The Long Road to Licensure: MVMA Veterinary Technician Committee's Work Comes to Fruition

Thanks to a multi-decade effort spearheaded by MVMA’s Veterinary Technician Committee, Minnesota has become the 42nd state to legally recognize veterinary technicians, a development that will bring positive changes to the profession.

It has been a long road, with countless hours poured into the effort by committee members and advocates, but veterinary technician licensure is finally a reality in Minnesota. As of July 1, 2026, veterinary technicians are now included in Minnesota’s Veterinary Practice Act and regulated by the Minnesota Board of Veterinary Medicine.

The people who have been part of the Veterinary Technician Committee share a deep understanding of and appreciation for credentialed veterinary technicians, their training, and what they bring to veterinary teams. Committee members’ conviction that formal recognition of technicians would bring a multitude of benefits including reducing turnover, alleviating workforce shortages, improving patient care, practice efficiency, and public safety, and elevating the profession has been the driving force allowing them to persevere over the course of decades.

The committee, currently chaired by Dr. Allen (Al) Balay and which is comprised of MVMA as well as MAVT members, exists to serve as a liaison between MVMA and MAVT (Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians), promote credentialing and continuing education of veterinary technicians, encourage veterinarians to fully utilize technicians, and support the growth and advancement of the veterinary technician profession.

MVMA Certification: Supporting a Rising Profession

As the veterinary technician profession became formalized, with newly established training programs springing up in the 1960s, MVMA first formed an Animal Technicians Committee in 1969. An early “registration” system in the 1970s was a precursor to veterinary technician certification, which launched in 1984 with a state exam administered by the MVMA.

For 42 years, MVMA supported the profession through a voluntary Veterinary Technician certification program, initiated by the Veterinary Technician Committee. Members of a credentialing subcommittee, chaired by Kim Horne, were responsible for reviewing CVT applications and recertification materials over the years, verifying that those who chose to be certified were fulfilling their commitment to continuing education. The program has ensured that thousands of Minnesota technicians have kept up with the latest in the field as they’ve advanced through their careers. 

While MVMA’s technician certification program was a step in the right direction, it was not on par with state credentialing, which was becoming increasingly common in other states. There was still no formal accountability, no title protection, and no way to ensure those working in the capacity of veterinary technician in Minnesota had met a minimum standard of training and competency. An example Dr. Balay would share was: “Did you know the people who cut your hair have to be licensed by the state of Minnesota, but that the people who keep your dogs alive under anesthesia don’t have a license?”

The lack of state regulation also meant Minnesota techs weren’t on the same playing field as those in most other states. The world has become more mobile, and Minnesota technicians were being closed out of job and volunteer opportunities elsewhere. For example, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a lot of animal rescues put out calls for help—but there were limits to what technicians from Minnesota could do.

Early Work and Challenges

A small group of current and former Veterinary Technician Committee members came together recently to share insight into the history of this effort, why it was so challenging, and how they ultimately succeeded.

Much of the committee’s early work was focused on education, especially of veterinarians—a challenge because most at the time had minimal familiarity with what formally trained veterinary technicians could do or the benefits they could bring to the practice. Politically, the committee faced opposition to more regulation, resistance to adding a licensing board, and reluctance to open the practice act.

Dr. Sharon Hurley graduated in 1979 from Iowa State at a time when it was still common for veterinarians to train their staff themselves. A few years later, after moving to Minnesota, she gained a relatively early appreciation for formally trained technicians thanks to a connection with a DVM colleague who was working at the UMN Waseca vet tech program, spurring her interest in the vet tech committee’s work. 

Dr. Karen Brandt, who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1983, said she was “lucky that our class was one of the first to have technician students rotating through with us. I think that really helped educate veterinary students on what a veterinary technician could do and how to utilize them.” She was involved with MVMA’s Veterinary Technician Committee from the 1980s until 2008, and recently rejoined.

Past committee member Cherylann Gieseke graduated from vet tech school in 1989 and got involved shortly after that. She remembers it being hard to get everyone on the same page about what a veterinary technician was and to get MVMA, MAVT, and Board of Veterinary Medicine leadership to understand the benefits of licensure. “The veterinarians in this group were some of the few that actually understood and appreciated what a credentialed veterinary technician could do and how credentialing could help both animals and practices,” she shared.

Fellow technician Kim Horne, a 1980 graduate, got involved when she became chair of MAVT’s Credential Committee in 2005. She recalls researching other states’ Veterinary Practice Acts, making multiple trips to the Capitol, and networking during an American Association of Veterinary State Boards convention in Minneapolis. “We did a lot of research and learning early on,” she said, “and there were many stops and starts, ups and downs.” 

Dr. Al Balay received his DVM in 1977 from Michigan State and began teaching technicians in 1980. The landscape was different in Michigan; Dr. Balay had been trained with technicians in vet school, and the state began licensing them in 1979. In 1995, when he moved to Minnesota to lead the vet tech program at Ridgewater College, he found Minnesota’s lack of technician licensure frustrating. He quickly became involved with MVMA and the Veterinary Technician Committee, of which he’s been chair since 2020.

A Renewed Effort Brings Success

Building on the groundwork laid by Drs. Hurley and Brandt, Cherylann, and numerous others including Drs. Gary Leff and David Fell, leadership of the effort shifted to the recently retired/semi-retired Dr. Al Balay and Kim Horne, and a renewed push for licensure began in 2020 when a legislator expressed interest in sponsoring a bill. There had also been critical shifts in leadership, including within the MVMA and Board of Veterinary Medicine. The stars were aligning.

MVMA assigned a dedicated lobbyist, Cullen Sheehan, to the effort. A bill drafted by the committee was first introduced during the 2021 legislative session, and again in 2022, but despite bipartisan support, the legislation didn’t make it into the necessary committee hearings. Each legislative session, committee members learned more about the political and legislative process that helped them strengthen their approach. 

Committee members showed up to MVMA Governmental Affairs Committee meetings, arranged regular meetings at the Capitol, worked closely with lobbyist Cullen, spoke with legislators each annual Veterinary Day at the Capitol, hosted townhalls, rewrote their original bill, worked with the revisor’s office, and testified in committee hearings once the bill made it into committee hearings in 2023 and 2024.

To succeed, they had to prove three things to legislators: that licensure of technicians benefited public health and safety, that it would be self-supporting financially, and that legislation would include a grandfather clause so as not to bar on-the-job trained technicians from the profession. They honed their messaging and focused on what would resonate most with legislators. “We knew the benefits for our colleagues and our patients, and we were all really passionate about it,” Dr. Hurley said. Their collective passion, determination, and perseverance paid off.

“Finally, in the 2024 session, in the wee hours before the legislative session closed, it was passed,” said Kim. The legislation was signed into law on May 25, 2024, paving the way for technician licensure to take effect July 1, 2026.

Reflections and Refocus

The work didn’t end with the passage of licensure. Dr. Al Balay and Kim Horne, along with key players including Dr. Ann Brownlee and technician Sam Geiling, have continued to volunteer countless hours serving on the Board of Veterinary Medicine’s LVT Rules Writing Task Force and educating veterinarians, technicians, and team members about the implications of licensure. 

“What I am most proud of is the collaboration between MVMA and MAVT,” Dr. Balay shared. That collaboration will continue to be key to the committee’s work moving forward, as they consider where to focus their efforts next.

Interested in being part of the committee’s work? New members are welcome and you can learn more by emailing [email protected].

This article was originally published in the July/August issue of the MVMA Messenger.