As of right now, Alaska Legislation does not currently accept the foreign equivalence examination PAVE (the Program for the Assessment of Foreign Veterinary Education Equivalence) which is recognized by 45 states and territories in the United States, all provinces and territories in Canada, as well as the countries of Australia and New Zealand.  

The PAVE is an equivalence certificate made and promoted by the AAVSB (American Association of Veterinary State Boards) which supervises the Veterinary State Boards of all states. Alaska utilizes the AAVSB in Veterinary licensing process.  

After a long process and many different types of testing (English, veterinary knowledge and clinical skills), the PAVE allows foreign veterinarians to obtain an equivalence which permits them to work in the United States. Just like any student from American Accredited Veterinary Schools, PAVE candidates still have to pass the National American Veterinary Licensing Exam called the NAVLE which is mandatory for veterinary licensure in the entire United States. 

As of today, the state of Alaska only recognizes the veterinary equivalence obtained through the ECFVG program but not the PAVE program. Why? Simply because the ECFVG was the first official equivalence program that was created in the United States.  

By the time the PAVE was made, most state veterinary legislations only specified ECFVG in their statutes and regulations, so most states had to go through legislative updates to add it. States have adopted different strategies/wording when making this change so far. They either have simply added the PAVE or they have given power to the State Board to determine which equivalence is deemed acceptable. We have chosen the latter in our House Bill 302 since 26 other states have done it in that manner and since the Alaska Board of Veterinary Examiners has given us their support for such change.

Here is an example of how this would apply: in my personal situation, regardless of the fact that I completed both internship and residency at American Accredited Veterinary Universities, as well as passing the North American Veterinary Licensing examination and the American Board of Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialty in Small Animal Internal Medicine - I am unable to practice because my original Veterinary Doctorate was earned at a University in Paris, France. I am French but have become an American citizen in the recent years, and I am currently licensed to practice Veterinary Medicine in Louisiana and Colorado. However, my family now lives in the state of Alaska, and we want to serve pets and their owners here. We also believe this bill could help face the significant veterinarian shortage Alaska is currently facing.

We would love your support to House Bill 302 and thank you in advance for it!

Have a wonderful day, thank you for reading. 

Caroline Landry, DVM, dip.ACVIM(SAIM)

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/32?Root=HB%20302#tab6_4