Continuing education (CE) supports professional competency, patient safety, and the integrity of the veterinary technician credential. These CE Guidelines explain what qualifies for CE credit, how CE is categorized, and what documentation is required for approval. Please review these guidelines before submitting CE for credential renewal.
General CE Guidelines | Medical v. Non-Medical | Proof of CE and CE Certificates | CE Verification and Audit Process | Special Considerations
Have other questions? See our other FAQ pages below:
Current CACVT Credentialing Cycle:
7/1/2024 – 6/30/2026.
Minimum CE Required:
20 hours per credentialing cycle, with at least half of the required hours from the Medical category, recorded within the CACVT CE log.
Other important information:
Click each tab in the table below to review category criteria.
Medical CE includes evidence-based medical and surgical topics related to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease as it directly relates to patient care.
Medical CE may also include veterinary science topics that are not strictly clinical but support the comprehensive practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary technology.
Medical CE must be presented by an individual qualified to engage in clinical veterinary practice or academically qualified in a scientific field related to veterinary medicine.
Acceptable qualifications include one of the following:
A licensed veterinarian
A credentialed veterinary technician
An advanced academic degree in the subject matter
Demonstrated specialized expertise in the subject area (e.g., certification from an accredited program)
A minimum of 10 CE hours per renewal cycle must qualify as Medical CE.
Medical CE may be obtained in-state or out-of-state.
Medical CE may be completed in person or online, provided all applicable criteria are met.
Each medical CE course or lecture may be submitted only once per renewal cycle.
RACE-approved CE is accepted but not required.
Assuming all other Medical CE guidelines are met, examples include:
Anesthesia, Animal Welfare, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Behavior, Cardiology, Dentistry, Dermatology, Emergency & Critical Care, Endocrinology, End-of-Life Care, Epidemiology, Equine Medicine, Exotics & Zoology, Food Safety, Gastroenterology, Geriatric Care, Herd Management, Hematology, Hospice & Palliative Care, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Animal Medicine, Large Animal Medicine, Microbiology, Nephrology, Neurology, Nutrition, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Pain Management, Parasitology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Preventive Care, Public Health, Radiology, Surgery, Theriogenology & Reproduction, Toxicology, Ultrasonography, Urology, Wildlife & Fish Hatcheries, Zoonotic Disease, and evidence-based alternative therapies (e.g., acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, physical rehabilitation).
Medical CE must be presented at an advanced professional level appropriate for individuals working in the veterinary field.
Presentations intended for or marketed to the general public will not qualify as Medical CE, regardless of presenter credentials.
CACVT reserves the right to deny any submitted CE that does not meet the standard of medical education for a credentialed veterinary technician.
Non-Medical CE includes practice management, professional development, and professional wellness topics that enhance a veterinary professional’s competence and effectiveness in delivering veterinary services but are not scientific or clinical in nature.
These programs serve the public interest by strengthening the professional, operational, and leadership skills of credentialed veterinary technicians.
Non-Medical CE must be presented by an individual qualified to provide education relevant to veterinary medical professionals.
Acceptable qualifications include one of the following:
A licensed veterinarian
A credentialed veterinary technician
An academic degree or formal training in the subject matter
Demonstrated expertise through extensive experience or recognized certification in the subject area
No minimum number of CE hours is required in the Non-Medical category.
Non-Medical CE hours count toward total renewal requirements once the required Medical CE hours have been obtained.
Non-Medical CE may be obtained in-state or out-of-state.
Non-Medical CE may be completed in person or online, provided all applicable criteria are met.
Each Non-Medical CE course or lecture may be submitted only once per renewal cycle.
RACE-approved CE is accepted but not required.
Assuming all other Non-Medical CE guidelines are met, examples include:
Animal Control Topics, Business Management, Communication, Regulatory Compliance, Emergency & Disaster Preparedness, Pet Insurance, Professional & Career Development (directly related to growth as a credentialed veterinary technician), Professional Wellness, Non-Medical Behavior Modification Techniques, Shelter Management, Veterinary Inventory Management, and Veterinary Practice Management.
Professional Wellness programs may include topics such as mental health, depression, compassion fatigue, burnout, and suicide awareness.
(See the Professional Crossover section below for guidance on CE completed for other professions.)
Non-Medical CE must be relevant to the role and responsibilities of a credentialed veterinary technician.
CACVT reserves the right to deny any submitted CE that does not meet the standard for Non-Medical education for a credentialed veterinary technician.
Credentialed individuals are responsible for maintaining documentation of all continuing education completed. CACVT may request copies of CE certificates at any time for verification purposes.
While credential holders are only required to provide CE documentation upon request for audit or verification, individuals are strongly encouraged to retain CE certificates and proof of attendance for three (3) renewal cycles (approximately six years).
CE certificates may be uploaded to the CE log for convenience; however, uploading certificates at the time of completion is not required.
CE documentation must include the following information. If a certificate does not contain all required elements, the missing information must be documented at the time of attendance.
Attendee’s name
Date of presentation
Time (listed as duration and/or CE hours, e.g., 9:00 AM–10:00 AM / 1 CE hour)
Presentation title
Speaker name and credentials
CE location
If applicable:
Signature of presenter or program director
RACE provider and program number (if RACE approved)
CACVT approval ID number (if CACVT approved)
When attending a conference, symposium, or event that includes multiple lectures, individuals must document each lecture attended.
If a single certificate lists only the total number of hours and does not itemize each session, the attendee must separately document the following for each lecture:
Date of presentation
Name of event
Time (duration and/or CE hours)
Presentation title
Speaker name and credentials
Failure to properly document individual sessions may result in denial of CE credit.
CE submitted as part of a completed credential renewal application (submitted between May 1 and June 30 of each even-numbered year) will be reviewed by the Credential Renewal Task Force.
If discrepancies are identified in the reported CE hours, CACVT will notify the applicant. The renewal application will continue through the review process once all required CE hours and supporting documentation have been received.
Each renewal cycle, 10% of completed applications will be selected for audit. Individuals selected for audit must provide electronic copies of CE certificates documenting the required 20 CE hours.
Each CE entry submitted in the CACVT CE log must include:
Session Date (Please only use the date or date range of the actual event as it was attended)
Session Title
Number of Credit Hours
CE Category (Medical or Non-Medical)
Presenter/speaker name and credentials
If the program is RACE-approved or CACVT-approved, the applicable course or approval number must also be included in the course description.
The following policies clarify acceptable CE formats, special categories, crossover considerations, and activities that do not qualify for credit toward CACVT credential renewal.
Online CE may be used to fulfill CACVT credential renewal requirements. CACVT does not currently require CE to be completed in a specific format (live or online).
RACE approval is accepted but not required for CE submitted for CACVT credential renewal.
Organizations wishing to obtain pre-approval for CE events must apply using the link below.
Eligible events may include:
Lunch and Learns
In-house CE programs
Conferences
In-clinic industry representative lectures (provided they are not equipment-training based)
Industry lectures must meet the criteria for the applicable CE category. Examples include medically based nutrition lectures, vaccine updates, and medically based new product information.
The following will not be accepted as CE:
In-hospital rounds
Staff training
Training on new procedures
Equipment training
👉 CLICK HERE to access the Speaker CE Approval page and application.
The Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine (SBVM) governs the Colorado Veterinary Practice Act and the practice of veterinary medicine. CACVT highly encourages credentialed professionals to attend SBVM meetings to gain insight into its role and operations.
CACVT will award up to 4 non-medical CE credit hours per credentialing cycle for attendance at a Colorado SBVM meeting.
To receive credit, the attendee must:
Email the CACVT Executive Director at executivedirector@cacvt.org
Request a CE certificate before 4:00 PM on the day of attendance
CE certificates will not be issued retroactively.
The following types of continuing education may qualify for credit if they meet CACVT guidelines.
Individuals who present a continuing education lecture may submit those hours with their renewal application.
Credit granted equals the number of lecture hours presented.
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.
👉 Submit a CE Pre-Approval Request Here
College courses may qualify for CE credit if they meet medical or non-medical CE guidelines.
One academic credit from an institutionally accredited organization equals 1 CE credit.
A transcript showing a passing grade is required as proof of completion.
Courses must be pre-approved by CACVT prior to enrollment (via the Speaker CE request process).
The course must be started and completed within the 2-year credentialing cycle.
👉 Submit a CE Pre-Approval Request Here
Lab-based continuing education may be submitted for CE credit equal to the number of lab hours completed.
(Example: 1 hour of lab = 1 CE credit.)
If the lab is part of college coursework taken for academic credit, it must be pre-approved under the College Coursework policy above.
Credentialed veterinary technicians may pursue roles in other areas of veterinary medicine, industry, or unrelated professions while maintaining their credentialed status. These fields (e.g., education, executive leadership, industry sales, law enforcement) may have their own continuing education requirements.
Individuals should first review the Medical and Non-Medical CE guidelines above to determine whether crossover continuing education aligns with CACVT requirements.
CE completed for another profession or credential does not automatically qualify toward CACVT renewal requirements and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Such CE may be submitted for consideration during CACVT credential renewal; however, approval is not guaranteed.
Individuals with questions regarding crossover CE are encouraged to contact CACVT in advance for clarification.
CACVT reserves the right to deny any submitted CE that does not meet the continuing education standards for credentialed veterinary technicians.
The following activities do not qualify for CE credit toward CACVT credential renewal:
Exhibit hall attendance
Poster sessions
Equipment hardware or software training
In-hospital rounds
Staff training
Training on new procedures or equipment
Start with our CE FAQs →
They provide answers to the most common questions about CE requirements.
If your question isn’t addressed there, 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
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