Basic Education

• Entry-level requirements for veterinary technicians typically include at least an associate's degree, and some employers may require a bachelor's degree. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is responsible for accrediting veterinary technology programs for associate degree programs at the community college level, and bachelor of science in veterinary technology at the college and university level. Coursework typically involves classroom instruction, laboratory work and clinical practice involving live animals.
  
  

Licensure

• All 50 states and the District of Columbia require some form of licensure for veterinary technicians as of 2011, although the requirements for licensure may vary from state to state. All states require veterinary technicians to pass a certifying examination, and most states use the National Veterinary Technician (NVT) examination. The certifying exam typically involves written, oral and demonstration components.
  
  

Specialties

• The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) serves as an umbrella organization for veterinary technician specialty academies. The organization's Committee on Veterinary Technicians Specialties provides guidelines to each academy that helps them establish standardized requirements for the Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) credential in their discipline. Veterinary technician specialties include academies in veterinary dentistry, veterinary anesthesia, internal medicine, emergency care, equine nursing, veterinary surgery and others. Committee guidelines stipulate candidates for credentials in all academies must have graduated from a veterinary technician program that is AVMA approved, or be credentialed as a veterinary technician by a U.S. state or a Canadian province. Most academies require candidates to have worked full time in their specialty for a specified number of years. Candidates who meet all requirements stipulated by their specialty academy will be awarded the VTS credential followed by their specialty.
  
  

Considerations

• The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates growth in job opportunities for veterinary technicians to grow at a much faster rate than the general economy through 2018. Most job opportunities should be in private veterinary clinics. Advances in veterinary medicine technology should increase the demand for credentialed veterinary technician specialists. Annual wages for veterinary technicians ranged from less than $20,180 to more than $43,080 as of May 2009, according to the BLS.