License Requirements for Veterinarians
Application:
Any person desiring to be licensed as a veterinarian must apply to the Board and must take the South Carolina licensure on-line jurisprudence examination. Applications must be filed with the Board prior to the examination. Applications and accompanying documents will be valid for one year from the initial application date. After one year, a new application with attendant documents and appropriate fees must be submitted. The Board may receive applications from senior students at accredited veterinary schools; however, an application is not complete until the applicant furnishes proof of graduation and other information as set forth in this Article and Board rules.
Applications must include:
1. College transcript: Certified copy of the applicant's transcript, indicating veterinary degree, by a college approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Graduates of veterinary medical schools outside the United States and Canada are required to have certification by the AVMA Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates and will submit proof of such certification being granted after December 31, 1972 or have AASVB Certification from the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education (PAVE). Graduates of schools outside the United States and Canada which are accredited by the AVMA after 1977 at the time of graduation will be exempt from this requirement.
OR
Senior students: Senior students must submit an attested letter from the accredited veterinary medical college establishing their senior status as of the date of the State examination.
2. NAVLE (North American Veterinary Licensing Examination): Certified copy of the NAVLE examination results is required for applicants who have taken and passed the exam.
OR
National Board Examinations and Clinical Competency Examination (CCT): See descriptions
National Board Examinations: Certified copy of national board examination results is required. Applicants who have taken or who have applied to take NAVLE exam are exempt of the Clinical Competency Examination. AND
Clinical Competency Examination (CCT): Certified copy of the Clinical Competency Test (CCT) must be current within five (5) years of the date of the application with a minimum score of 350 if taken before December 1992, or the criterion referenced passing score if taken after December 1992. Applicants who have taken or who have applied to take NAVLE exam are exempt of the Clinical Competency Examination. The requirement for the CCT may be waived only if the applicant meets the following criteria:
(a) The applicant has submitted verification of having held for a minimum of three years immediately preceding application, a valid and unrestricted (including probation or other conditions) license to practice veterinary medicine issued after examination by another state which has education and examination requirements substantially equivalent to those required by South Carolina; and
(b) The applicant has submitted verification of three full years of active, continuous clinical practice immediately preceding the examination; or
(c) The applicant has submitted verification of having passed the AVMA-recognized Board Certification examination in any field of veterinary medicine.
3. Verification(s) of Licensure for Endorsement Applicants: Complete verification required from each state, active or inactive, in which the applicant is or has been licensed.
4. Photographs: One recent passport type photograph taken within the last six months of application filing.
5. Fees. A non-refundable certified check or money order.
Passing Grade on on-line Jurisprudence Examination: A candidate must obtain a passing score of no less than 70 percent on the South Carolina Jurisprudence examination.
Denial of Application: An application may be denied if the applicant is currently restricted (including probation or other conditions) in another state or has committed any act which indicates that the applicant does not possess the character and fitness to practice veterinary medicine, including any act that would be grounds for disciplinary action under this chapter against a licensed veterinarian.
A temporary license entitles the applicant to practice only until the Board has acted upon the application for permanent license after the applicant completes the examination. The temporary license is not renewable.
Applicants for a temporary license must have:
(1) filed an application with the Board prior to the on-line examination;
(2) provided a certified copy of the applicant's transcript, indicating veterinary degree, by a college approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Graduates of veterinary medical schools outside the United States and Canada are required to have certification by the AVMA Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates and shall submit proof of such certification being granted after December 31, 1972. Graduates of schools outside the United States and Canada which are accredited by the AVMA after 1977 at the time of graduation shall be exempt from this requirement;
(3) paid the required fee;
(4) provided verification of a current and unrestricted license to practice veterinary medicine in another state, if applying by endorsement, and been practicing for a period of no less than sixty (60) days immediately preceding filing his application;
(5) submitted to the Board the verification from all states in which a license has been or is held;
(6) submitted an application for a temporary license from the South Carolina veterinarian with whom they are to be employed, showing the name, location of practice and anticipated start date of employment.
A temporary license entitles the applicant to practice only until the Board has acted upon his/her application for permanent license after the applicant completes the examination. This temporary license is not renewable.