La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § LXXXV-303

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section LXXXV-303 - Examinations

A. Examinations Required for Licensure

1. The board requires that all applicants for licensure to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Louisiana shall pass the national examination in addition to any and all state examinations (herein defined as such written examination, oral interviews and/or practical demonstrations as the board may request or require).

2. The Board of Veterinary Medicine shall annually adopt national examination(s) as the board deems appropriate. Said examinations are hereafter referred to as the "national examination(s)."

3. All applications, correspondence, and examinations shall be in the English language.

4. A candidate for examination must be:

a. a graduate of a school or college of veterinary medicine accredited or approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association; or

b. currently enrolled in or certified by the AVMA's ECFVG program or the AAVSB's PAVE program; or

c. currently enrolled in the fourth year of veterinary school.

B. National Examinations

1. All applicants for licensure must take and successfully pass the national examinations as a condition for licensure in Louisiana.

2. The board hereby adopts the passing scores on the national examinations set by the NBEC and adopted or endorsed by the AAVSB.

3. Scores shall be valid for a period of five years from the date of the examination administration.

4. The requirement for taking the national examinations may be waived when an applicant:

a. holds a currently valid license in good standing in another state, district, or territory of the United States; and

b.has worked as a licensed veterinarian an average of 20 hours per week in a private practice or its equivalent continuously and without substantial interruption for a period of five years immediately preceding his application.

5. An applicant who cannot demonstrate eligibility for a waiver of the national examinations will be required to provide official copies of his scores to the board. Said scores shall be no more than five years old.

6. An applicant whose scores are greater than five years old and who cannot demonstrate eligibility for a waiver of the national examination pursuant to §303. B 4, shall be required to successfully pass the national examination in order to be eligible for a license.

7. An applicant for licensure may only sit for the national examinations a maximum of five times. Thereafter, the applicant will no longer be eligible for licensure in Louisiana and any application submitted will be rejected.

C. State Examination

1. A state board examination shall be required of all applicants for licensure in Louisiana. No person shall obtain any license to practice veterinary medicine without successfully passing the Louisiana state board examination. No waivers of the state board examination shall be granted.

2. The state board examination shall consist of no fewer than 25 questions taken from the veterinary practice act statutes and rules promulgated by the board. This test may also contain items taken from statutes and/or regulations promulgated by the other state and federal agencies deemed by the board to be pertinent to the practice of veterinary medicine.

3. Prior to taking the examination, applicants will be provided with copies of all rules, regulations, and statutes from which items on the RPC examination may be taken.

4. The state board examination may be prepared, administered and graded by the members of the Board of Veterinary Medicine or may be prepared, administered and/or graded, in whole or in part, by any person, firm, corporation or other entity selected, requested or designated to do so by the Board of Veterinary Medicine.

5. The state board examination shall be administered monthly or as often as is practicable and necessary. To be eligible to sit for the state board, an applicant shall demonstrate that he is a graduate of an accredited school of veterinary medicine or eligible for graduation within not less than 60 days of the date that the examination is administered.

6. Scores shall be valid for a period of five years from the date of the examination administration.

D. Any applicant who fails to take and/or pass all required examinations in a continuous five-year period shall be required to retake all examinations whose scores are greater than five years old, unless the applicant can demonstrate eligibility for a waiver as described in this Section.

E. Veterinary Faculty License

1. Pursuant to section 1533 of the Veterinary Practice Act, a faculty license to practice veterinary medicine issued by the board to a veterinarian member of the faculty at LSU-SVM is required when the conduct extends to the direct (hands-on) practice of veterinary medicine on an animal owned by the public whether by referral from another veterinarian, or by direct patient access without referral, as part of his employment at the school. The licensed faculty veterinarian shall be ultimately responsible for the proper veterinary care of the animal and held administratively accountable by the board per its regulatory authority.

2. A faculty license shall not be used to practice veterinary medicine beyond the holders employment at the school. A faculty license cannot be used to practice veterinary medicine at a private or another public facility where veterinary care is provided, or to practice veterinary medicine at an emergency veterinary care facility. However, an active license to practice veterinary medicine issued by the board to a qualified faculty veterinarian may be used by the holder for all aspects of his employment and practice at the school.

3. Further criteria for issuance of a faculty license is when the applicant:

a. provides proof of graduation from a school of veterinary medicine with a degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent and:

i. has possessed an active license in good standing issued by another state, territory, or district in the United States at some time within the five years prior to the date of application for a faculty license; or

ii. has a current certificate or other documentation indicating successful completion of a residency or program in a specialty field of veterinary medicine accepted by the board at the time of application for a faculty license; or

iii. has a current certification, or is in the process of attaining certification, in a specialty area of veterinary medicine by the American Board of Veterinary Specialty Colleges, or its international equivalents accepted by the board;

b. prior to commencement of practice at the school, the submission of the board approved application for a faculty license and the payment of the initial application fee of $100 for issuance of the license to the board are applicable; and thereafter, for annual renewal, the submission of the renewal application with the payment of the annual renewal fee of $100 are required.

4. The faculty license shall be subject to cancellation for any of the reasons and under the same conditions and costs set forth in R.S. 37:1526 and the boards rules, or if the holder permanently moves out of Louisiana, or leaves the employment of LSU-SVM.

5. Pending issuance of a faculty license or an active license, an intern, who is a graduate of a board-approved school of veterinary medicine, may practice veterinary medicine at LSU-SVM, provided the practice is limited to such duties as intern, and is under the supervision of a veterinarian who holds a faculty license issued by the board (or a faculty veterinarian with an active license issued by the board). Supervision, as used in this rule, shall mean the supervising, faculty licensed veterinarian (or a faculty veterinarian with an active license issued by the board) is on the premises or available by telephone for prompt consultation and treatment. The supervising, faculty licensed veterinarian (or a faculty veterinarian with an active license issued by the board) shall be ultimately responsible for and held accountable by the board for the duties, actions, or work performed by the intern.

6. For purposes of this rule, an intern is an employee of LSU-SVM, who is a graduate from a school of veterinary medicine with a degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent as accepted by the board, and is undergoing training at the school for a one year period, and rotates in various specialties during such period. For purposes of this rule, a resident is an employee of LSU-SVM, who is a graduate from a school of veterinary medicine with a degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent as accepted by the board, and has satisfied the one-year internship requirement, or was in private practice for at least one year, and is thereafter working towards a certification in a specialty area of veterinary medicine.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § LXXXV-303

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Board of Veterinary Medicine, LR 8:66 (February 1982), amended LR 8:144 (March 1982), amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Veterinary Medicine, LR 19:343 (March 1993), LR 19:1327 (October 1993), LR 23:964 (August 1997), LR 25:2232 (November 1999), LR 28:1982 (September 2002), LR 38:1592 (July 2012), LR 40:308 (February 2014), Amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Veterinary Medicine, LR 412151 (10/1/2015), Amended by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, LR 482546 (10/1/2022).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:1518 et seq.