2023 Minnesota Statutes › Chapters 144 - 159 — Health › Chapter 156 — Veterinarians › Section 156.12 — Practice Of Veterinary Medicine.

156.12 PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE.
Subdivision 1.
Practice.
The practice of veterinary medicine, as used in this chapter, shall mean the diagnosis, treatment, correction, relief, or prevention of animal disease, deformity, defect, injury, or other physical or mental conditions; the performance of obstetrical procedures for animals, including determination of pregnancy and correction of sterility or infertility; and the rendering of advice or recommendations with regard to any of the above. The practice of veterinary medicine shall include but not be limited to the prescription or administration of any drug, medicine, biologic, apparatus, application, anesthetic, or other therapeutic or diagnostic substance or technique. The practice shall not be construed to include the dehorning of cattle and goats or the castration of cattle, swine, goats, and sheep, or the docking of sheep.
Subd. 2.
Authorized activities.
No provision of this chapter shall be construed to prohibit:
(a) a person from rendering necessary gratuitous assistance in the treatment of any animal when the assistance does not amount to prescribing, testing for, or diagnosing, operating, or vaccinating and when the attendance of a licensed veterinarian cannot be procured;
(b) a person who is a regular student in an accredited or approved college of veterinary medicine from performing duties or actions assigned by instructors or preceptors or working under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian;
(c) a veterinarian regularly licensed in another jurisdiction from consulting with a licensed veterinarian in this state;
(d) the owner of an animal and the owner's regular employee from caring for and administering to the animal belonging to the owner, except where the ownership of the animal was transferred for purposes of circumventing this chapter;
(e) veterinarians who are in compliance with subdivision 6 and who are employed by the University of Minnesota from performing their duties with the College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station, Agricultural Extension Service, Medical School, School of Public Health, or other unit within the university; or a person from lecturing or giving instructions or demonstrations at the university or in connection with a continuing education course or seminar to veterinarians or pathologists at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory;
(f) any person from selling or applying any pesticide, insecticide or herbicide;
(g) any person from engaging in bona fide scientific research or investigations which reasonably requires experimentation involving animals;
(h) any employee of a licensed veterinarian from performing duties other than diagnosis, prescription or surgical correction under the direction and supervision of the veterinarian, who shall be responsible for the performance of the employee;
(i) a graduate of a foreign college of veterinary medicine from working under the direct personal instruction, control, or supervision of a veterinarian faculty member of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota in order to complete the requirements necessary to obtain an ECFVG or PAVE certificate;
(j) a licensed chiropractor registered under section 148.01, subdivision 1a, from practicing animal chiropractic; or
(k) a person certified by the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board under chapter 144E from providing emergency medical care to a police dog wounded in the line of duty.
Subd. 3.
Requirement to be engaged in practice.
Any person who sells or offers to apply, any prescription drug, biologic preparation, including sera, vaccines, bacterins, tuberculin, mallein, johnin, or any other agent for the treatment, vaccination, or testing of any animal belonging to another, shall be engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine.
Subd. 4.
Titles.
It is unlawful for a person who has not received a professional degree from an accredited or approved college of veterinary medicine, or ECFVG or PAVE certification, to use any of the following titles or designations: Veterinary, veterinarian, animal doctor, animal surgeon, animal dentist, animal chiropractor, animal acupuncturist, or any other title, designation, word, letter, abbreviation, sign, card, or device tending to indicate that the person is qualified to practice veterinary medicine.
Subd. 5.
[Repealed, 1996 c 415 s 33]
Subd. 6.
Faculty licensure.
(a) Veterinary Medical Center clinicians at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, who are engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine as defined in subdivision 1 and who treat animals owned by clients of the Veterinary Medical Center must possess the same license required by other veterinary practitioners in the state of Minnesota except for persons covered by paragraphs (b) and (c).
(b) A specialty practitioner in a hard-to-fill faculty position who has been employed at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, for five years or more prior to 2003 or is specialty board certified by the American Veterinary Medical Association or the European Board of Veterinary Specialization may be granted a specialty faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license which will allow the licensee to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Minnesota in the specialty area of the licensee's training and only within the scope of employment at the Veterinary Medical Center.
(c) A specialty practitioner in a hard-to-fill faculty position at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, who has graduated from a board-approved foreign veterinary school may be granted a temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license. The temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license expires in two years and allows the licensee to practice veterinary medicine as defined in subdivision 1 and treat animals owned by clients of the Veterinary Medical Center. The temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license allows the licensee to practice veterinary medicine in the state of Minnesota in the specialty area of the licensee's training and only within the scope of employment at the Veterinary Medical Center while under the direct supervision of a veterinarian currently licensed and actively practicing veterinary medicine in Minnesota, as defined in section 156.04. The direct supervising veterinarian must not have any current or past conditions, restrictions, or probationary status imposed on the veterinarian's license by the board within the past five years. The holder of a temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license who is enrolled in a PhD program may apply for up to two additional consecutive two-year extensions of an expiring temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license. Any other holder of a temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license may apply for one two-year extension of the expiring temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician license. Temporary faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician licenses that are allowed to expire may not be renewed. The board shall grant an extension to a licensee who demonstrates suitable progress toward completing the requirements of their academic program, specialty board certification, or full licensure in Minnesota by a graduate of a foreign veterinary college.
(d) Temporary and specialty faculty Veterinary Medical Center clinician licensees must abide by all the laws governing the practice of veterinary medicine in the state of Minnesota and are subject to the same disciplinary action as any other veterinarian licensed in the state of Minnesota.
(e) The fee for a license issued under this subdivision is the same as for a regular license to practice veterinary medicine in Minnesota. License payment deadlines, late payment fees, and other license requirements are also the same as for regular licenses.
History:
(5851-12) 1937 c 119 s 12; 1965 c 204 s 11; 1976 c 285 s 11; 1984 c 427 s 1; 1985 c 228 s 4; 1986 c 444; 1996 c 415 s 18-20; 1999 c 231 s 162,163; 2004 c 254 s 25,26; 2008 c 297 art 1 s 38-40; 2021 c 28 s 23