(a) Acceptable Continuing Education.
  (1) Continuing Education hours shall be acceptable if they relate to clinical matters. For veterinary licensees, continuing education hours shall be acceptable if they relate to practice management.
  (2) Acceptable continuing education hours shall be earned by:
    (A) veterinary licensees and licensed veterinary technicians attending meetings sponsored or co-sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), AVMA's affiliated state veterinary medical associations and/or their continuing education organizations, AVMA recognized specialty groups, regional veterinary medical associations, local veterinary medical associations, and AVMA-accredited veterinary medical colleges and veterinary technician programs;
    (B) equine dental provider licensees attending meetings sponsored or co-sponsored by the International Association of Equine Dentistry;
    (C) veterinary licensees taking correspondence courses that require the licensee to take a test at the conclusion of the course and yield a certificate of completion;
    (D) all licensees participating in verifiable, monitored on-line and video programs or other telecommunication discussions that yield a certificate of completion and meet the following minimum standards:
      (i) Inclusion of the following interactive experiences:
        (I) direct, two-way verbal communication between attendees and the instructor at all times;
        (II) direct, two-way verbal communication between attendees at all times; and
        (III) visual communication with the instructor;
      (ii) The ability to document active participation by attendees through:
        (I) verbal interaction and software documentation; and
        (II) the use of real time on-line surveys that promote audience interaction and document the attendance and engagement of the participants;
    (E) all licensees' self study, through any form of continuing education from which the licensee does not receive a certificate of completion, including reading articles in professional journals or periodicals, listening to audio tapes or CD's or viewing video tapes or similar devices that transmit a video image; or
    (F) any other methods approved by the Board's Licensing Committee, by an advisory committee of the Board, or approved for veterinary licensees and licensed veterinary technicians by the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).
(b) Distribution of Continuing Education Hours.
  (1) Veterinary Licensees.
    (A) Of the required seventeen (17) hours of continuing education for veterinary licensees, no more than five (5) hours may be derived from either:
      (i) correspondence courses; or
      (ii) practice management courses.
    (B) Hours claimed for self study shall not exceed three (3) hours.
  (2) Equine Dental Provider Licensees.
    (A) None of the required six (6) hours of continuing education for equine dental provider licensees may be derived from either correspondence courses or practice management courses.
    (B) Hours claimed from self study shall not exceed one (1) hour.
  (3) Licensed Veterinary Technicians.
    (A) Licensed veterinary technicians are required to complete ten (10) hours of continuing education annually. Of the required ten (10) hours, no more than two (2) hours of continuing education for licensed veterinary technicians may be derived from practice management.
    (B) No more than four (4) hours of continuing education for licensed veterinary technicians may be derived from correspondence courses.
    (C) Hours claimed from self study shall not exceed two (2) hours.
(c) Proof of Continuing Education.
  (1) The licensee shall sign a statement on the licensee's annual license renewal form attesting to the fact that the required continuing education hours have been obtained. If the licensee renews his license electronically (on-line), the licensee shall input an affirmation that the required continuing education hours have been obtained.
  (2) The licensee shall maintain records which support the signed statement or affirmation. These documents must be maintained for the last four (4) calendar years and shall be available at the practice location for inspection to Board investigators upon request.
  (3) Proof of attendance at live, on-site courses may require sign-in procedures, course checklists, certificates of course completion and other measures as directed by the Board. If the licensee attends a multi-day course and the certificate of completion reflects only a total number of continuing education credits that can be earned, proof of attendance must include a pre-printed schedule, agenda, or brochure on which the licensee marks the actual courses or seminars the licensee personally attended.
  (4) For proof of on-line interactive courses, the licensee must provide a certificate from the provider showing the nature of the course, date taken, and the hours given.
  (5) For proof of self-study, the licensee must provide a signed statement showing details, including dates, of the articles or courses read, videos observed, or audios listened to, and hours claimed.

Source Note: The provisions of this §573.65 adopted to be effective June 14, 2012, 37 TexReg 4229; amended to be effective May 4, 2014, 39 TexReg 3428; amended to be effective August 22, 2016, 41 TexReg 6203; amended to be effective November 12, 2017, 42 TexReg 6181; amended to be effective November 7, 2021, 46 TexReg 7406