Almost Here: Licensed Veterinary Technicians

By Dr. Al Balay, Chair, MVMA Veterinary Technician Committee

After many years of planning, meeting with constituents and legislators, and working with the Board of Veterinary Medicine, licensure of veterinary technicians is almost here. 

This article primarily focuses on applying via the Alternate Pathway (Grandfather Clause). We want to emphasize a warning that veterinarians should be judiciously signing competencies from Affidavit # 2 (which MVMA provides as a resource) due to potential liability. Please check the MVMA or MAVT websites for additional information including samples and template affidavits as well as other resources. There is also a new sample Affidavit # 2. 

For applicants applying via the Alternate Pathway or Grandfather Clause, the Board of Veterinary Medicine is relying on what the licensed veterinarians attest to as the primary tool to determine if an applicant is qualified to become a licensed veterinary technician. Affidavit # 2 is a template that is offered as one way to help the Board of Veterinary Medicine determine an applicant’s qualifications. Veterinarians can use additional documents to help the Board. DO NOT attest to any skills which you do not have personal, firsthand knowledge. The Board of Veterinary Medicine has clearly indicated that veterinarians have potential liability for the information that they are attesting to on this affidavit.

When determining the Applicant’s competency, the veterinarian who is the affiant should also consider the following:

1. Applicant’s ability to supervise unlicensed staff

2. Applicant’s ability to work remotely (with specific guidelines as established by the Board of Veterinary Medicine)

If you have already completed an affidavit #2 and attested to competency, but would like to retract it, the Board recommends that you have two recourses: Ask the applicant to remove the affidavit from the Board of Veterinary Medicine portal where the applicant uploads all of their affidavits OR the affiant should contact the Board directly. 

We all want more licensed technicians in Minnesota, but we want the license to clearly state to the public and the veterinary community that the licensee is competent and qualified. Here is positive advice for those applicants applying via the Alternate Pathway who deserve to become licensed but may have gaps in their competencies or qualifications: they have until June 30, 2031, to apply for their license. See MVMA Affidavit #2 to review the competencies. Encourage those applicants to work in those areas where they need more experience and consider continuing education in those areas. 

One of the major reasons that MVMA and MAVT worked together to officially license and recognize veterinary technicians was to improve career retention. Leveraging and maximizing the utilization of veterinary technicians to improve practice efficiency has also been a long-term goal. In a recent JAVMA issue, Dr. Julie Noyes and colleagues from Ethos Veterinary Health devised the Advancing Skills, Competencies, and Education in Veterinary Nursing Development (ASCEND) framework. The framework is intended to define the comprehensive abilities of credentialed veterinary technicians (CrVTs), according to the Ethos-funded study published in the January issue of JAVMA. This study identifies “94 workforce informed competencies” expected of credentialed veterinary technicians. This study is just one more resource that is available to improve utilization of veterinary technicians. 

Finally, the use of Veterinary Technician, Technician, and even Vet Tech will be protected by statutes starting July 1. Only those who become licensed through the MN Board of Veterinary Medicine may use these terms as well as the official term “Licensed Veterinary Technician” and LVT after that date. Additionally, the term Certified Vet Tech/CVT will NOT be used at all after that date. By statute, all others MUST be referred to as Veterinary Assistants. Licensure is almost here and it is up to all of us to use the correct titles! 

This article appears in the May/June 2026 issue of the MVMA Messenger.