Sec. 15.14.10.05. Accreditation

A. Accreditation by the Board of continuing education courses will be based only upon program content.

B. A minimum of 12 hours of continuing education courses shall be directed toward improvement, advancement, and extension of professional skill and knowledge relating to the practice of veterinary medicine. These courses shall have significant intellectual or practical content dealing primarily with information on skills directly related to the practice of veterinary medicine.

C. A maximum of 6 credit hours of continuing education courses may be directed toward non-scientific subjects relating to the practice of veterinary medicine, such as:

(1) Practice management concepts;

(2) Communication skills;

(3) State regulatory programs; or

(4) Federal regulatory programs.

D. Credit may be approved for the following:

(1) Continuing veterinary educational programs given by a college of veterinary medicine approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association;

(2) Lectures and scheduled courses at national and regional meetings of the American Veterinary Medical Association;

(3) Continuing educational programs given or arranged by the Maryland Veterinary Medical Association;

(4) Continuing educational programs given or arranged by North American Veterinary Conference, Western Veterinary Conference, Central Veterinary Conference, or American Animal Hospital Association; and

(5) Local, State, regional, or national continuing professional education courses including postgraduate studies, institutes, seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, extension studies, or other continuing educational programs as approved by the Board. Requests for approval of postgraduate studies and extension studies shall be submitted to the Board no fewer than 60 days before the expiration of the veterinarian’s registration certificate.

E. Credits obtained through on-line continuing education programs may not exceed 9 hours of the total required number of credit hours submitted in a given licensing year.

F. After review of course content, the Board may withdraw its approval of a previously accredited continuing education course.

G. A practitioner may apply any unused credit hours earned in a given licensing year toward fulfilling the following year's continuing professional education requirement.