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Maryland Department of Agriculture

Veterinary Technician Requirements & Application

Ways to become a registered veterinary technician (RVT)

There are two ways to become licensed as a registered veterinary technician (RVT) in Maryland. 

  1. Graduate from an AVMA-accredited Veterinary Technology Program
  2. Acquire signficant education and experience

Requirements for graduates of an accredited program 

The following items are required to apply for licensure in Maryland.

Test Scores: To apply for licensure, you must first take and pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE). For information on applying to take the VTNE, visit: www.aavsb.org/VTNE or call the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) at (816) 931-1504. The VTNE is offered during three testing windows at five locations in Maryland and two in Washington D.C.

  1. If you have already taken and passed the VTNE and you sat for this exam in Maryland, your scores will be transferred to us automatically. 

  2. If you have already taken and passed the VTNE but did not sit for the exam in Maryland, you are responsible for having your score transferred to us by the Veterinary Technician Information

    Verifying Agency (TIVA), which is affiliated with the AAVSB. 

Transcripts: Provide the State Board with a final transcript from your AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program.  This document should be sent directly from the college to the Board office.  If you are supplying us with this document, it must be submitted in an envelope with an unbroken seal from the college or emailed directly from the college(s) to [email protected]. 

Photograph: One headshot, about 2" x 3", taken within the past 6 months, must be uploaded.

Letters of Good Standing, if applicable: If you are now licensed, or have ever been licensed, in another state or jurisdiction, Letters of Good Standing or registration verification must be sent to us directly from all other State Boards and/or any other jurisdiction where you were licensed. These letters may be emailed from an official state office; however, faxes are not accepted.

Documentation if you have any pending or past disciplinary action with another state Board or if you have any criminal convictions (other than minor traffic violations), you must provide all related documentation.

OneStop - Veterinary Technician Certification Application

Requirements for other candidates

If you have not graduated from an accredited Vet Tech Program but want to be licensed as an RVT, all items below must be submitted before you can sit for the VTNE. 

Transcripts: Provide the State Board with a final transcript showing that you hold an associate's degree or higher level degree. This document should be sent directly from the college to the SBVME's office. If you are supplying the SBVME with this document, it must be submitted in an envelope with an unbroken seal from the college emailed directly from the college(s) to [email protected]. 

NOTE: Your transcripts must include a minimum of three credits with a passing grade of C or above in each of the following 6 college level courses:

  • Biology I;
  • Biology II;
  • Microbiology;
  • Chemistry;
  • Anatomy and Physiology I; and
  • Anatomy and Physiology II. ​

Skills Assessment. Submit a Technician Skill Set Assessment - PDF - 98.7 KB, that has been completed and signed by a licensed veterinarian who has worked with and has extensive knowledge of the applicant’s abilities. Applicants are expected to perform all duties listed. 

  • ​If submitting by mail: The applicant should provide the reviewing veterinarian with an addressed, stamped envelope and should not be returned to the applicant. The veterinarian should sign across the back of the seal before mailing. 
  • If submitting by e-mail: The e-mail should be a clear scan of the document (not a photograph) and e-mailed to [email protected] from the supervising veterinarians e-mail address. 

Proof of Work Experience: Proof of completion of 10,000 hours of work experience as a technician, with a signed and notarized ​affidavit from a supervising veterinarian specifying the number of hours worked and the dates worked; 

Proof of Continuing Education: Proof of having completed a minimum of 24 hours of veterinary technician continuing education; 

Proof of Emergency Experience:  Proof of having completed a minimum of 24 hours of work as a veterinary technician in a veterinary emergency facility on hospital or practice letter head and signed by the Supervising Veterinarian. 

Test Scores: After the State Board has received and reviewed all the required documentation (above), a determination will be made as to your eligibility to sit the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE). If you are approved, you will be notified by the state Board. You will then have to mak​e arrangement to take the exam. For information, see: www.aavsb.org/VTNE or call​ the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) at (816) 931-1504.

Application to Take the VTNE for Maryland

 

Fees

  • Application fee: $100
  • Reinstatement fee: $100
  • Renewal fee: $100

Examinations for veterinary technicians

The Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) is offered three times per year in Maryland: 

  • March 15 to April 15 (application deadline is Feb. 15)
  • July 15 to Aug. 15 (application deadline is June 15)
  • Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 (application deadline is Oct. 15)

For information on applying to take the VTNE, please contact the American Association of Veterinary State Boards at www.aavsb.org/VTNE or call 1.816.931.1504.

Please be advised that, in Maryland, coursework obtained through non-accredited veterinary assistant programs does not make an individual eligible to sit the VTNE.

Resources & more information

Celebrating Diversity award

This award is presented by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards​ to a veterinary technician student from an AVMA-CVTEA or CVMA accredited veterinary technology/nursing program who is expected to graduate no later than June of the calendar year. 

This award will be presented to a minority student who has been traditionally underrepresented in the veterinary technician profession, inclusive of Black/African American, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians and Pacific Islanders, Hispanic/Latinx, gender, LGBTQ and students with disabilities.

Contact information

Questions about becoming a registered veterinary technician may be directed to the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners' office at (410) 841-5862.