(a) There is created the board of veterinary medical examiners, referred to as the “board” in this chapter.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 63-12-104

  • Agriculture: means :
    (i) The land, buildings and machinery used in the commercial production of farm products and nursery stock. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Board: means the board of veterinary medical examiners. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
  • License: means any permit, approval, registration or certificate issued by the board. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • Licensed veterinary technician: means a person who has successfully completed the examination requirements prescribed by the board and has been issued a license. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Practice of veterinary medicine: means to:
    (i) Diagnose, treat, correct, change, alleviate, or prevent animal disease, illness, pain, deformity, defect, injury, or other physical, dental, or mental conditions by any method or mode, including:
    (a) The prescription, dispensing, administration or application of any drug, medicine, biologic, apparatus, anesthetic, or other therapeutic or diagnostic substance or medical or surgical, including cosmetic, technique. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • School of veterinary medicine: means any veterinary school or college, department of a university or college, legally organized, whose course of study in the art and science of veterinary medicine conforms to the standards required for accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association and approved by the board. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Veterinarian: means a person who has received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree or its equivalent from an approved school or college of veterinary medicine. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • Veterinary medicine: includes veterinary surgery, obstetrics, dentistry and all other branches or specialties of veterinary medicine. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • Veterinary technician: means a person who is a graduate of a veterinary technology program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. See Tennessee Code 63-12-103
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The board shall be composed of:

(1) Five (5) licensed doctors of veterinary medicine, who shall be graduates of an approved school of veterinary medicine and of good standing in their profession and who have had not less than five (5) years’ actual experience in the practice of veterinary medicine;
(2) One (1) licensed veterinary technician who shall be a graduate of an approved veterinary technology program, is of good standing in the profession, and who has had not less than five (5) years’ actual experience as a licensed veterinary technician; and
(3) One (1) member of the general public as provided by § 63-1-124.
(c) The members of the board shall be appointed by the governor for a term of five (5) years. Each member so appointed shall serve until the expiration of the particular five-year term to which the member is appointed and thereafter until the member’s successor has been appointed by the governor. The governor shall appoint new members to the board to serve after the date of expiration of each of these terms until August 1 of the fifth calendar year thereafter. In making appointments to the board, the governor shall strive to ensure that at least one (1) person serving on the board is sixty (60) years of age or older and that at least one (1) person serving on the board is a member of a racial minority.
(d) In the event of a vacancy on the board, the governor shall appoint a new member to serve out the unexpired term. A member may be reappointed to serve a successive term.
(e) Members of the board may be appointed by the governor from lists of qualified nominees submitted by interested veterinary groups, including, but not limited to, the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association. The governor shall consult with such interested groups to determine qualified persons to fill the positions. This subsection (e) shall not apply to the appointment of the public member.
(f) No person who has been appointed a member of the board shall continue on the board if during the term of the member’s appointment the member shall:

(1) Transfer the member’s legal residence to another state;
(2) Be or become the owner of, or be employed by, any wholesale or jobbing house dealing in supplies, equipment or instruments used or useful in the practice of veterinary medicine; or
(3) Have the member’s license to practice veterinary medicine rescinded for cause in accordance with this chapter.
(g) The governor may suspend any member of the board for malfeasance, misfeasance, gross inefficiency or misconduct or upon any of the constitutional grounds upon which officers may be suspended by the governor.
(h) The state veterinarian, as appointed by the commissioner of agriculture, shall serve as a nonvoting, ex officio member of the board of veterinary medical examiners.
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