Continuing Ed
Future IVMA Events
*Dates & locations are tentative and subject to change for the events listed below.
Year Winter Conference Annual Meeting
2026 February 12-13 Prairie Meadows, Altoona September 24-25 Scheman, Ames
2027 February 11-12 Prairie Meadows, Altoona September 23-24 Scheman, Ames
- Click here to view the calendar for other upcoming CE opportunities.
The Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine is the licensing agency in Iowa. If you have questions regarding continuing education or needing the form to fill out for CE please visit the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine's website or call them at 515-281-8617.
Iowa Administrative Code 811--11.1(169)
Continuing education required for a veterinary licensee.
811—11.1(169) Within the last three licensing years, each licensee is to complete at least 60 hours of continuing education in courses approved by the board as a condition for license renewal. The licensee has financial responsibility for the cost of continuing education. These credit hours may be obtained by attending board-approved scientific or practice management seminars and meetings on the basis of one credit hour for each hour of attendance. Attendance at any approved national, state or regional meeting or RACE-approved meeting will be acceptable. One hour of credit may be approved for local meetings where a scientific paper is presented. Credit for qualified graduate college courses may be approved on the basis of multiplying each college credit hour by 10, to a maximum of 30 hours during any one triennial license period. A maximum of 30 hours during any one triennial license period of continuing education may be achieved by completion of approved distance education courses. A maximum of 20 hours of continuing education during any one triennial license period may be achieved by completion of approved practice management courses.
11.1(2) To qualify for license renewal, each licensee is to obtain the 60 credit hours between July 1 of the year the license was issued and June 30 of the following third year. Continuing education credits in excess of 60 hours for any three-year license period may be carried over to the next triennial license period, but the total number of credit hours carried over cannot exceed 20 hours.
11.1(3) A recent graduate is exempt from meeting continuing education requirements at the time of original licensure and for the first year of practice. For the purpose of this rule, “recent graduate” means a person who has graduated from an accredited or approved school of veterinary medicine, or received a certificate from the ECFVG or PAVE no more than three years prior to application for licensure. If a recent graduate is licensed during the first year of the triennial license period, the licensee needs to complete 40 hours of continuing education for the first license renewal. If a recent graduate is licensed during the second year of the triennial license period, the licensee needs to complete 20 hours of continuing education for the first license renewal. If a recent graduate is licensed during the third year of the triennial license period, the licensee is exempt from meeting continuing education requirements for the first license renewal.
11.1(4) Completion of the continuing education requirement will be reported to the secretary of the board, on a form provided by the board, at the time of license renewal. The form is to be signed by the licensee and be accompanied by renewal application and the proper renewal fee.
11.1(5) The board may waive continuing education requirements for qualifying military service personnel upon request.
[ARC 8020C, IAB 5/15/24, effective 7/1/24]
The Board spends time every month approving CE and determining if it is scientific or practice management. This is not a new requirement but one that has not been communicated or enforced previously. It will require veterinarians to keep track of scientific vs practice management CE that is taken and then report it by that type. Only up to 20 hours of practice management is allowed in the licensing period.