Two barriers for veterinarians might surprise you. First, too many states unfairly treat a veterinarian licensed elsewhere, despite that person’s AVMA-accredited degree, NAVLE passage and sterling state board record. The second concerns the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States — Spanish-speaking Americans — and the absence of a Spanish-language version of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination. These two barriers have received little to no attention, but efforts are underway to correct the inequities.
License Portability
The veterinary workforce shortage is chronic and acute, affecting small and large practices alike, whether rural, suburban or urban. As state populations shift, often driven by changes in job opportunities, why wouldn’t we assume that veterinarian mobility tracks a similar path?
Contributing to shortage-linked problems are burdensome processes and unnecessary restrictions on license portability across jurisdictions. The legal barriers restrict veterinarians and veterinary technicians from freely going where they are most needed to provide medical care to animals of all kinds.
Anticompetitive policies on license portability are damaging. However, state veterinary boards or legislatures are empowered to address workforce shortages and expand access to veterinary care. Doing its part, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s House of Delegates, voting at its winter 2025 meeting, unanimously passed a policy favoring license portability.
Here’s a state-by-state breakdown.
- Eighteen provide the model to follow by honoring a licensed veterinarian’s freedom to gain a license in another state: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
- Eleven provide limited or manageable exceptions to the continuous-service requirements: Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and New York.
- Twenty-two (plus the District of Columbia) impose a condition of service in a prior state regardless of previous passage of the NAVLE: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Recent graduates of accredited veterinary colleges may take the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination and become licensed without prior experience. So, why are experienced veterinarians hoping to work in any of the 22 states above required to retake the NAVLE unless they meet a handful of arbitrary and unnecessary conditions? In some states, a break of one year (regardless of the reason) disqualifies them from pursuing licensure in a new state without retaking the test. Such restrictions are inconsistent with other professional bodies, such as law, architecture and engineering, that recognize license portability.
Pet owners are free to relocate to a new state. Why not the same for pet health care professionals?
We should align state laws and regulations with a veterinary professional’s need for license portability. Veterinarians should be able to move and practice wherever suits them and their family best, provided they meet the basic requirements: an accredited degree, NAVLE passage (or the Veterinary Technician National Exam for those professionals), and a valid license in all states in which they work.
The only rationale for opposing license portability is protectionism. Antitrust laws forbid such a state-by-state approach. Frankly, the workforce shortage and pet owner difficulty in scheduling appointments render the argument moot.
Veterinary medicine should treat its professionals with the same respect and autonomy as other industries with national board exams and some form of license portability.
My firm, Animal Policy Group, is managing a national effort urging the 22 states to follow the House of Delegates’ lead and approve license portability. Katie Jarl, my firm’s vice president for government relations and advocacy, participated in a panel on license portability at the fall meeting of the Veterinary Medical Association Executives. State VMA executive directors heard from Jarl, American Association of Veterinary State Boards CEO Jim Penrod, and leaders from the AVMA and the Ohio VMA.
We have reason for optimism.
NAVLE in Spanish
The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination is available to new graduates in English or French (in Quebec), but not Spanish. The limitation hinders Spanish-speaking graduates from pursuing licensure in the United States, weakening the quality of patient care, communication efficiency and access to services for many American households.
Here’s a little background:
- The 2022 U.S. Census revealed that 18.9% (62.9 million) of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. Of these, about 38.3 million speak Spanish.
- In a recent study, 383 U.S. veterinary practices were evaluated to assess their preparedness to provide care to Spanish-speaking populations. Only 8% had the resources or skills to efficiently communicate with Spanish-speaking clients, despite 89% of those practices serving Spanish-speaking populations.
- The United States has 40 times as many Spanish speakers as any other country where Spanish is not an official language. According to estimates, by 2060, 27.5% of the U.S. population will be of Hispanic origin, making the country the second-largest Spanish-speaking nation globally.
- The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, with Hispanics accounting for 53% of the increase — a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group.
- Thirteen states had 1 million or more Hispanic residents as of 2022: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.
- Of particular interest to the veterinary industry is this: 38% of the Latino population in the United States owns dogs or cats, highlighting the importance of accessible veterinary care in those communities. The percentage lags behind other U.S. cohorts, but we can correct the deficit by increasing the number of Spanish-speaking veterinarians.
Animal Policy Group, supported by Mars Veterinary Health, is spearheading an initiative to introduce a Spanish version of NAVLE. It would help bridge the language gap in veterinary care, improving access and outcomes for millions of Spanish-speaking pet owners while ensuring a more inclusive and effective workforce. Additionally, it could inspire more individuals from Hispanic and Latino communities to pursue veterinary careers, further enriching the profession.
The cost of translating NAVLE, which the International Council for Veterinary Assessment administers, is manageable.
What a feather in veterinary medicine’s cap it would be if we led the nation in outreach to underserved communities. I am encouraged by the level of interest from many state veterinary boards.
JOIN THE EFFORT
Email Mark Cushing at mark@animalpolicygroup.com if your organization is interested in supporting the push for license portability or a Spanish version of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Loren Breen, the policy director at Animal Policy Group, contributed to this report.