Although Montenegro now has new laws governing veterinary medicine and animal protection, veterinarians and veterinary technicians still take the professional exam according to the rules from the SFRY era. The document, which is more than four decades old, obliges candidates to know the constitutional order of a state that no longer exists and the system of associated labor.
"The procedures for taking the professional exam for graduated veterinarians and veterinary technicians are prescribed by the Rulebook on the program and manner of taking the professional exam for graduated veterinarians and veterinary technicians ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Montenegro", No. 17/83), which establishes the conditions, manner and procedure for taking the professional exam," the Directorate for Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Affairs (UBHVFP) told "Vijesti".
Given that no new regulation has been adopted that would regulate this area differently, they added, "the aforementioned Rulebook continues to apply and represents the valid legal basis under which veterinarians and veterinary technicians take the professional exam."
Veterinary doctor Nebojša Gorašević from Nikšić told "Vijesti" that the rulebook was already outdated at the time he was taking the exam:
"I took the exam in 1993, ten years after the Rulebook was adopted, and it was already old...", he said briefly yesterday, adding that the umbrella law provided for the adoption of bylaws, including amendments to the rules on taking the professional exam, but that this has not been the case all these years.
Given that the regulations treat an organization that no longer exists since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, they also call into question the way in which the commission before which the exam is taken is formed, how the fee is paid...
He also said that the topics covered in the professional part of the exam are "largely outdated."
"And the question is how candidates get the opportunity to take the exam," he said.
Times are different, laws are different.
In Montenegro, the field of animal protection is regulated by the Law on the Protection of Animal Welfare from 2023, while veterinary medicine is regulated by a separate Law on Veterinary Medicine from 2025.
The Veterinary Law prescribes the requirements for veterinary personnel, namely graduated veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
Thus, as prescribed, both of them, upon graduating from college or high school, complete an internship and, until they pass the professional exam, are not allowed to provide veterinary services independently.
For graduated veterinarians, the internship lasts one year, and for technicians, six months. Both, once they have completed their internship, can perform veterinary activities under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian until they pass the professional exam, and for a maximum of one year after completing their internship.
The law states that veterinarians and veterinary technicians take a professional exam before a commission formed by the Administration (UBHVFP), which also organizes and conducts the professional exams.
According to the Law, the program, the method of taking the professional exam, the composition and work of the examination committee, the form of the minutes of taking the professional exam and the form of the certificate of passing the professional exam are prescribed by the Ministry (of Agriculture).
Bylaws, as stipulated in the 2025 legal resolution, will be adopted within three years from the date of entry into force of the Law.
Until then, graduated veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are starting their employment for the first time will take the professional exam according to the program that was adopted four decades ago.
Republican Committee
The exam, as stated in the 1983 document, consists of a general and a specific part. The specific part requires knowledge of areas such as infectious and parasitic diseases, hygiene of food of animal origin, reproduction, etc. Candidates should also be familiar with veterinary regulations for this part of the exam.
The general part of the professional exam program for veterinarians includes the constitutional order of the SFRY, the state administration system of the SFRY and the Socialist Republic of Montenegro, the system of associated labor... The general part of the exam program for veterinary technicians includes the basics of the constitutional order of the SFRY and the basics of the associated labor system.
Both submit applications for taking the exam, as described in the 1983 regulations, to the Republic Committee for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, along with proof of payment of the costs for taking the professional exam.
The Rules also stipulate that the president, members of the examination committee, secretary and examiners receive compensation for their work on the committee. The amount of compensation, as stated, is determined by the president of the Committee.
According to the Rules, a candidate can repeat the professional exam once. A candidate who does not pass in a maximum of two subjects is referred to a retake exam, which can be taken two months after the professional exam.
"A candidate who fails the professional exam a second time cannot be assigned to jobs and tasks in the organization of associated labor," the Rulebook states.
Bonus video:
