Becoming a Vet Tech: Why Vet Tech Certification and Title Protection Matter

1. Credentialing matters — It builds credibility, defines your legal scope of work, and opens doors to better pay and career growth.
2. Title protection laws vary — Some states legally restrict who can use titles like “vet tech” or “CVT.”
3. Illinois leads change — HB3360 strengthens title protection, ensuring only credentialed techs can use the title.
4. Education alignment is key — Choose an AVMA-accredited program to qualify for the VTNE and meet state requirements.
5. Plan your path early — Check your state’s laws, ask schools about accreditation, and ensure your program supports your long-term career goals.

Being a veterinary technician means being the bridge between animals, their owners, and veterinarians. Vet techs are compassionate caregivers and skilled professionals who perform essential medical tasks like collecting lab samples, assisting in surgery, monitoring anesthesia, taking x-rays, and providing care to animals of all kinds.

But beyond the technical side, being a vet tech also means being an advocate: comforting anxious pet parents, ensuring every animal receives quality care, and helping maintain a calm, healing environment in often emotional situations. It’s a career built on science, empathy, and a deep love for animals, where every day brings a new opportunity to make a difference!

While many may take a different path toward becoming a veterinary technician, credentialing is an important part of the journey that is often vital, even required depending on where you live and work.

Read more: What Do Veterinary Technicians Do? (Certified Vet Techs & Vet Tech Instructors Weigh In)

When you first hear that you need a credential or license to work in the job you’ve been training for, it can seem a little daunting. What do you have to do? Do you even need to be credentialed in your state? It can feel like there are so many hoops to jump through to get a vet tech job, but earning your vet tech credentials isn’t about hoops; it’s about protection for you, your future patients, and the profession. Becoming a credentialed vet tech can:

When you pass a national exam (like the VTNE) and hold recognized credentials, employers see it as a signal that you’ve been vetted. It tells them: “Yes, this person has the knowledge and skills required to get the job done.”

This might be the most critical point for many students, especially if your state is considering or has passed legislation to protect the term “veterinary technician.” The simple version: in a protected state, if you don’t hold the required credential, you cannot legally use the term “vet tech,” “certified veterinary technician (CVT),” or related initials.

Credentialed techs are often considered for advanced tasks, specialty roles, or leadership positions within clinics. Without certification, you may hit a career ceiling faster. By having a credential, even in states that don’t yet require licensing or certification, you’re giving yourself more opportunities for future job growth.

So yes, certification and licensure do matter. But your education path must align with those requirements.

One of the trickiest parts of becoming a vet tech is that laws and regulations vary widely by state. Part of that variation is around “title protection” — whether a state legally reserves the titles “veterinary technician,” “certified veterinary technician (CVT),” “vet tech,” or initials such as CVT or VT for credentialed individuals. Only in protected states can someone legally be barred from using those titles if they don’t meet the credentials.

Many veterinary professionals and organizations advocate for title protection for the vet tech profession, as do working vet techs. 93% of respondents to a National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) survey said they agree or strongly agree that protecting the veterinary technician title is essential to ensure that only those who have the credentials are able to use it.

Title protection means that not just anyone can be a vet tech – you need to gain the skills, education, and credentials to qualify for the role. Besides protecting the veterinary profession and patients, title protection can also help protect the vet tech role, ensuring professional recognition for current and aspiring techs.

Currently, not all states have regulations around title protection. According to NAVTA, at least 31 states have no formal vet tech title protection, while some have partial or limited protection. So in many states today, someone might call themselves a “vet tech” without having gone through accredited training or passing the VTNE.

But what does that really mean for you if you’re aspiring to become a vet tech or currently work in the field? Well, if you live in a state that has regulations around credentialing or title protection, that means that if you want to work as a vet tech, it’s important to make sure that your education meets title protection requirements and allows you to qualify to sit for exams like the VTNE.

Even if you don’t currently live or work in a state with title protection laws and regulations, it’s still a smart idea to get an approved education and credentials since more and more professionals in the field are pushing for it and your state may one day change its laws around the role.

For example, Illinois recently made news by passing House Bill 3360, which amends the state’s Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act to strengthen title protection.

Under these new rules:

• The terms “certified veterinary technician,” “veterinary technician,” “vet tech,” and initials “CVT,” “VT” may only be used by individuals who graduate from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technology program and pass the VTNE (or equivalent) as defined by the law.
• The law further mandates that licensees must display their license in a conspicuous place in their office or practice.
• The state regulates what tasks non-certified employees can legally perform, with stricter limits. For example, non-certified veterinary employees can’t perform extractions, cast applications, surgical closures, or other procedures without supervision.

Previously, Illinois had only required that the title “Certified Veterinary Technician” and initials “CVT” may only be used by persons certified by the Department.

While this may only affect you if you currently want to become a vet tech in Illinois, it’s a good example that laws around the job can and likely will change. Having credentials and AVMA-accredited vet tech education can only help you in your new career.

Read more: CVT vs LVT vs RVT: What’s the Difference?

If you’re just starting to look into schools and options to become a vet tech, you want to make sure you’re on the right path forward. While you’re doing your research, here’s how to be proactive so you don’t get blindsided midway through your career path and you’re prepared to take the first step.

1. Lookup your state’s veterinary practice act
   Search “[Your State] veterinary technician title protection” or check your state’s veterinary board website. This can give you more information on what your state requires you to do to legally become a veterinary technician.
2. Ask Penn Foster (or any school you’re researching) about accreditation
   Many states require that veterinary technicians graduate from an AVMA-accredited school – whether online or in person. Additionally, in most cases, you’ll need to have graduated from an AVMA-accredited school to sit for the VTNE.
3. Ask about VTNE pass rates and support
   A school should be transparent about alum pass rates and whether it helps with exam prep.
4. Ask about externships
   If the schools you’re looking into are recognized by the AVMA, they will have externship requirements that you must complete to graduate. These externship requirements are regulated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and give you the opportunity to develop hands-on skills under the supervision of professionals.

Read more: What to Know About the Vet Tech Externships

Choosing a vet tech program is more than checking boxes. You’re making a commitment to a profession, to animals, and to your future self!

Penn Foster’s Veterinary Technician Associate Degree can offer many of the right building blocks to help you confidently take the first steps toward this new career, including industry accreditation, hands-on experience through externships, VTNE alignment, and self-paced online classes that can fit your busy life. But none of that matters if your state’s laws won’t let you use the credential or title after you graduate.

So, when you compare programs, don’t just think: “Do I like the curriculum?” Think:

• “Will I legally be allowed to call myself a vet tech?”
• “Can I do the full scope of what a veterinary technician does in my area?”
• “If I move, will this credential travel with me?”

Learn more about becoming a veterinary technician in our blog, request more information, or reach out today to ask our Admissions Specialists the important questions you may have before enrolling by calling us at 1-888-427-6500!