Certified Veterinary Technician

Certification and Licensing

Certification provides you with a professional edge. It means greater prestige among peers and employers. It means better job security and greater career advancement opportunities.

Certification requirements vary from state to state, but generally requirements can include a diploma from a two-year program and up to three years on-the-job training. More work experience is required for vet techs who did not graduate from an accredited program.

Your state may require you to complete a certain number of continuing education hours per year in order to maintain your certified status. Ongoing education is an important aspect of maintaining your certified status. It assures the public that your knowledge and skill are current and that you are actively involved in the field of veterinary medicine.

Certification

Certification is a formal recognition by an organization, such as the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), that you have achieved the education and skill level held by that organization to be the nationally recognized standard of quality.

AVMA is the most well-known certifying body in the US. A certification from AVMA informs the public that you ascribe to a standard of quality upheld by this well-respected association.

As defined by the Washington State Department of Health, certification is a “voluntary process by which the state grants recognition to an individual who has met certain qualifications. Non-certified persons may perform the same tasks, but may not use ‘certified’ in the title.”

Licensing

Licensing is the permission to do something by an authority, such as a state department of health. In other words, having a license gives you the legal permission to perform certain job duties deemed illegal to unlicensed persons. Administering rabies shots to animals is an example of a job function for which a certified vet tech may need a license. The American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) can give you state-specific information on licensing. The AAVSB also distributes and records the Veterinary Technician National Exam and is an excellent resource for veterinary technicians.

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