What is the Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine (SBVM)? The SBVM is a "Consumer Protection Agency" assuring the proper standard of care is given to all animals. The state of Colorado, through the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), regulates and licenses veterinarians. It is a government agency, funded by licensing fees and state taxes.

For exact information, visit their Web site:  www.dora.state.co.us/veterinarians.

What does the State Board do?

• Handles complaints.
• Enforces the Practice Act which is the law governing the practice of veterinary medicine.
• Maintains continuing education requirements for veterinarians.
• Governs license renewals and issuing of licenses to veterinarians.

When a formal complaint is filed against someone, the state office notifies the person in question, requests records and case files, and begins the investigation. The board members review and discuss these cases every two months. The Practice Act is the basis for their final decisions. Fines may be issued, letters of recommendation or concern may be sent, licenses may be revoked, or individuals practicing veterinary medicine without a license may be asked to "cease and desist."

Who serves on the State Board? The SBVM consists of five veterinarians and two non-veterinarians who are appointed by the Governor. It is their responsibility to assure that the practice act is upheld. The Board is completely separate from other associations such as the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), the State Veterinarian's Office, and the Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians (CACVT). The government runs this board, which is designed to make sure the consumer receives quality veterinary medicine from licensed veterinarians.

How does the State Board affect veterinary technicians

• In the Practice Act is (1) the definition of a veterinary technician, (2) the tasks a veterinary technician cannot do, and (3) that technicians are under the direct, on the premise, supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
• The Practice Act does affect you, the technician. It is in your and your veterinarian's best interest to have a general understanding of the laws that affect veterinary medicine. The Practice Act and other State Board issues are found on the website: www.dora.state.co.us/veterinarians/forms/Statute.pdf.

Your role in decreasing complaints.

• The chances of a complaint will be minimized by communicating effectively and offering quality medicine to all clients. Communication issues are the number one reason why veterinarians are taken to the SBVM.
• Medical records are the key! All information (including conversations both in person and on the phone) should be recorded in legible, chronological order with dates and initials. Accurate records will make or break a case. All physical exams, treatments, recommendations (including the ones declined by the owners), laboratory work, type of anesthesia, and any other details important to the case need to be recorded.

Are SBVM meetings open to the public? Yes, State Board meetings are open to the public. The CACVT Continuing Education Committee has approved the attendance of SBVM meetings as Continuing Education (supportive credits). Sitting in on a SBVM meeting is very educational and only requires a few hours!

Meeting Dates / Times
State Board meetings are usually held on the first or second Thursday of every other month. They meet in room 1380 (or one close by) in the at 1560 Broadway in Denver. They will have a sign outside of the room. The meetings start at 8 or 8:30 AM. Check their agenda (found on the Web site) for exact date, time, and room number: www.dora.state.co.us/veterinarians.

• Beginning July 1, 2010, CACVT offers CVTs 1 technical CE credit for every hour attended - up to a total of 4 hours (additional hours will be supportive credit only).
• CE certificates are provided by CACVT to verify that you were present.

Meeting Etiquette

• Dress is business or business casual. Remember, you are judged on your appearance, so look professional.
• If you are running late, you may enter at any time, just respect that the meeting has already started. You are welcome to stay as long as you want. They usually take a short break mid-morning, and then break for lunch between 12 and 12:30 PM. You can leave at this time or stay for the entire meeting. They do have an executive session in the afternoon that is closed to the public.
• At the beginning of the meeting, there will be a chance for introductions. This is optional. If you'd like, you can say your name, CVT, clinic you're with (optional), and that you're there to observe. The reason why they sometimes want to know who you are is if the veterinarian or complainant is present, they will try and get to that case first so the people don't have to sit there all day. After the introduction, you are not allowed to talk or give any kind of input during the meeting.

Discussion of Cases The reason you are there is to observe how the State Board analyzes complaints and looks at records. The information you will hear is public knowledge, but you're getting it first. Once rulings are made, it's up to the State Board to inform the respective parties. Thus it's not appropriate to talk about specific people/clinics outside of the meeting. Please give them professional courtesy by respecting their situation. It is fine to discuss the general case and how it could have been handled better, or what you would have done in that situation, but the people/clinic should remain anonymous. Thank you for your consideration.

Questions If you have any questions about the session, either now or after going, please contact Denise Mikita in the CACVT office (info@cacvt.com). It's exciting that you are interested in attending. You will see a very different and important aspect of the veterinary technician profession.