{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-698.7","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-698.7","heading":"Powers and duties of Board","body":"The State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners shall have the\n\npowers and it shall also be its duty to regulate the practice of\n\nveterinary medicine. In addition to any other powers placed on it\n\nby the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act or as otherwise provided by\n\nlaw, the Board shall have the power and duty to:\n\n1. a. set standards for licensure or certification by\n\nexamination and develop such examinations as will\n\nprovide assurance of competency to practice, and\n\nb. employ or enter into agreements with organizations or\n\nagencies to provide examinations acceptable to the\n\nBoard or employ or enter into agreements with\n\norganizations or agencies to provide administration,\n\npreparation or scoring of examinations;\n\n2. Set fees;\n\n3. Prescribe the time, place, method, manner, scope and\n\nsubjects of examination for licensure;\n\n4. Prepare or select, conduct or direct the conduct of, set\n\nminimum requirements for and assure security of licensing and other\n\nrequired examinations;\n\n5. a. issue or deny licenses and certificates and renewals\n\nthereof,\n\nb. acquire information about and evaluate the\n\nprofessional education and training of applicants for\n\nlicensure or certification; and accept or deny\n\napplications for licensure, certification or renewal\n\nof either licensure or certification based on the\n\nevaluation of information relating to applicant\n\nfitness, performance or competency to practice,\n\nc. determine which professional schools, colleges,\n\nuniversities, training institutions and educational\n\nprograms are acceptable in connection with licensure\n\npursuant to the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act, and\n\naccept the approval of such facilities and programs by\n\nAmerican-Veterinary-Medical-Association-accredited\n\ninstitutions in the United States and Canada,\n\nd. require supporting documentation or other acceptable\n\nverifying evidence for any information provided the\n\nBoard by an applicant for licensure or certification,\n\nand\n\ne. require information on an applicant's fitness,\n\nqualification and previous professional record and\n\nperformance from recognized data sources including,\n\nbut not limited to, other licensing and disciplinary\n\nauthorities of other jurisdictions, professional\n\neducation and training institutions, liability\n\ninsurers, animal health care institutions and law\n\nenforcement agencies;\n\n6. Develop and use applications and other necessary forms and\n\nrelated procedures for purposes of the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice\n\nAct;\n\n7. a. review and investigate complaints and adverse\n\ninformation about licensees and certificate holders,\n\nb. conduct hearings in accordance with the Oklahoma\n\nVeterinary Practice Act and the Administrative\n\nProcedures Act, and\n\nc. adjudicate matters that come before the Board for\n\njudgment pursuant to the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice\n\nAct upon clear and convincing evidence and issue final\n\ndecisions on such matters to discipline licensees and\n\ncertificate holders;\n\n8. a. impose sanctions, deny licenses and certificates and\n\nrenewals thereof, levy reimbursement costs, seek\n\nappropriate administrative, civil or criminal\n\npenalties or any combination of these against those\n\nwho violate examination security, who attempt to or\n\nwho do obtain licensure or certification by fraud, who\n\nknowingly assist in illegal activities or who aid and\n\nabet the illegal practice of veterinary medicine,\n\nb. review and investigate complaints and adverse\n\ninformation about licensees and certificate holders,\n\nc. discipline licensees and certificate holders,\n\nd. institute proceedings in courts of competent\n\njurisdiction to enforce Board orders and provisions of\n\nthe Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act,\n\ne. (1) establish mechanisms for dealing with licensees\n\nand certificate holders who abuse or are\n\ndependent on or addicted to alcohol or other\n\nchemical substances, and enter into agreements,\ncate holders,\n\nc. discipline licensees and certificate holders,\n\nd. institute proceedings in courts of competent\n\njurisdiction to enforce Board orders and provisions of\n\nthe Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act,\n\ne. (1) establish mechanisms for dealing with licensees\n\nand certificate holders who abuse or are\n\ndependent on or addicted to alcohol or other\n\nchemical substances, and enter into agreements,\n\nat its discretion, with professional\n\norganizations whose relevant procedures and\n\ntechniques it has evaluated and approved for\n\ntheir cooperation or participation in the\n\nrehabilitation of the licensee or certificate\n\nholder,\n\n(2) establish by rules cooperation with other\n\nprofessional organizations for the identification\n\nand monitoring of licensees and certificate\n\nholders in treatment who are chemically dependent\n\nor addicted, and\n\nf. issue conditional, restricted or otherwise\n\ncircumscribed modifications to licensure or\n\ncertification as determined to be appropriate by due\n\nprocess procedures and summarily suspend a license if\n\nthe Board has cause to believe by clear and convincing\n\nevidence such action is required to protect public or\n\nanimal health and safety or to prevent continuation of\n\nincompetent practices;\n\n9. Promulgate rules of professional conduct and require all\n\nlicensees and certificate holders to practice in accordance\n\ntherewith;\n\n10. Act to halt the unlicensed or illegal practice of\n\nveterinary medicine and seek administrative, criminal and civil\n\npenalties against those engaged in such practice;\n\n11. Establish appropriate fees and charges to ensure active and\n\neffective pursuit of Board responsibilities;\n\n12. Employ, direct, reimburse, evaluate and dismiss staff in\n\naccordance with state procedures;\n\n13. Establish policies for Board operations;\n\n14. Respond to legislative inquiry regarding those changes in,\n\nor amendments to, the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act;\n\n15. Act on its own motion in disciplinary matters, administer\n\noaths, issue notices, issue subpoenas in the name of the State of\n\nOklahoma including subpoenas for client and animal records, hold\n\nhearings, institute court proceedings for contempt or to compel\n\ntestimony or obedience to its orders and subpoenas, take evidentiary\n\ndepositions and perform such other acts as are reasonable and\n\nnecessary under law to carry out its duties;\n\n16. Use clear and convincing evidence as the standard of proof\n\nand issue final decisions when acting as trier of fact in the\n\nperformance of its adjudicatory duties;\n\n17. Determine and direct Board operating, administrative,\n\npersonnel and budget policies and procedures in accordance with\n\napplicable statutes;\n\n18. Promulgate uniform rules such as may be necessary for\n\ncarrying out and enforcing the provisions of the Oklahoma Veterinary\n\nPractice Act and such as in its discretion may be necessary to\n\nprotect the health, safety and welfare of the public;\n\n19. Determine continuing education requirements. Such\n\ncontinuing education shall include not less than one (1) hour of\n\neducation in pain management or one (1) hour of education in opioid\n\nuse or addiction annually, unless the licensee has demonstrated to\n\nthe satisfaction of the Board that the licensee does not currently\n\nhold a valid federal Drug Enforcement Administration registration\n\nnumber;\n\n20. Establish minimum standards for veterinary premises;\n\n21. Establish standards for veterinary labeling and dispensing\n\nof veterinary prescription drugs and federal Food and Drug\n\nAdministration-approved human drugs for animals which would conform\n\nto current applicable state and federal law and regulations;\n\n22. Promulgate rules such as may be necessary for carrying out\n\nand enforcing provisions relating to certification of animal\n\neuthanasia technicians and approval of drugs to be used for\n\neuthanasia of animals in an animal shelter pursuant to the\nfederal Food and Drug\n\nAdministration-approved human drugs for animals which would conform\n\nto current applicable state and federal law and regulations;\n\n22. Promulgate rules such as may be necessary for carrying out\n\nand enforcing provisions relating to certification of animal\n\neuthanasia technicians and approval of drugs to be used for\n\neuthanasia of animals in an animal shelter pursuant to the\n\nrequirements of Section 502 of Title 4 of the Oklahoma Statutes;\n\n23. Shall conduct a national criminal history records search\n\nfor certified animal euthanasia technicians:\n\na. the applicant shall furnish the Board two completed\n\nfingerprint cards and a money order or cashier's check\n\nmade payable to the Oklahoma State Bureau of\n\nInvestigation,\n\nb. the Board shall forward the fingerprint cards, along\n\nwith the applicable fee for a national fingerprint\n\ncriminal history records search, to the Bureau, and\n\nc. the Bureau shall retain one set of fingerprints in the\n\nAutomated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and\n\nsubmit the other set to the Federal Bureau of\n\nInvestigation (FBI) for a national criminal history\n\nrecords search;\n\n24. Establish standards for animal chiropractic diagnosis and\n\ntreatment. The standards shall include but not be limited to a\n\nrequirement that a veterinarian who holds himself or herself out to\n\nthe public as certified to engage in animal chiropractic diagnosis\n\nand treatment shall:\n\na. carry at least One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) of\n\nadditional malpractice coverage to perform animal\n\nchiropractic diagnosis and treatment, and\n\nb. have appropriate training in animal chiropractic\n\ndiagnosis and treatment. The Veterinary Examining\n\nBoard shall have the authority to establish\n\neducational criteria for certification standards in\n\nanimal chiropractic diagnosis and treatment. The\n\nVeterinary Examining Board shall work in conjunction\n\nwith the Board of Chiropractic Examiners to establish\n\ncomparable standards for the practice of animal\n\nchiropractic diagnosis and treatment for both medical\n\nprofessions within thirty (30) days after the\n\neffective date of this act. The Board shall certify\n\nany licensed veterinarian wishing to engage in animal\n\nchiropractic diagnosis and treatment who meets the\n\nstandards established by the Board pursuant to this\n\nparagraph. Upon request, the Board shall make\n\navailable to the public a list of licensed\n\nveterinarians so certified;\n\n25. Give scholarships, as determined by the Board, to an\n\nindividual advancing toward obtaining a degree in veterinary\n\nmedicine from an Oklahoma higher education institution and take such\n\nother action as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to\n\neffectuate the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice Act. The Board may, at\n\nits discretion, contract with other state agencies and nonprofit\n\ncorporations for the endowment, management and administration of\n\nscholarships. The requirements of such scholarships shall be\n\ndetermined by the Board. However, nothing contained herein shall be\n\nconstrued as requiring the Board to endow or award any scholarship;\n\nand\n\n26. Perform such other duties and exercise such other powers as\n\nthe provisions and enforcement of the Oklahoma Veterinary Practice\n\nAct may require.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"785c95169a8085b00a932dff32a24337cc3d7313cafc743313ad80e8704023da","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-698.6","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-698.8"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}