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Q & A
Hours and reporting period requirements
15 hours anytime in two years or 7 1/2 per year?
The hours can be anytime within two years. They match the licensing cycle.
How long is a CE hour?
In Wisconsin, a CE hour is 50 contact minutes.
If a license was recently issued, must a veterinarian or technician have to comply with the CE rules for this cycle?
They are not required to comply with the CE requirements until the first full licensing cycle following licensure. If, for instance, they graduated and became licensed in May 2004 or May 2005 they were licensed during the 2004-2005 licensing cycle. They will have to compile their CE hours beginning January 2006 and have them completed by December 2007.
Will any excess CE credits carry over to the next licensing period?
No. Each licensing cycle is self-contained; there are no carry-overs.
Approved CE
Does teaching at a veterinary school count as CE?
Yes. Read the details in the rules VE10.03(3)(e), (f), (g), and (h).
Documentation, enforcement and audits
How is CE reported and how is it enforced?
At this time, reporting of CE will be complaint-driven. If there is a complaint rendered against a veterinarian or technician, upon receipt of the complaint, that person will be asked to provide proof of CE completion during the previous licensing cycle. If he/she is unable to provide proof, and indicated completion of CE on the license renewal form, the license will be revoked.
How do you prove you have the hours and how long do you need to keep the proof?
Proof is in the paperwork and documentation of the courses taken. Ask for written proof every time you attend something. In absence of a written, official certificate, keep a receipt and a program book that details the seminars, speakers, time of each session.
Documentation must be kept for five years from the date the certification statement is signed (VE 10.02(8)).
What happens if a meeting was attended and no documentation was provided, how is that handled?
In absence of a written, official certificate, keep a receipt of payment and a program book that details the seminars, speakers, time of each session.
Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Association
Continuing Education Information and Opportunities
CE rules for Veterinary Technicians
Administrative rules detailing what continuing education is required and what providers are acceptable took effect on September 1, 2005 and are available in Chapter VE 10 at this website: http://drl.wi.gov/boards/vet/code/codebook.htm. (page down until you see Chapter VE 10). Please review these rules so that you will be prepared when renewal is due.
The first renewal period following initial procurement of the credential does not require documentation of CE.
The CE requirement currently in place is 30 hours every two years for veterinarians and 15 hours every two years for CVTs.
CE hours
15 hours of approved continuing education per two-year certification period is required to hold a Veterinary Technician certificate in Wisconsin.
* 50 minutes of contact time may be assigned one CE hour.
* A minimum of 10 hours must be on scientific topics.
* Certified veterinary technicians must maintain documentation by an approved CE provider indicating those CE hours were completed.
* A minimum of 12 hours must be documented by an approved CE provider.
Approved providers
Approved CE providers are professional organizations, academic institutions, and governmental agencies that provide educational opportunities pertinent to employment as a veterinary technician. These include but are not limited to national, state and regional veterinary technician associations, associations listed in the AVMA directory or NAVTA directory, AVMA-accredited veterinary technician programs, AVMA -accredited veterinary schools, USDA, APHIS, US Department of Health and Human Services, and RACE or other AAVSB-approved courses. Company inservice demonstrations or presentations are NOT approved unless they have obtained RACE approval.
Acceptable Modalities
*Attendance at a scientific workshop, seminar, or laboratory demonstration pertinent to veterinary medicine or veterinary technology
*Self-study of veterinary medical, veterinary technology or other scientific journals
*Enrollment in graduate or other college level courses pertinent to veterinary medicine or veterinary technology. (Credit for qualified courses will be approved on the basis of multiplying each college credit hour by 10)
*Enrollment in an AVMA-accredited veterinary school. (8 CE hours per year are given for full-time enrollment)
*Authorship or co-authorship of a published work. A peer-reviewed publication is assigned 10 hours each. Review articles, abstracts, poster presentation, proceedings, book chapters and web-based CE materials are assigned 5 hours each.
*Development and presentation of scientific workshop seminar or laboratory demonstration pertinent to veterinary technology. (Credit will be approved on the basis of multiplying each contact hour by 5.)
*Non-interactive correspondence course pertinent to the practice of veterinary technology or employment as a veterinary technician.
*On-line, video, audio, or other interactive distance learning course pertinent to veterinary technology.
Documentation of CE hours
The following are acceptable forms of documentation for CE hours completed:
* Certificate of attendance or receipt of payment from a CE provider.
* Complete references from journal articles read.
* Grade report or transcript
* Copy of published article
* Copy of meeting syllabus, announcement, abstract or proceedings for a presentation.
* Date and web site address of web-based material.
