32-2216. Issuance of temporary permits; emergency temporary permits; definition

A. The board may issue temporary permits to veterinary license applicants and to veterinarians who are licensed in other states and who enter this state to provide voluntary services during a state of emergency as declared by the governor or the board of supervisors of the county in which the board of supervisors has declared a local emergency pursuant to section 26-311. Except for applicants who are veterinary faculty members who have graduated from a veterinary college, applicants for all temporary permits must be graduates of an American veterinary medical association accredited veterinary college or holders of a certificate from the educational commission for foreign veterinary graduates or from a program for the assessment of veterinary education at the time of application.

B. The temporary permit issued under this section entitles a veterinary license applicant to engage in the active practice of veterinary medicine in this state as an employee of a licensed veterinarian, this state or any county or municipality in this state. The applicant is eligible for the next examination, if the applicant has not violated any provision of this chapter. An applicant working under the direct and personal instruction, control or supervision of a licensed veterinarian and whose compensation is paid by the veterinarian may perform those acts of animal health care assigned by the veterinarian having responsibility for the care of the animal. The temporary permit described in this subsection expires twenty days after the examination. If the applicant fails for good and sufficient reason to take the examination, the board, by majority consent, may extend the permit until the next succeeding examination. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the holder of a temporary permit must be examined and satisfactorily pass the license examination next following the issuance of the permit and duly receive a license in order to continue active professional practice. The temporary permit may be extended only one time. For the purposes of this subsection, " direct and personal instruction, control or supervision" means that a veterinarian who is licensed by the board is physically present and personally supervising a temporary permittee when the permittee is practicing acts of veterinary medicine except if the permittee is at a temporary site for the purpose of delivering services to large animals or if the permittee is administering emergency services not during regular office hours. In these cases, phone contact constitutes direct and personal instruction, control or supervision.

C. If an employer, for any reason, terminates the employment of the applicant, the employing veterinarian shall notify the board and the temporary permit described in subsection B of this section is immediately void.

D. An emergency temporary permit that is issued to an individual who is a veterinarian licensed in good standing in another state entitles the individual to provide voluntary veterinary care during a state of emergency or local emergency for the sole purpose of assisting in care related to that emergency. The emergency temporary permit expires ninety days after the date of issuance or at the end of the state of emergency or local emergency, whichever occurs first. An applicant for an emergency temporary permit shall submit a complete application, including information regarding veterinary licensure in any other state and verification that the statutes and rules pertaining to the board have been reviewed. The board shall verify whether the veterinarian is licensed in the state or states indicated and confirm the applicant's good standing. The applicant is not required to pass the state veterinary examination. A veterinarian who is issued an emergency temporary permit under this section shall practice in accordance with all laws and rules related to the practice of veterinary medicine in this state. The board may investigate any alleged violation by a holder of an emergency temporary permit and take disciplinary action as prescribed in this chapter. A veterinarian granted an emergency temporary permit under this section is a licensed, certified or authorized emergency responder pursuant to section 49-133 and an emergency worker as defined in section 26-301.

E. For the purposes of this section, " emergency temporary permit" means a temporary permit that is issued to a veterinarian who is licensed in another state and who enters this state to provide voluntary services during a state of emergency as declared by the governor or a local emergency declared by a county board of supervisors pursuant to section 26-311.