Continuing Education for Veterinary Technician - FAQs

Licensees who do not comply with the continuing education requirement will not be registered to practice.

You may not continue to practice if you are not registered. However, the department may issue a one-year conditional registration to permit you to continue practicing while you make up the missing continuing education credits. If you are in this situation, you should request a conditional registration when renewing your registration online or, when submitting a paper registration renewal application, by completing a Registration Renewal Addendum.

A conditional registration may be issued for up to and no more than one (1) year. A "conditional registration” may not be renewed. If you do not correct the deficiency within the period of the conditional registration, your authorization to practice will expire at the same time as the conditional registration.

No. New licensees are exempt from the continuing education requirement for their first triennial registration period. This means that you are not required to complete any continuing education, so that by the end of your second triennial registration period, you should have completed all the continuing education credits required of you. When you re-register at the end of the first registration period, you will be required to begin taking continuing education, so that by the end of your second triennial registration you should have completed the number of credits required of you.

Veterinarians or veterinary technicians engaged on a full-time basis in the teaching of veterinary medicine at a veterinary education program registered by the Department or accredited or approved by an acceptable accrediting organization do not have to satisfy the mandatory continuing education requirement. Note that you must be teaching on a full-time basis as determined by the institution in which you teach. Note further that licensed veterinarians will not be exempt if they are teaching in a veterinary technology program whereas, veterinary technicians will be exempt if they are teaching in a veterinary medicine or veterinary technology program.

An adjustment to the continuing education requirement may be made by the Department, provided that the licensee documents good cause that prevents compliance, and the Department determines that there is good cause that prevents compliance, which shall include, but not be limited to, any of the following reasons: poor health or a specific physical or mental disability certified by an appropriate health care professional; extended active duty with the Armed Forces of the United States; or other good cause beyond the licensee's control which, in the judgment of the Department, makes it impossible for the licensee to comply with the continuing education requirements in a timely manner.

The circumstances upon which a licensee seeks an adjustment to the continuing education requirement must be circumstances that “make it impossible for the licensee to comply in a timely manner. “For example a licensee who suffers a serious injury that is resolved, in the judgment of the Department, with sufficient time before the end of the registration period for the licensee to “make up” the lost time would not benefit from an adjustment. On the other hand the same injury may make a licensee eligible for an adjustment if, for instance, the injury occurs 3 months before the end of the registration period and thus makes it impossible for the licensee, who was otherwise on-course to satisfy the continuing education requirements, to comply with the requirement. Similarly, a military deployment that ends with sufficient time, in the judgment of the Department, for the licensee to make up the credits would not provide "good cause" for an adjustment.

See response to the Question "What happens if I am unable to satisfy the requirements because of an illness or other family emergency?" above.

If you have notified the Department that you are not actively practicing, your registration will be placed on “inactive” status. You do not have to complete any continuing education credits during the period that you are on “inactive” status. Please see How to Request Inactive Status Online for further information.

Yes. If you return to practice after January 1, 2012 you will have to complete the number of continuing education hours that would have been due, if you were actively practicing at the time of your current registration. For example, a licensee who returns to practice on June 1, 2012 would be required to complete continuing education credits from January, 2012, when the law became effective, until May, 2012.

No. Please see Question "What if I placed my New York State registration on “inactive” status and was practicing in another state?" below for additional information.

If you were practicing in another jurisdiction, you will be allowed to make up the continuing education credits that you owe during the 36 months before and/or after your return to practice, at your option.

Please be aware that in addition to making up the deficiency that you accrued during the period that your registration was on “inactive” status, you will have to complete the continuing education credits that would be otherwise due for the new registration period.

If you were not practicing in another jurisdiction during the period when your New York State registration is on “inactive” status, you must complete continuing education credits within the 12 months before the beginning of your new registration period. In other words, you must satisfy the deficiency before you can re-register to practice.

If you were practicing in another jurisdiction, you may use acceptable credits that were accrued up to 36 months before you begin your new registration period.

If the continuing education activities taken in another jurisdiction were provided by a sponsor who is currently approved in New York State or was approved at the time that you engaged in the continuing education activity, and the learning activity is in subject areas that are acceptable in New York State, you will receive credit for such activity.

Yes. During each triennial registration period, at least two hours of the required continuing education credits shall focus on the use, misuse, documentation, safeguarding and prescribing of controlled substances.

Yes but, no more than 22.5 hours of continuing education credits, in the case of a veterinarian, or 12 hours of continuing education credits, in the case of a veterinary technician, may be completed through self-instructional coursework.

Self-instructional coursework is defined as structured study, provided by a Department approved sponsor, that is based on audio, audio-visual, written, on-line, and/or other media, and does not include live instruction, transmitted in person or otherwise, during which the student may communicate and interact with the instructor and other students. In addition to the above, as of February 2, 2017, the self-instructional coursework definition will include free spaying and neutering and other veterinary services provided by a veterinarian in conjunction with a municipality, duly incorporated not-for-profit society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, duly incorporated humane society, or duly incorporated animal protection association or persons who would otherwise be eligible under section 117-a(3)(a) of the Agriculture and Markets Law, provided that such services be administered at practices, facilities and properties that are appropriately equipped and staffed to provide such services.

No. You will be asked to affirm that you have complied with the requirements, but you do not have to submit any documentation. Affirming that you have satisfied the requirements when, in fact, you have not, is an act of professional misconduct.

The Department will conduct random audits on a regular basis to ensure that licensees are complying with the mandatory continuing education requirements. If you are selected for a random audit, you will be required to submit proof that you satisfied the continuing education requirements.

You should contact the sponsors of the programs you attended and attempt to obtain duplicate copies of your certificates of completion.

Licensees bear the ultimate responsibility for maintaining and securing evidence of compliance. Failure to present such evidence upon request will be prima-facie evidence of non-compliance. Sponsors also have an obligation to maintain records, but a sponsor's failure to maintain records will not relieve a licensee of the obligation to present proof of compliance, if asked to do so.

Records must be retained for at least six years from the date of completion of the continuing education activity and must be made available for review by the Department. A sponsor’s failure to satisfy its obligation to retain records will not relieve a licensee of his or her obligation to provide evidence of participation in a continuing education activity for which credit is claimed.

Yes, a veterinarian can satisfy a portion of his or her mandatory triennial continuing education requirements by providing free spay and/or neutering services and other veterinary services, as long as they satisfy other specified requirements. Other veterinary services are follow-up services for any post-operative complications related to any free spaying or neutering surgery that arise within 24 hours of performing any such surgery. However, it should be noted that this amendment to Education Law section 6704-a(2) does not require veterinarians to provide such services for continuing education purposes. Please see the Free Spaying and Neutering Services Fact Sheet.

Veterinarians seeking to satisfy a portion of their continuing education requirement through the provision of free spaying and/or neutering services should fill out and retain the Veterinarian COSN Form "Attestation of Veterinarian's Provision of Free Spaying and/or Neutering Services for Continuing Education Credit," available. Additionally, since Chapter 398 limits this option to veterinarians, it is not available to veterinary technicians.