TITLE 43 PROFESSIONS AND BUSINESSES

Section 50. Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians, 43-50-1 through 43-50-110.

ARTICLE 3 LICENSING

43-50-55. Posting notice of use of licensed veterinary technicians; proper identification.

1. Any licensed veterinarian, animal clinic, or animal hospital using licensed veterinary technicians shall post a notice to that effect in a prominent place.
2. A licensed veterinary technician must clearly identify himself or herself as such in order to ensure that he or she is not mistaken by the public as a licensed veterinarian. This may be accomplished, for example, by the wearing of an appropriate name tag. Any time the licensed veterinary technician's name appears in a professional setting, his or her status must be shown as "licensed veterinary technician."

(Code 1981, §43-50-55, enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 705, § 1; Ga. L. 2003, p. 615, § 1-1; Ga. L. 2006, p. 30, § 3/HB 999; Ga. L. 2018, p. 770, § 3/HB 956.)

The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, inserted "licensed" preceding "veterinary technicians" in subsection (a); in subsection (b), inserted "licensed" preceding "veterinary technician" near the beginning of the first sentence, and, in the last sentence, inserted "veterinary technician's" near the beginning, and substituted "licensed veterinary technician" for "veterinary technician" at the end; and deleted former subsection (c), which read: "(1) No licensed veterinarian shall have more than four veterinary technicians on duty under his or her supervision at any one time.

"(2) No licensed veterinarian shall practice veterinary medicine at a veterinary facility when the number of veterinary technicians employed at such veterinary facility exceeds the number of licensed veterinarians regularly engaged in the practice of veterinary medicine at such veterinary facility by a ratio of more than 2:1.

"(3) The provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection shall not apply to any licensed veterinarian engaged in a specialty practice if he or she is certified for such specialty practice by a college approved for such purpose by the American Veterinary Medical Association or its successor organization; provided, however, that no such licensed veterinarian shall engage in such specialty practice at a veterinary facility when the number of veterinary technicians employed at such veterinary facility exceeds the number of licensed veterinarians regularly engaged in a specialty practice of veterinary medicine at such veterinary facility by a ratio of more than 5:1."