61G18-11.002. Examination and Licensure

(1) An applicant for any of the required examinations must apply to the Department and pay the appropriate examination fee. An applicant will have completed the requirements of Section 474.207(2)(b), F.S., or be enrolled in the last year of the veterinary medical curriculum of a college of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education. This application will remain valid for twenty four (24) months.

(2) An applicant for licensure will have complied with the requirements in Section 474.207, F.S.

(3) Effective on November 1, 2000, there shall be two examinations.

(a) The first examination will be the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) developed by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA).

(b) The second examination concerns laws and rules related to the practice of veterinary medicine. The context of the second test shall include the following subjects: The Veterinary Medical Practice Act, Chapter 474, F.S.; Chapter 455, F.S., relating to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation; Division 61G18, F.A.C., the rules promulgated by the Board of Veterinary Medicine; Chapters 465, 499, 585, 828 and 893, F.S.; and the 2006 Edition of the “Practitioner’s Manual,” an informational outline of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, published by the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States Department of Justice, which is hereby incorporated by reference and available at http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-12135 or which can be found at https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/manuals/pract/index.html.

(c) Applicants for licensure by examination who submit their applications for licensure as a Florida Veterinarian prior January 1, 2021, may, in lieu of passing the laws and rules examination set forth in paragraph (3)(b), above, successfully complete an on-line course or courses, approved by the Board, addressing the subjects outlined in paragraph (3)(b), above.

(4) In order to obtain licensure, the candidate must receive a passing score on each portion of the examination. The candidate must receive a score of 425 on the NAVLE. A candidate who fails to achieve a passing score on any part of the examination will only be required to retake the parts failed so long as those scores remain valid.

(5) A passing score on the veterinary Laws and Rules examination shall be a score of seventy percent (70%) or better. All questions shall be weighted equally and percentages shall be rounded off to whole numbers. In rounding percentages, any percentage which is point five (.5) or above shall be rounded up to the next whole number. Percentages less than point five (.5) shall be dropped. To be valid, a passing score on the veterinary law portion of the examination must have been achieved on an examination taken within the two year period prior to the date of the administration of the first examination offered in Florida subsequent to the filing of the application for licensure.

(6) The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) may be taken in another state or Canada and the scores may, upon submission of an application for licensure and the application fee, be transferred to Florida for purposes of satisfying the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination’s (NAVLE) portion of the examination for licensure. The concerned North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) must have been taken and successfully completed as outlined above within five years prior to the date of the administration of the first examination offered in Florida subsequent to the filing of the application for licensure.

Rulemaking Authority 455.217, 474.206, 474.207 FS. Law Implemented 455.217, 474.207 FS. History–New 11-14-79, Amended 5-11-80, 7-9-80, 5-4-81, 12-10-81, 12-5-82, 5-15-83, 11-5-84, 5-7-85, 11-5-85, Formerly 21X-11.02, Amended 3-1-88, 11-24-88, 4-3-89, 4-13-92, 3-30-93, 7-13-93, Formerly 21X-11.002, Amended 7-4-94, 3-20-95, 3-29-95, 5-1-95, 5-27-99, 12-25-05, 6-28-07, 8-29-10, 9-26-12, 6-26-17, 9-23-20.