How to Become a Vet Tech: Education, the VTNE, State Credentials and Your First Job

Veterinary technicians are the clinical backbone of most veterinary hospitals. They induce and monitor anesthesia, take radiographs, run laboratory work, place catheters, perform dental cleanings, nurse critical patients and teach clients how to care for animals at home. Becoming one takes about two years of focused study, one national exam and, in most states, a state credential.

This guide walks through the whole path, with the details that change real decisions: which programs count, when you can sit the national exam, what each state requires, and what to look for in your first job.

Vet tech, technologist, assistant: know the difference

Three titles get used loosely in practices, but they mean different things:

• Veterinary technician. Usually a graduate of a two year (associate degree) program in veterinary technology who has passed the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) and holds a state credential where one exists.
• Veterinary technologist. Usually a graduate of a four year (bachelor's degree) program in veterinary technology. The day to day work is often similar. Technologists more often move into research, teaching, industry or leadership roles.
• Veterinary assistant. Anyone working in a practice without a technician credential. Assistants are essential to every team, but in most states some tasks are reserved for credentialed technicians or veterinarians.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics groups technicians and technologists together. It counted about 131,400 jobs in 2025 and projects employment to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average occupation, with about 13,400 openings a year.

Step 1: Choose an accredited program

The single most important decision is choosing a program accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association's Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (AVMA CVTEA). Graduating from an AVMA CVTEA accredited program, or one accredited by the Canadian VMA, is the one route to the VTNE that every state and province accepts.

Accredited programs come in two forms:

• On campus programs, usually two year associate degrees at community colleges and technical schools, with some four year bachelor's programs at universities.
• Distance education programs, where coursework is online and clinical skills are completed at an approved veterinary practice near you, usually your employer, under a supervising veterinarian or credentialed technician.

The AVMA publishes the current list of accredited on campus and distance programs. Check a program's status there, not only on the school's own site. Accreditation can be full, provisional or on probation, and the status can change.

Questions to ask a program

• What is its VTNE pass rate for first time candidates over the last three years? Accredited programs report this, and it is the best single measure of how well a program prepares students.
• How are clinical hours arranged, and who finds the placements?
• For distance programs: what must your employer or mentor practice provide, and how many hours of supervised skills are required?
• Will the program approve you to sit the VTNE in your final semester? (More on this below.)
• What does it cost in total, including fees, uniforms, books and travel to clinical sites?

Step 2: Pass the VTNE

The Veterinary Technician National Examination is owned and run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Every jurisdiction that credentials technicians requires a passing VTNE score. The essentials:

• Format: a three hour exam with 170 multiple choice questions. Your score is based on 150 of them; the other 20 are pilot questions being tested for future exams and do not count.
• Scoring: reported as a scaled score from 200 to 800. A scaled score of 425 passes.
• Where: at a PSI test center in the US or Canada, or at home through live remote proctoring.
• Fee: $375 at the time of writing, nonrefundable.
• When: four testing windows a year, each two months long. You can apply at any time for either of the next two windows.

Since late 2024, students in accredited programs can sit the VTNE during their last semester of coursework if their program approves it, so many graduates now finish school with the exam already behind them. Our complete guide to the VTNE covers eligibility, scoring, retakes and study strategy in detail.

Step 3: Get your state credential

Passing the VTNE does not by itself make you credentialed. You then apply to the state where you will work. Most states credential technicians, under one of three titles that mean essentially the same thing in practice:

• Registered veterinary technician (RVT), for example California, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Maryland.
• Licensed veterinary technician (LVT), for example New York, Alabama, Michigan, Montana, Washington and Texas.
• Certified veterinary technician (CVT), for example Arizona, Illinois, Mississippi and Oregon.

States add their own requirements on top of the VTNE. Common ones include a state jurisprudence exam on that state's veterinary law, a background check or fingerprints, and continuing education to renew. Texas, for example, requires a state board exam and fingerprints, and its LVT license is optional rather than required to work. New York requires a license to use the title veterinary technician at all. See RVT, LVT, CVT explained for the full picture, and our guides to Texas and New York.

A handful of states do not credential technicians at all, including Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Wyoming as of our last check. If you train in one of those states, take the VTNE anyway. It is the standard every other state uses, and it makes a future move much simpler. See which states do not license veterinary technicians.

Other routes, in a few states

A small number of states also accept candidates who did not graduate from an accredited program. The AAVSB's candidate handbook lists on the job training as a valid route to licensure only in Montana, Wisconsin, Alaska and Utah, and some states accept other alternate pathways. These routes vary and are narrow. If you plan to work in more than one state over your career, an accredited program is by far the safer investment.

Step 4: Find a first job that uses your credential

Your first job shapes your skills and your view of the profession. The biggest difference between practices is not the equipment or the pay, but whether credentialed technicians actually do technician work. In some hospitals technicians run anesthesia, dentistry and client education from day one. In others they spend much of the day restraining and cleaning.

Before you accept an offer, ask:

• Which tasks do technicians do here?
• Who will train me in my first weeks, and how?
• How many technicians and veterinarians work a typical shift?
• How are weekends, holidays and on call shared?
• What is the pay range, and how are raises decided?
• What continuing education support is there?

Our checklist before you accept a veterinary job has the full set, and vet tech interview questions covers what practices will ask you.

What vet techs earn

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median of $22.78 an hour ($47,380 a year) for veterinary technologists and technicians in May 2025. That figure covers everyone in the occupation, including people who have been in the same job for years.

Open job postings tell a different story about what employers are offering right now. Across the postings Zuse reads that state pay, the typical advertised rate for veterinary technicians in November 2026 was $26 an hour nationally, from about $21 in Texas to about $32.50 in Washington. Advertised rates for open roles tend to run higher than what everyone currently in a job earns, because they reflect current hiring and are weighted toward employers that publish pay. See what veterinary technician job ads actually pay, by state.

Where the career can go

Technicians work in general practice, emergency and critical care, specialty hospitals, shelters, research, industry, teaching and practice management. Many pursue a specialty through a veterinary technician specialist (VTS) certification in areas like anesthesia, emergency and critical care, dentistry or internal medicine. See how to become a VTS and general practice vs emergency vs specialty.

How Zuse helps

On Zuse Talent you claim the credential your state board already lists for you, so practices see it checked against the board without asking for a copy. You can browse vet tech jobs near you with the pay shown, and say what you would move for.

Sources

• AAVSB, Scheduling and Taking the VTNE and Applying to Take the VTNE
• AAVSB, VTNE Candidate Information Handbook (eligibility pathways, scoring)
• AAHA, Changes to the VTNE technician exam raise concerns (February 2025)
• AVMA, Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA
• US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians, Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Zuse, veterinary pay by state, November 11, 2026

FAQ

How long does it take to become a vet tech?

Most people complete a two year associate degree in veterinary technology, then pass the VTNE and apply for their state credential. Many programs now let students sit the VTNE in their final semester, which shortens the gap between graduation and working as a credentialed technician.

Can I become a vet tech online?

Yes. Several AVMA CVTEA accredited programs offer distance education, with coursework online and clinical skills completed at an approved veterinary practice under supervision. Check the AVMA's list of accredited distance programs.

Do I need a license to work as a vet tech?

It depends on the state. Most states credential technicians, and some reserve certain tasks or the title for credentialed technicians. A few states do not credential technicians at all, and in Texas the license is optional.

What is the difference between a vet tech and a vet assistant?

A veterinary technician has completed a veterinary technology program and passed the VTNE, and holds a state credential where one exists. A veterinary assistant works without that credential, and in most states cannot perform certain tasks reserved for technicians and veterinarians.

How much do vet techs make?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median of $22.78 an hour in May 2025. Open job postings that state pay advertised a typical $26 an hour in November 2026, varying widely by state.