The Role of Regulatory Boards

State and provincial boards regulate the practice of veterinary medicine in their jurisdictions. These agencies make sure that veterinary professionals are properly educated, qualified, and fit to be licensed. Licensing laws are based on two beliefs:

In support of these beliefs, state and provincial regulatory boards:

• Set and enforce the requirements for veterinary professionals’ initial licensure after graduation from an accredited program.
• Set requirements for ongoing licensure throughout a veterinary professional’s career.
• Set policies on how veterinary clinics and hospitals should be set up.
• Investigate complaints against veterinarians, veterinary technicians, or facilities.

Ultimately, regulatory boards are about protecting the public, and the AAVSB is about supporting boards in those efforts.

Veterinary Medicine Regulation & the Role of the AAVSB

At the AAVSB, we exist to ease the burden of veterinary regulatory boards. We do this by providing programs and services to help them in their mission of public protection. We don’t provide or enforce licensure for veterinary professionals, but we support and guide the agencies that do.

We’re a not-for-profit association of veterinary regulatory boards. Our membership includes licensing bodies in 63 jurisdictions, including all 10 Canadian provinces, all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.