Continuing Education Requirements
Continuing education requirements for license renewal:
- Thirty (30) hours biennially by March 31st of license renewal year.
- Of the thirty (30) required hours, no more than eight (8) hours may be taken in practice management or practice building and the remaining twenty-two (22) hours must be in clinical medical courses. Of the thirty (30) hours required for biennial renewal, 15 hours may be obtained in distance learning programs. Of the fifteen (15) hours allowable, a maximum of three (3) hours may be from journal programs and a maximum of three (3) hours from an audio program. Up to fifteen (15) hours may be from an interactive computer program. The total number of combined distance learning hours may not exceed 15. In all cases, follow-up testing must be a part of the program and the veterinarian must be able to provide to the Board, from the sponsor, evidence of satisfaction of the program. As with all continuing education programs, these programs must first be approved by the Board.
- Continuing education requirement waived for licensee for the year in which he/she is first licensed.
- Credit hours may be earned as follows: (1) programs offered by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), South Carolina Association of Veterinarians (SCAV); state association-sponsored academies or AVMA recognized specialty boards and approved schools of veterinary medicine shall be approved under blanket approval; (2) such other programs as may be approved by the Board and submitted by written request to the Board by the sponsor.
- Each veterinarian must maintain a record of his/her attendance at the meetings qualifying for continuing education for a minimum of 3 years immediately preceding renewal.
- Upon written request, a licensed veterinarian may apply for a waiver of the license renewal fee and other requirements of no more that three (3) years due to a temporary medical disability which prevents the licensee from practicing veterinary medicine. Upon approval by the Board of this request, the licensee will be placed in an inactive status.
- Failure to satisfy said requirements for renewal will result in the automatic revocation of license and any person who shall practice veterinary medicine after such revocation will be practicing in violation of these Rules.
Continuing education requirements for license renewal:
- Ten (10) hours biennially by March 31st of license renewal year.
Veterinary technicians may obtain five (5) hours out of the 10 required hours from distance learning programs. As with all continuing education programs, these programs must first be approved by the Board.
- Continuing education requirement is waived for licensed veterinary technician only for the year in which they are first licensed.
- Failure to satisfy said requirements for renewal will result in the automatic revocation of license and any person who shall practice after such revocation will be practicing in violation of these Rules.
- Each veterinary technician must maintain a record of his/her attendance at the meetings qualifying for continuing education for a minimum of three (3) years immediately preceding renewal.
Continuing Education Requirements For Sponsors or Sponsors of CE
All providers or sponsors of continuing education must be approved by the South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. All sponsors seeking approval for their educational programs must submit a written request to the Board office at least ninety (90) days prior to the scheduled date of the presentation.
- Programs offered by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians (SCAV); State association-sponsored Academies or AVMA recognized specialty boards, and approved schools of veterinary medicine shall be approved under a blanket approval.
This is comprehensive program approval.
- All other providers or sponsors shall request approval for each program on an annual basis on a Program Approval Form provided by the Board.
- All providers or sponsors will furnish each participate adequate documentation of his or her participation in the program and will be signed by an authorized representative of the organization. Information shall include:
- name and license number of participant;
- name and address of provider;
- name of program
- hours completed;
- date of program and location of program;
- authorized signature from program provider or sponsor
- provider of distance learning program must also provide
document of follow-up testing, if applicable
