§34-29-72. Application; qualifications; faculty license.

(a) Any person desiring a license to practice veterinary medicine in this state shall make written application in the English language to the board. The application shall show that the applicant is at least 21 years old, is a graduate of an accredited veterinary school, is a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government, and any other information and proof as the board may require pursuant to the administrative code of the board. The application shall be accompanied by application and examination fees in the amounts established and published by the board.

(b) Graduates of veterinary medical programs not accredited by the AVMA shall furnish satisfactory proof of an Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinarian Graduates (ECFVG) certificate or its equivalent provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), proof of completion of an internship as provided in Section 34-29-91, and of having, within three years of application to the State of Alabama, passed the AVMA approved National Veterinary Licensing Exam and proof of comprehension of and an ability to communicate in the English language.

(c) Any applicant satisfactorily completing the AVMA approved National Veterinary Licensing Exam in another state need not repeat the examination for licensure in Alabama, however, the board retains jurisdiction to require the applicant repeat any portion of the AVMA approved National Veterinary Licensing Exam or practice specific examinations necessary to determine practice competency.

(d) If the board determines that the applicant possesses the proper qualifications, it shall admit the applicant to the next AVMA approved National Veterinary Licensing Examination or state board examination; or if the applicant is eligible for a license without examination under this article, the board may grant him or her a license.

(e) Licenses issued under this subsection shall not require graduation from an AVMA accredited college or school of veterinary medicine, shall not require that the licensee have passed either the NBE and CCT or the NAVLE, shall not require the licensee to hold an ECFVG certificate, and shall not require that a licensee be previously licensed in this state or in the United States. All practice of veterinary medicine in Alabama requires a license. All members of the faculty at a college or school of veterinary medicine shall have a license if they practice on client-owned animals in direct association with their employment at the college or school. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the board may issue a veterinary faculty license to any applicant who is a member of the faculty or staff at any college or school of veterinary medicine in this state and is involved in the instruction program of veterinary medicine students. Holders of a veterinary faculty license are permitted to practice veterinary medicine within their specialty or subspecialty, only as it relates to his or her regular function within the college or school. Such individuals shall be remunerated for the practice aspects of their employment solely from state, federal, or institutional funds.

(1) Applicants for a veterinary faculty license shall perform all of the following:

a. Complete the application form provided by the board, along with submitting a recent photograph and applicable fees.

b. Provide proof of graduation from a reputable college or school of veterinary medicine.

c. Provide proof of an appointment to the faculty of an Alabama school or college of veterinary medicine teaching veterinary students. This proof shall be provided by an authorized administrative official of the college or school.

d. Certify that he or she understands and agrees that the veterinary faculty license is valid only for the practice of veterinary medicine as a faculty member of the college or school where employed.

e. Demonstrate competency in the English language.

f. Take and pass the state board examination on the Alabama practice act.

g. Provide proof that he or she is a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government.

(2) The license issued pursuant to this subsection shall always be prominently displayed.

(3) The license issued pursuant to this subsection restricts the holder to practice that is confined to clinical and hospital units or field services units, or both, of the college or school of veterinary medicine where employed.

(4) The license issued pursuant to this subsection may be disciplined, suspended, or revoked in accordance with this article.

(5) The license issued pursuant to this subsection shall be cancelled by the board upon receipt of information that the holder of the license has left or has otherwise been discontinued from faculty employment at a college or school of veterinary medicine in Alabama.

(6) The board recognizes that flexibility is needed in licensing eminent scholars from around the world. The primary purpose of the veterinary faculty license is to allow deans of Alabama's colleges and schools of veterinary medicine a standardized procedure through which to bring talents to our faculties and to license them, keeping them subject to this article.

(Acts 1986, No. 86-500, p. 956, §13; Acts 1997, No. 97-249, p. 431, §1; Act 2006-590, p. 1596, §1; Act 2009-29, p. 93, §3.)