Veterinary Technicians
On June 8, 2022, Governor Jared Polis signed HB 22-1235 which requires veterinary technicians to maintain active credentialing with a Board-approved credentialing organization, effective January 1, 2024. The Board has approved the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT) as its credentialing organization for veterinary technicians. Guidelines to meet CACVT requirements.
Proof of a current credential with CACVT will be required at the time of renewal.
Veterinarians
Veterinarians and academic veterinarians with an active license must complete at least 32 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years before a license can be renewed.
- If a veterinarian has been licensed for a period of 12 months or less before the first renewal of their license, they are not required to complete CE for that renewal.
- If a veterinarian has been licensed for longer than 12 months (but less than two years) before the first renewal of their license, only 16 hours of CE are required for that renewal.
CE Requirements
- Two (2) hours of jurisprudence on the Colorado Veterinary Practice Act
- At least one (1) hour of Substance Use Prevention Training (see below information)
- Up to 16 of the 32 required hours may be courses in nonbiomedical topics, such as client communication, management, leadership, and other topics that support veterinary practice and a highly functional veterinary workforce.
Additional Information
The Board automatically approves courses that meet at least one of the following
criteria:
- Any course approved by the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE).
- Courses approved by the Board prior to October 1, 2018.
If a course is not RACE-approved or pre-approved by the Board it must meet the following criteria:
- Acceptable Subject Matter includes:
- Scientific based hours that are clinically applicable and related to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease as it relates to patients.
- Practice Management/Professional Development and non-technical competency-based presentations including, but not limited to, leadership training, personnel management, client relations, communication training, and integrated resource management principles.
- Presentations must be of sufficient caliber to be representative of the currently acceptable level of professional veterinary education.
- Intended Audience: The target audience for courses need not be specific to a veterinarian but must be appropriate to enhance, improve or maintain the professional knowledge of a veterinarian as outlined above.
- Acceptable Methods of Delivery:
- Seminar, lecture, or other in-person/face-to-face program
- Online learning - such as a webinar, teleconference, and other digital formats whether live or not
- Wet or dry laboratory
- Demonstration
- Qualifications of Presenter: Must be presented by an AVMA certified specialist or recognized expert in the course subject matter.
- Length of Course: 45-60 minutes of active learning shall qualify for one hour of continuing education.
If a course does not meet the Board's criteria for approved courses, you may submit a written request to dora_veterinarymedicineboard@state.co.us for the Board's consideration.
Substance Use Prevention Training
Every veterinarian and academic veterinarian, regardless of the date of licensure, is required to complete at least one (1) hour of training per license period that must cover or be related to:
- best practices for veterinary opioid prescribing, per the division’s current Veterinary Policy for Prescribing and Dispensing Opioids;
- potential harm of inappropriately limiting prescriptions to chronic pain patients
- best practices for prescribing benzodiazepines
- recognition of human substance use disorders;
- referral of human beings with suspected substance use disorders for treatment; and
- use of the electronic prescription drug monitoring program.
Substance Use Prevention Training includes, but is not limited to:
- relevant and verifiable continuing education courses
- conferences
- presentations
- distance learning
Substance Use Prevention Training is a separate statutory requirement for license renewal than continuing education; however, all substance use prevention training that also meets the continuing education requirements specified above may be applied to a licensee’s continuing education renewal requirements.
Documentation and Audits of Compliance
Documentation for CE Programs must include:
- Name of participant/attendee
- Name and qualification (s) of the presenter
- Name of sponsoring organization or person
- Title, date(s), and location of meeting
- If not a seminar or face-to-face delivery, method of delivery should be indicated
- Length of presentation or number of hours earned
- Intended audience
- Verification by the CE program sponsor (signature, seal, or other similar indicia)
**Audits of compliance will be conducted after each license period ends.**