Missouri Code of State Regulations
Title 20 - DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND INSURANCE
Division 2270 - Missouri Veterinary Medical Board
Chapter 2 - Licensure Requirements for Veterinarians
Section 20 CSR 2270-2.021 - Internship or Veterinary Candidacy Program

(1) All applicants for licensure by examination shall complete a three hundred twenty (320) hour postgraduate internship or veterinary candidacy program under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian in good standing or demonstrate the practice of veterinary medicine without encumbrance in another state or jurisdiction at least twelve (12) months prior to application for licensure in Missouri. To be in good standing the veterinarian's license(s) must be current and unencumbered. The postgraduate internship or veterinary candidacy program may be completed in any state, territory or district of the United States or Canada. The postgraduate internship or veterinary candidacy program located outside the United States must be approved by the board. The applicant must submit a request for approval in writing and provide the credentials of the supervising veterinarian.

(2) The supervising veterinarian shall submit an evaluation form stating that the applicant has satisfactorily completed the internship or veterinary candidacy program. The form is available upon request from the executive director, Missouri Veterinary Medical Board, PO Box 633, Jefferson City, MO 65102.

(3) The purpose of the internship or veterinary candidacy program is to provide the applicant with at least three hundred twenty (320) hours of work experience in veterinary medicine under supervision prior to licensure.

(4) An applicant may complete the internship or veterinary candidacy program under a provisional license at any time after graduation. He/she may take the examinations for licensure prior to the internship or veterinary candidacy program.

(5) Completion of a student preceptor program which is recognized and approved by the board prior to graduation may be substituted for the internship or veterinary candidacy program. The board shall have the sole discretion as to whether or not the preceptor program will qualify in lieu of the internship or veterinary candidacy program. This program shall be defined by the curriculum of the veterinary school or university and must include a minimum of three hundred twenty (320) hours of work experience in the following areas: diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and practice management. The student preceptor program may not begin before the start of the student's third year and must be completed prior to the date of graduation or demonstration that the applicant has practiced in another state or jurisdiction for the preceding twelve (12) months prior to application for licensure in Missouri and that the applicant's license(s) in another state or jurisdiction has never been the subject of any disciplinary action. A student preceptor program located outside the United States must be pre-approved by the board. The applicant must submit a request for approval in writing and provide the credentials of the supervising veterinarian.

(6) Any school or university that wishes to submit a student preceptorship program for board approval shall send a photocopy of the description of the program from the veterinary school's curriculum to the board office.

(7) For a student preceptorship to qualify in lieu of an internship or a veterinary candidacy program, an evaluation form must be submitted to the board office. The form is available upon request from the executive director, Missouri Veterinary Medical Board, PO Box 633, Jefferson City, MO 65102.