Paying for associate CE
Q. I know we need to pay team members when they attend required training meetings. But what's the legal standard for paying associate veterinarians their salary to attend CE meetings? Where does the practice's responsibility end and the doctor's responsibility to maintain her license begin?
There is no law mandating who pays for CE in every case, says Kerry Richard, JD, a lawyer with Tobin, O'Connor, Ewing and Richard in Washington, D.C. It all comes down to who's requiring it. By law a veterinarian must attend a certain number of hours of CE to maintain a license. And each doctor is legally responsible for his or her licensure, so you're off the hook. However, if you require your associate veterinarian to attend more CE than the state's licensure requirement, you need to compensate him or her, says Richard.
Kerry Richard
"You're directing your employee's actions," she says. "It's similar to requiring support staff to attend OSHA training outside of work hours."
Of course, it's in your interest that your doctors keep their licenses. Just because you're not required to pay for associates' CE doesn't mean you shouldn't. Employers almost always end up paying for some CE. "It's a negotiable part of any associate's contract," Richard says.
She adds that you should develop a clear policy about what you will and won't cover, then negotiate current and new contracts to reflect that decision. But this agreement is between you and your staff. "Paying for required CE is a business decision, not a legal requirement," she says.
