Section 1500.5  Approved Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Programs

a)         Approved Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Programs

1)         The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation-Division of Professional Regulation (Division) shall approve a veterinary medicine and surgery program as reputable and in good standing if it meets the following minimum criteria:

A)        The institution is legally recognized and authorized by the jurisdiction in which it is located to confer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree or its equivalent.

B)        Has a faculty that consists of a sufficient number of full-time instructors to make certain that the educational obligations to the student are fulfilled.  The faculty must have demonstrated competence in their area of teaching as evidenced by appropriate degrees from reputable professional colleges or institutions.

C)        Has a curriculum of at least 4 academic years, including at least the following subject areas, as applied to the various species of animals:

            Anatomy

            Anesthesiology

            Applied Clinical Training

            Clinical Chemistry

            Epidemiology

            Federal and State Laws

            Food Quality and Safety

            General and Special Pathology

            Immunology

            Internal Medicine

            Microbiology

            Nutrition

            Parasitology

            Pharmacology

            Physiology

            Preventive Medicine

            Professional Ethics

            Radiology

            Surgery and Obstetrics

D)        Accepts only persons who have graduated from accredited high schools or who have obtained equivalent education through such programs as the General Education Development Examination, and have successfully completed at least 2 years of pre-veterinary collegiate training in an accredited college or university.

E)         Maintains permanent student records that summarize the credentials for admission, attendance, grades and other records of performance.

F)         Maintains or is formally affiliated with a hospital for the care and treatment of animals, which provides a sufficient number and variety of surgical and medical cases for the students' clinical instruction.

2)         In determining whether a program should be approved, the Division shall take into consideration but not be bound by accreditation or approval by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education.

3)         The Division has determined that all veterinary medicine and surgery programs accredited or approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education (AVMA) as of September 1, 2005 meet the minimum criteria set forth in subsection (a)(1) and are, therefore, approved.

b)         Withdrawal of Approval

1)         The Director of the Division of Professional Regulation (Director), with the authority delegated by the Secretary, may withdraw, suspend or place on probation the approval of a veterinary medicine and surgery program when the quality of the program has been materially affected by any of the following causes:

A)        Gross or repeated violations of any provision of the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 [225 ILCS 115] (the Act);

B)        Gross or repeated violations of any portion of this Part;

C)        Fraud or dishonesty in furnishing documentation for evaluation of the program; or

D)        Failure to continue to meet the criteria of an approved program as set out in this Section.

2)         The officials in charge of a veterinary medicine and surgery program whose approval is being reconsidered by the Division shall be given written notice prior to action by the Division and those officials may either submit written comments or request a hearing before the Veterinarian Licensing and Disciplinary Board (the Board).

c)         Program Evaluation

1)         An applicant from a program that has not been evaluated will be requested by the Division to provide documentation concerning the criteria in this Section.

2)         Once the Division has received the documentation or after 6 months have elapsed from the date of application, whichever is later, the Division will evaluate the program based on all documentation forwarded from the school and any additional information the Division has received that it deems to be reliable.

(Source:  Amended at 31 Ill. Reg. 15772, effective November 13, 2007)