CE FAQs

Mandatory CE for veterinarians became law in 2016 and implementation of the program is well underway. For license renewals, beginning on December 31, 2022, an applicant for a veterinarian license renewal who held a license for the 3-year period immediately preceding the expiration date of the license shall have earned, within the 3-year period immediately preceding the date of the application, 45 hours of approved continuing education. Requirements for new licenses and lapsed licenses are different. Applicants for licenses in these situations may already have to show proof of CE.

For license renewals, the first group of veterinarians who need to have completed CE are those with a license expiring on December 31, 2022. These veterinarians can start tracking and documenting their CE in 2020. All renewals after December 31, 2022 must also be in compliance with the CE requirements.

Veterinarians will be required to complete 45 hours of CE every 3 years and veterinary technicians will be required to complete 15 hours every 3 years.

License renewals for veterinarians and veterinary technicians will occur every 3 years. Previously licenses were renewed every 2 years.

The Michigan Board of Veterinary Medicine approved the revised Administrative Rules for veterinarians and veterinary technicians on June 21, 2018. The rules finished the promulgation process and were posted online on January 4, 2019. LARA is currently revising the rules and changes are expected as soon as the end of 2022.

Veterinarian Licensing Guide
Veterinary Technician Licensing Guide

Two of the requirements you must specifically fulfill each renewal cycle are 1 hour of CE on medical records and 1 hour of CE on state veterinary law and/or federal or state-controlled substance laws. They are offered annually at both the Michigan Veterinary Conference (MVC) and MVMA’s Mandatory CE Day each fall. MVMA member, Sarah Babcock, DVM, JD has also created both a 1 and 2-hour Michigan-specific medical record keeping online training that satisfies these CE requirements. These online courses can be taken at any time and can be found here.

What is considered live and in-person CE?
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) coronavirus pandemic policy allowing synchronous, live, interactive virtual CE to be substituted for live and in person CE came to an end on June 22, 2021:

Effective after June 21, 2021, continuing education must be completed live and in-person, if required by the administrative rules. Once the epidemic orders were lifted as of June 22, 2021, the ability to do live, in-person continuing education in a “virtual” manner ended.

Current LARA Rules mandate that for 12 of the 45 CE hours required in the three years prior to when you renew your license, at least six hours be completed live and in person. The Rules also say that up to six hours of CE that requires or permits synchronous, live interaction with the presenter, other participants, or both during the activity can be used toward the 12 hours. In other words, you could use 12 hours of live and in person CE to satisfy the 12-hour venue requirement or you could mix and match live and in person CE with up to 6 hours of synchronous, live, interactive virtual CE and still comply.

A number of veterinarians will be randomly audited each year for proof that they have complied with the CE requirements. If audited, the licensee shall submit a copy of a letter or certificate of completion showing the licensee’s name, number of CE hours earned, the sponsor’s name or name of the organization that approved the activity and the date on which the program was held or the activity completed. If the CE is for presenting a CE program, authoring an article or chapter, acting as an instructor, participating on a group or providing supervision to a disciplinarily limited veterinarian see the full rules for specific information.

Opioids and other controlled substances awareness training is required for everyone renewing a Michigan Controlled Substance license that expires on or after December 31, 2021 (this is not the same date as the start date for veterinarian licenses). Opioid training is also a requirement now for anyone applying for a new controlled substance license. This is a one-time training. Until there is clarification from LARA, keep your training documentation for as long as you have your controlled substance license.

This training must cover:

• Use of opioids and other controlled substances
• Integration of treatments
• Alternative of treatments for pain management
• Counseling patients on the effects and risks associated with using opioids and other controlled substances
• The stigma of addiction
• Utilizing the Michigan Automated Prescription system
• State and federal laws regarding prescribing and dispensing controlled substances
• Security features and proper disposal requirements for prescriptions

You should expect at least a 3-hour training session. You may also take this training in components at different times. Details of training requirements are in the Board of Pharmacy Controlled Substances Rules.

This training is traditionally offered annually at both the Michigan Veterinary Conference (MVC) and MVMA’s Mandatory CE Day each fall, but not guaranteed.

MVMA member, Sarah Babcock, DVM, JD has also created a webinar that satisfies this requirement. This training can be taken at any time and can be found