Mandatory continuing veterinary education requirements in the United States and Canada.

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trend is similar in veterinary medicine, except that the primary mechanism used is to require a specified number of continuing veterinary medical education (CVME) credits as qualifications for re-licensure. Some states add the additional restriction of accepting credits only from courses approved by the licensing authority directly or through a designated third-party evaluator. Methods of validating claimed CVME range from the honor system, where the veterinarian is required to swear that s/he participated in the courses claimed, to a system of documentation, where attendance certificates, provided by the CVME sponsoring organization, are required for each CVME event claimed. While approval of CVME activities is determined by licensing authorities and may be scrutinized on an item-by-item basis, many states have provisions for organizations that regularly develop, produce, and deliver CVME courses, seminars, and programs (called providers), with the result that all offerings from these providers are automatically approved for credit. Frequently, recognized approved providers include AVMA accredited schools and colleges of veterinary medicine, national veterinary associations and specialty colleges, state and local veterinary medical associations, respected regional and private providers, and industry. The purpose of this article is to list the current CVME requirements in the United States and Canada and provide additional analysis and comment on CVME requirements. METHODS