2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 59. Professions and Occupations › §59-698.2. Definitions.

As used in the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act:
1. "Board" means the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners;
2. "Animal" means any animal other than humans and includes, but is not limited to, fowl, fish, birds and reptiles, wild or domestic, living or dead;
3. "Veterinarian" means a person who has received a degree in veterinary medicine or its equivalent from a school of veterinary medicine;
4. "Licensed veterinarian" means any veterinarian who holds an active license to practice veterinary medicine in this state;
5. "School of veterinary medicine" means any veterinary college or division of a university or college that offers the degree of doctor of veterinary medicine or its equivalent, which conforms to the standards required for accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and which is recognized and approved by the Board;
6. "Veterinary technician" means a person who has graduated from a program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, or its equivalent which is recognized and approved by the Board, and who has passed the examination requirements set forth by the Board, and is certified to practice under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. For the purpose of the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act, "registered veterinary technician (RVT)" will be used interchangeably with veterinary technician who is certified pursuant to Sections 698.21 through 698.26 of this title;
7. "Veterinary technologist" means a person who has successfully graduated from an AVMA-accredited bachelor degree program of veterinary technology, or its AVMA equivalent;
8. "Veterinary assistant" means an individual who may perform the duties of a veterinary technician or veterinary technologist; however, has not graduated from an AVMA-accredited technology program or its equivalent, and has not been certified by the Board;
9. "Veterinary technology" means the science and art of providing all aspects of professional medical care, services and treatment for animals with the exception of diagnosis, prognosis, surgery and prescription of any treatments, drugs, medications or appliances, where a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship exists;
10. "Direct supervision" means:
a.
directions have been given to a veterinary technician, nurse, laboratory technician, intern, veterinary assistant or other employee for medical care following the examination of an animal by the licensed veterinarian responsible for the professional care of the animal, or
b.
that, under certain circumstances following the examination of an animal by a licensed veterinarian responsible for the professional care of the animal, the presence of the licensed veterinarian on the premises in an animal hospital setting or in the same general area in a range setting is required after directions have been given to a veterinarian who has a certificate issued pursuant to Section 698.8 of this title;
11. "License" means authorization to practice veterinary medicine granted by the Board to an individual found by the Board to meet certain requirements pursuant to the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act or any other applicable statutes;
12. "Supervised Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Certificate" means authorization to practice veterinary medicine with certain limitations or restrictions on that practice, set by the Board or authorization to perform certain enumerated functions peripheral to the practice of veterinary medicine as set by the Board and has a certificate issued pursuant to Section 698.8 of this title;
13. "Veterinarian-client-patient relationship" means when:
a.
the licensed veterinarian has assumed the responsibility for making medical judgments regarding the health of an animal or animals and the need for medical treatment, and the client, owner or other caretaker has agreed to follow the instructions of the licensed veterinarian, and
b.
there is sufficient knowledge of the animal or animals by the licensed veterinarian to initiate at least a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the animal or animals in that:
(1)
the licensed veterinarian has recently seen or is personally acquainted with the keeping and care of the animal or animals, or
(2)
the licensed veterinarian has made medically necessary and timely visits to the premises where the animal or animals are kept or both, and
c.
the licensed veterinarian is readily available for follow-up in case of adverse reactions or failure of the regimen of therapy, or has arranged for emergency medical coverage, and
d.
the licensed veterinarian's actions would conform to applicable federal law and regulations;
14. "Veterinary premises" means any facility where the practice of veterinary medicine occurs including, but not limited to, a mobile unit, mobile clinic, outpatient clinic, satellite clinic, public service outreach of a veterinary facility or veterinary hospital or clinic. The term "veterinary premises" shall not include the premises of a client of a licensed veterinarian or research facility;
15. "Veterinary prescription drugs" means such prescription items as are in the possession of a person regularly and lawfully engaged in the manufacture, transportation, storage or wholesale or retail distribution of veterinary drugs and the federal Food and Drug Administration-approved human drugs for animals which because of their toxicity or other potential for harmful effects, or method of use, or the collateral measures necessary for use, are labeled by the manufacturer or distributor in compliance with federal law and regulations to be sold only to or on the prescription order or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian for use in the course of professional practice. Veterinary prescription drugs shall not include over-the-counter products for which adequate directions for lay use can be written;
16. "ECFVG certificate" means a certificate issued by the American Veterinary Medical Association Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates, indicating that the holder has demonstrated knowledge and skill equivalent to that possessed by a graduate of an accredited or approved college of veterinary medicine;
17. "Executive Director" means the Executive Director of the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners or the authorized representative of such official;
18. "Telemedicine" or "telehealth" means the practice of veterinary medicine including diagnosis, consultation, evaluation, treatment, transfer of medical data or exchange of information by means of a two-way, real-time interactive communication between a client or patient and a veterinarian with access to and reviewing the patient's relevant information prior to the telemedicine visit. Telemedicine or telehealth shall not include consultations provided by telephone audio-only communication. A veterinarian using telehealth technologies shall take appropriate steps to establish the veterinarian-client-patient relationship and conduct all appropriate evaluations and history of the patient consistent with traditional standards of care for the particular patient presentation. A veterinarian shall be licensed, or under the jurisdiction of, the veterinary board of the jurisdiction where the patient is located. The practice of medicine occurs where the patient is located at the time telehealth technologies are used;
19. "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership, association, joint venture, cooperative, corporation or any other group or combination acting in concert, and whether or not acting as a principal, trustee, fiduciary, receiver or as any other kind of legal or personal representative, or as the successor in interest, assignee, agent, factor, servant, employee, director, officer, fictitious name certificate or any other representative of such person;
20. "Food animal" means any mammalian, poultry, fowl, fish or other animal that is raised primarily for human food consumption;
21. "Surgery" means the branch of veterinary science conducted under elective or emergency circumstances, which treats diseases, injuries and deformities by manual or operative methods including, but not limited to, cosmetic, reconstructive, ophthalmic, orthopedic, vascular, thoracic and obstetric procedures. The provisions in Section 698.12 of this title shall not be construed as surgery;
22. "Abandonment" means to forsake entirely or to neglect or refuse to provide or perform the legal obligations for care and support of an animal by its owner, or the owner's agent. Abandonment shall constitute the relinquishment of all rights and claims by the owner to an animal;
23. "Animal chiropractic diagnosis and treatment" means treatment that includes vertebral subluxation complex (VSC) and spinal manipulation of nonhuman vertebrates. The term "animal chiropractic diagnosis and treatment" shall not be construed to allow the:
a.
use of x-rays,
b.
performing of surgery,
c.
dispensing or administering of medications, or
d.
performance of traditional veterinary care;
24. "Animal euthanasia technician" means an employee of a law enforcement agency, an animal control agency or animal shelter that is recognized and approved by the Board, who is certified by the Board and trained to administer sodium pentobarbital to euthanize injured, sick, homeless or unwanted domestic pets and other animals;
25. "Teeth floating", as provided by a nonveterinary equine dental care provider, means the removal of enamel points and the smoothing, contouring and leveling of dental arcades and incisors of equine and other farm animals. It shall not include dental procedures on canines and felines;
26. "Nonveterinary reproductive services" means nonveterinary services provided by an individual certified by the Board as a nonveterinary reproductive services technician, and involves and shall be limited to nonsurgical embryo transfer in ruminating animals including cattle, sheep, goats, farmed deer and other ruminating exotic animals such as those found in zoos, and may include basic ultrasonography of their ovaries to evaluate the response to embryo-transfer-associated procedures and of the uterus to determine pregnancy by the detection of a heartbeat within the transferred embryo at or greater than twenty-eight (28) days of gestation of such ruminating animals;
27. "Embryo transfer" means the biosecure process of inducing increased ovulations within a donor female for the in vivo production of embryos, the flushing of those embryos, collecting, grading and transferring of those embryos to recipient females or the cryopreservation of those embryos for storage and later transfer to recipient females;
28. "Animal Technology Advisory Committee" means the advisory committee established by the Board pursuant to Section 698.30b of this title to advise and make recommendations to the Board regarding any new and evolving technology, procedure, method or practice that may be considered or otherwise designated as an act of animal husbandry that should be included as an act not prohibited in paragraph 1 of Section 698.12 of the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act. Reference to the advisory committee in this act shall mean the Animal Technology Advisory Committee;
29. "Examination Committee" means the committee established and described in subsection D of Section 698.30a of this title related to nonveterinary reproductive services; and
30. "Probable Cause Committee" means the committee consisting of the Board's secretary or treasurer, investigator and attorney to negotiate and settle disputes in accordance with the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act.
Added by Laws 1971, c. 126, § 2, emerg. eff. May 4, 1971. Amended by Laws 1982, c. 192, § 1, emerg. eff. April 22, 1982; Laws 1990, c. 314, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Laws 1998, c. 80, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 1998; Laws 1999, c. 94, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1999; Laws 2000, c. 199, § 7, eff. Nov. 1, 2000; Laws 2000, c. 334, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2000; Laws 2002, c. 172, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2002; Laws 2010, c. 112, § 1; Laws 2011, c. 83, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2011; Laws 2021, c. 564, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2021.
NOTE: Laws 2000, c. 131, § 4 repealed by Laws 2000, c. 334, § 9, eff. Nov. 1, 2000.