Continuing education (CE) supports professional competency, patient safety, and the integrity of the veterinary technician credential. Below are answers to common questions about CE requirements, logging, and approval.
General CE Requirements FAQ | CE Categories FAQ | Acceptable CE Types FAQ | CE Documents & Certificates FAQ | CE Logging FAQ
Have other questions? See our other FAQ pages below:
You must complete 20 hours of CE during each biennial renewal cycle that comply with the CACVT CE Guidelines.
At least 10 of those hours must be Medical CE. The remaining hours may be Medical or Non-Medical.
Yes – You may complete and submit more than 20 hours of CE during a renewal cycle. There is no maximum limit.
For standard biennial renewal*, CE must be obtained between July 1 of the last even-numbered year and June 30 of the current even-numbered renewal year. Only CE completed within that window may be applied to that renewal cycle.
For example, for the upcoming CACVT Credential renewal cycle ending 6/30/2026, all CE submitted will need to have been earned between 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2026.
* Please note that CE timeframes may differ for individuals applying for reinstatement or late credentialing. CE used for a previous reinstatement or late credential application may not be reused for renewal. If you obtained or reinstated your credential during the current cycle, refer to your credential approval email for specific CE instructions, or review the Renewal FAQ page for additional guidance.
When logging CE, include as much detail as possible about the event. Uploading your CE certificate and providing complete course information helps ensure an accurate and efficient review.
Some of the most commonly denied CE submissions include equipment training sessions, conference posters, and exhibit hall participation. Before submitting CE, please review the CACVT CE Guidelines to ensure the activity aligns with CACVT requirements.
Employers may use CACVT’s group prepayment process to cover renewal fees for multiple employees. After group payment is processed, the employer will provide eligible employees with a clinic-specific discount code to use when submitting their individual renewal applications.
Employees are still responsible for completing their own renewal application, including required CE submission, and must verify that the discount is applied correctly before submitting payment.
Details and instructions are available on the Group Prepayment for CACVT Credential Renewal page.
Group prepayment does not renew your credential automatically. You must still log in to your CACVT.org account, submit your required CE for review, and complete your renewal application.
Your employer will provide a clinic-specific discount code to apply during your renewal. Depending on what your employer purchased, the code may cover renewal only or renewal plus two-year professional association membership. Please confirm with your employer what is included.
If membership is not included by your employer, you may add membership during renewal and pay the difference.
Before submitting your application, confirm that your discount code has been entered and the total reflects the discount appropriately. If you submit payment without using the provided discount code, CACVT will not issue a refund.
For employer group renewal instructions, see the Group Prepayment for CACVT Credential Renewal page.
Each renewal cycle requires 20 total hours of continuing education, with at least 10 hours in the Medical category.
You may complete more than 10 hours in the Medical category if you choose. However, Non-Medical hours cannot replace the required 10 Medical hours.
For a more detailed breakdown of CE categories and examples, please review our full CACVT CE Guidelines page.
At least 10 of your required 20 hours must be Medical CE.
You may complete more than 10 Medical hours if you choose. However, Non-Medical hours cannot replace the 10-hour Medical requirement.
For a detailed breakdown of CE categories and examples, please review our CACVT CE Guidelines page.
Credentialed veterinary technicians may pursue roles in other areas of veterinary medicine, industry, or unrelated professions while maintaining their credential. Continuing education completed for another profession or credential does not automatically qualify toward CACVT renewal requirements. All CE must meet CACVT standards for veterinary technician practice and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
If you believe crossover CE may be applicable, we encourage you to review the Medical and Non-Medical CE category descriptions in our CACVT CE Guidelines before submitting. Approval is not guaranteed. CACVT reserves the right to deny any submitted CE that does not meet established continuing education standards.
No – RACE approval is not required. However, the CE must be relevant to veterinary technology practice and meet CACVT standards.
No – There is no limit on the number of hours that may be completed in either format.
An individual may complete all of their CE online, in-person, or a combination of the two. Both formats are acceptable, provided the content meets eligibility standards.
Yes – Hands-on labs and clinical training can count hour-for-hour toward your CE requirement, provided the content is relevant to veterinary technology practice and adheres to the CACVT CE Guidelines.
Individuals who present a continuing education lecture may submit those hours with their renewal application.
Each lecture may be submitted once per 2-year renewal cycle.
The lecture must fall within medical or non-medical CE guidelines.
The program must be:
RACE approved,
A state or nationally recognized conference, or
Pre-approved by CACVT.
Yes – Some activities don’t qualify for CE credit. These often include (but are not limited to):
For more information, we recommend reviewing our CACVT CE Guidelines.
While uploading CE certificates is not required to submit a CACVT credential renewal application, we strongly encourage uploading certificates when logging CE to support efficient review and processing.
Each renewal cycle, 10% of submitted renewal applications are selected for audit. Individuals selected for audit are required to provide certificates for all submitted CE hours.
Additionally, certificates may also be requested during review if additional documentation is needed to approve a submitted activity.
With the title protection changes that took effect on January 1, 2024, your license number is your Colorado DORA registration number. You can find it on your DORA registration paperwork or by searching your name in the Colorado DORA license lookup system.
If you do not appear in the DORA lookup, you do not currently hold an active state registration and would not have a license number.
CE documentation must include:
If your certificate does not include one of these required details, you will need to provide supporting documentation that includes the missing information (for example, an agenda/session list, course description, or completion confirmation). If the course is RACE-approved or CACVT pre-approved, include the RACE program number and/or CACVT approval ID when available.
CE must be entered within your CACVT.org account to be reviewed and counted toward your CACVT credential renewal.
To enter your CE:
Providing complete and detailed information in your CE log helps ensure timely and accurate review. Incomplete entries may cause an unnecessary delay or denial of the CACVT credential renewal application.
Each CE entry submitted in the CACVT CE log must include:
* If the program is RACE-approved or CACVT-approved, the applicable course or approval number must also be included in the description.
Failure to document individual sessions appropriately may result in denial of CE credit.
Multi-lecture events, such as conferences, may be entered as a single CE entry to streamline logging and review.
When submitting a conference/multi-lecture event as one entry, the entry should contain the following information:
Name of event
Date(s) of event
Presentation titles
Speaker(s) name and credentials (e.g., DVM, RVT, VTS)
Alternatively, a detailed agenda that includes this information may be uploaded with the conference CE certificate.
Failure to document individual sessions may result in denial of CE credit.
Your CE log is cumulative and maintains a historical record of all submitted CE. Only hours completed within the current cycle window will count toward your renewal requirement.
If your question isn’t address in the above FAQ section for CE or for the Renewal or Credentialing pages linked above, we’re happy to help:
Email: information@cacvt.org
Text: 303-318-0652
Erin Henninger, Executive Director
Jen Steckline, Membership Director
Lisa Visnosky, Credentialing Coordinator
2000 S Colorado Blvd
Bldg 1-2000
Denver, CO 80222
Business Hours
Mon-Thurs: 8am-4pm
Friday: 8am-11am
Sat-Sun: Closed
© Copyright 2024 Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians. All rights reserved.
