1. A. The board shall issue an expedited license to a qualified applicant licensed in another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or a foreign country as provided in Section 61-1-31.1 NMSA 1978. The board shall process the application as soon as practicable but no later than thirty days after the out-of-state veterinarian files an application for expedited licensure accompanied by any required fee if the applicant:

   1. (1) holds a license that is current and in good standing issued by another licensing jurisdiction approved by the board; and
   2. (2) has practiced veterinary medicine for at least five years.
2. B. If the board issues an expedited license to a person whose prior licensing jurisdiction did not require examination, the board may require the person to pass an examination before applying for license renewal.
3. C. The board by rule shall determine those states and territories of the United States and the District of Columbia from which it will not accept an applicant for expedited licensure and shall determine any foreign countries from which it will accept an applicant for expedited licensure. The board shall post the lists of disapproved and approved licensing jurisdictions on the board's website. The list of disapproved licensing jurisdictions shall include the specific reasons for disapproval. The lists shall be reviewed annually to determine if amendments to the rule are warranted.

4. D. The board may issue without examination a temporary permit to practice veterinary medicine to:

   1. (1) a qualified applicant for a license pending examination, provided the applicant is a graduate veterinarian and employed by and working under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian; provided that:

      1. (a) the temporary permit shall expire the day after the notice of results of the first examination given after the permit is issued;
      2. (b) a qualified applicant for a license pending examination may, at the board's discretion, be exempted from the requirement of working under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian, provided the applicant submits a written request for such exemption; and
      3. (c) no additional temporary permit shall be issued to an applicant who has failed the required components of the New Mexico examination in this or any other state or any other territory, district or commonwealth of the United States; or
   2. (2) a nonresident veterinarian validly licensed and in good standing with the licensing authority in another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia or a foreign country if the nonresident veterinarian is employed by or has a contract with the state, a municipality or a county to provide veterinary services at a nationally accredited zoo or aquarium located in New Mexico; provided that the temporary permit shall be issued for a period lasting no more than six months and no more than two consecutive six-month temporary permits shall be issued to any one veterinarian.
5. E. A temporary permit to practice veterinary medicine may be summarily revoked by a majority vote of the board without a hearing.

History: 1953 Comp., § 67-11-18, enacted by Laws 1967, ch. 62, § 7; 1975, ch. 96, § 6; 1993, ch. 163, § 6; 1995, ch. 154, § 3; 2022, ch. 8, § 1; 2023, ch. 190, § 29.

ANNOTATIONS

Delayed repeals. — For delayed repeal of this section, see 61-14-20 NMSA 1978.

The 2023 amendment, effective July 1, 2023, struck provisions related to license by endorsement, added provisions related to expedited licensure, and clarified language in the section; in the section heading, deleted "License by endorsement" and added "Expedited and temporary licenses"; deleted former Subsections A through C and added new Subsections A through C; in Subsection D, Paragraph D(2), after "territory", added "of the United States, the", and deleted "or commonwealth of the United States provided that" and added "of Columbia or a foreign country"; and deleted former Subparagraph D(2)(a) and former subparagraph designation "(b)", and after "issued to any one", deleted "individual" and added "veterinarian".

The 2022 amendment, effective May 18, 2022, authorized the board of veterinary medicine to issue temporary permits to practice veterinary medicine to certain nonresident veterinarians employed by or contracted with the state, a municipality or a county to provide veterinary services at nationally accredited zoos or aquariums located in New Mexico; and in Subsection D, Subparagraph D(2)(a), added "except as otherwise provided in Subparagraph (b) of this paragraph", and after "no more than two", added "sixty-day", and added Subparagraph D(2)(b).

The 1995 amendment, effective June 16, 1995, deleted "the privilege of obtaining" following "examination" in Subsection D, inserted "a graduate veterinarian and" following "applicant is" in Paragraph (1) of Subsection D, added Subparagraph D(1)(b), redesignated former Subparagraph D(1)(b) as Subparagraph D(1)(c), and made a minor stylistic change in Subparagraph D(1)(a).

The 1993 amendment, effective June 18, 1993, rewrote the section heading, which formerly read "License without examination"; in Subsection A, added "Pursuant to its regulations" at the beginning, inserted "except an examination on state laws and other state and federal regulations related to the practice of veterinary medicine", and deleted former Paragraph (2), which read "within the three years next prior to filing his application, successfully completed the examination conducted by the national board of veterinary examiners"; in Subsections A and B, made minor stylistic changes; and added Subsections D and E.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 78 Am. Jur. 2d Veterinarians § 4.

Validity, construction and effect of statutes or regulations governing practice of veterinary medicine, 8 A.L.R.4th 223.

70 C.J.S. Physicians, Surgeons, and Other Health-Care Providers §§ 19, 20, 23.