Continuing Education Accreditation

In general, presenters for a given topic should have at least the same or a higher level of education as the attendees (e.g. a program for veterinarians should be presented by an individual holding at least a DVM/DMV degree or greater). Qualified presenters for scientific/clinical programs must, at a minimum:  

• Hold a DVM/DMV degree. 

• Be board-certified in the subject matter. 

• Be a member of the faculty of an accredited veterinary college.

• Have an advanced degree(s) (e.g. PhD) in the subject matter. 

• Provide evidence of special knowledge in the subject area being presented, such as publication(s) in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the subject area to be presented.

Non-scientific presentations include topics that help make veterinary and animal welfare professionals more competent and capable in serving the public interest in the delivery of veterinary services, which is not necessarily scientific or clinical in nature. This can include, but isn’t limited to: 

• Business management.

• Regulatory compliance.

• Jurisprudence.

• Skills-based training in instrumentation.

• Medical records.

• Software management.

• The art of veterinary practice.

• Communication. 

• Veterinary ethics.

Programs addressing mental health issues, such as compassion fatigue, burnout and suicide ideation may also qualify in this category.  

CE provided in this category must be presented by individuals who can provide evidence of sufficient education and/or special knowledge in the subject matter. 

• Incomplete application packages won't be considered. 

• Approval is based on one credit for each lecture hour. The minimum "hour" is 50 minutes long. The smallest increment that will be considered for approval is 30 minutes.  

• Sponsor(s) must be clearly identified and must include an estimate of time devoted to the expression of commercial interests. 

• Presentations given by people employed by the sponsoring company creates a conflict of interest and likely won’t be granted CE credit approval.  

• A $150 Program Application Fee is required for all applications, as well as a $20 per-hour course fee. Per-hour fees are calculated based on the total hours of programming you want to have reviewed. For programs that have multiple sessions from which a participant may select (such as a conference), per-hour fees are calculated on the total number of hours available, not the number of hours for any one participant. 

• Full payment must accompany each request for CE accreditation. Only one fee applies where the program will be delivered in several locations, given there are no changes made to the presentation material or presenters. 

• Upon receipt of all documents, and if all requisite eligibility criteria are met, OVMA CE accreditation can be granted within one week of submission. If there are any discrepancies or concerns with any of the eligibility criteria, applications will require additional review, necessitating a potential four- to six-week approval time. 

Presentations given by individuals employed by the sponsoring company create a conflict of interest and are not likely to be granted CE credit approval. Programs that contain promotional material may be approved if: 

• There’s sufficient scientific or clinical content related to the product/service, and it’s presented in a way that benefits attendees who don’t use the specific product/service. 

• There’s a clear indication to the participants at the beginning of the presentation of the relationships between the provider, presenter and content of the program. 

• The PowerPoint presentation is submitted with the application.