submit the applicable fee.
I. Continuing Education
1. Each licensed veterinarian or academic
veterinarian with an active license in Colorado is required to attend
thirty-two hours of educational study per renewal period as set forth in
section 12-315-110(3),
C.R.S. Continuing education hours may only be applied to one renewal period.
This requirement is not applicable to a licensed veterinarian renewing an
inactive license. Continuing education hours must include:
a. Two hours of jurisprudence on the Colorado
Veterinary Practice Act.
b. At
least one hour in Substance Use Prevention Training covering specific topics.
(see Rule 1.7)
2. If a
renewal date occurs during the year of original Colorado licensure, continuing
education will not be required for the first renewal. If the renewal date
occurs the year after original licensure, the licensee shall obtain sixteen
hours of continuing education prior to the biennial renewal.
3. The Board automatically accepts any course
approved by the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE). The Board
reserves the right to determine the approval of any other meetings, programs,
or courses for continuing education credit.
4. The Board may accept up to sixteen hours
of continuing education credit per licensing period for non-biomedical topics
including, but not limited to, leadership training, personnel management,
client relations, communication training, and practice and personal wellness.
a. No presentation that is primarily
promotional in nature regardless of subject material will be
acceptable.
5. All
licensed veterinarians are required to fulfill the substance use prevention
training requirements of Rule 1.7(J). Subject to the approval of the Board,
completed substance use prevention training hours that also meet the
requirements for continuing education in this Rule may be applied towards the
minimum continuing education hours required.
J. Substance Use Prevention Training for
License Renewal, Reactivation, or Reinstatement
1. Pursuant to section
12-30-114, C.R.S., every
veterinarian, including every academic veterinarian, is required to complete at
least one hour of training per renewal period in order to demonstrate
competency regarding the topics/areas specified in section
12-30-114(1)(a),
C.R.S.
2. Training for the purpose
of this section includes, but is not limited to, relevant and verifiable
continuing education courses, conferences, or presentations, and distance
learning. All such training must cover or be related to the topics specified in
section 12-30-114(1)(a),
C.R.S., and be in accordance with Rule 1.7(I).
3. A veterinarian is statutorily exempt from
the requirements of this section if the veterinarian qualifies for either
exemption set forth in section
12-30-114(1)(b),
C.R.S.
4. This section shall apply
to any applicant for reinstatement or reactivation of an expired or inactive
license..
5. Applicants for license
renewal, reactivation, or reinstatement shall attest during the application
process to either their compliance with this substance use training requirement
or their qualifying for an exemption.
6. The Board may audit compliance with this
section. Veterinarians should be prepared to submit documentation of their
compliance with this substance use training requirement or their qualification
for an exemption, upon request by the Board.
7. Subject to the approval of the Board,
completed substance use prevention training hours that also meet the
requirements for continuing education may be applied towards the minimum
continuing education hours required.
8. The statutorily required training for
veterinarians includes the following topics/areas: best practices for
veterinary opioid prescribing; recognition of human substance use disorder; use
of the electronic prescription drug-monitoring program; and referral of human
beings with suspected substance use disorders for treatment.
To the extent the statutorily required training pertains to the practice of human medicine, this training does not authorize veterinary medicine practitioners to engage in the practice of human medicine nor does it require the veterinary medicine practitioner to refer human beings to treatment for suspected substance abuse disorders.
Notes
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