There are a number of reasons your license to practice veterinary medicine may be suspended. While it may have occurred because you failed to renew your license in time or to prove that you’d met the necessary continuing education, it might have also happened because you engaged in malpractice or committed a crime. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your suspension, it may be possible to file for a reinstatement of your medical license.
If your license to practice veterinary medicine has been suspended within the past five years, then the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine (MNBVM) requires you to address a written request to them to have your license reinstated. Along with this statement, you’ll need to also pay the renewal fee that would have applied when you last held an active license. You’ll also need to pay any outstanding balances you owe them and pay current reinstatement fees as well.
The MNBVM will also require you to submit evidence that you’ve successfully completed all 20 hours of required continuing education obligations during the period in which your license lapsed. You’ll need to be fingerprinted and pay the $32 fee to have a Criminal Background Check run as well. If you’ve had a license in another jurisdiction during that time frame, then you’ll also be required to demonstrate that your license is in good standing there.
Situations in which it’s been more than five years since your medical license was suspended will require you to apply for new license. Doing so will require you to retake and score a passing grade on the Minnesota jurisprudence exam. You’ll also need to submit character references. You’ll need to sign a statement acknowledging that you haven’t engaged in any actions that would lead to the revocation or suspension of a veterinary license. You’ll have to pay the new license fee as well.
If the circumstances surrounding why your medical license was suspended are complex, then the Veterinary Board may ask you to attend a hearing in the matter. In many cases, these administrative proceedings may be your only opportunity to justify why you should be allowed to reacquire your medical license.
In learning more about the circumstances surrounding the suspension of your veterinary license, a St. Paul professional licensure defense attorney can advise you of your rights in your particular case.
Source: Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine, “Reactivate or reinstate license,” accessed Nov. 24, 2017