If you’re interested in a rewarding career as a veterinarian or veterinary technician, you’ll need enthusiasm, dedication, and a lifelong love of animals and the people who care for them. You’ll also need the proper education and credentials.

The process varies depending on where you plan to practice. But, in general, an aspiring veterinary professional must:

• Graduate from an accredited program
• Pass a certification test
• Submit the documentation required for licensure

At the AAVSB, we don’t issue your license to practice as a veterinary professional. That’s handled by the regulatory body of the jurisdiction (state or province) in which you’ll practice, so we encourage you to use our Board and Agency Directory to find details specific to your jurisdiction. But we can provide an overview of those high-level steps.

Graduate From an Accredited Program

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) provide accreditation for programs in their respective countries. 

• AVMA-accredited veterinary technician programs
• CVMA-accredited veterinary technician programs
• AVMA-accredited veterinary colleges
• CVMA-accredited veterinary colleges

The AAVSB doesn’t endorse or recommend any specific program.

If you’ve graduated from an international program that’s not accredited by the AVMA or CVMA and want to practice in the United States or Canada, our Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE) can help.

Pass a Certification Exam: NAVLE

To become a licensed veterinarian in the United States or Canada, you must pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE). 

Most jurisdictions allow you to take the NAVLE when you’re about six months away from graduating from your veterinary medicine program.

At the AAVSB, we don’t develop or administer the NAVLE — that’s done by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA). Qualifications to take the NAVLE can be found on the ICVA website. Requirements may differ based on the jurisdiction in which you wish to obtain your initial licensure.

Once you’ve taken and passed the NAVLE, the AAVSB does offer a service, VAULT for First-Time Licensees, to help with the licensure process.

Pass a Certification Exam: VTNE

To become a licensed veterinary technician, most jurisdictions require a passing score on the Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE). 

The AAVSB owns and administers the VTNE. We’ve got an entire section of our website devoted to understanding the VTNE process, but, at a high level, you’ll need to:

• Make sure you’re eligible to take the test
• Apply to take the test and pay an exam fee
• Schedule and take the test
• Receive your score and have it provided to your jurisdiction 

Once you’ve taken and passed the VTNE, we offer a service, VAULT for First-Time Licensees,  to help with the licensure process.

Submit Documentation for Licensure

Passing the NAVLE or the VTNE is an important part of getting licensed, but it’s not the only part. Passing the test does not equal getting licensed. 

Each jurisdiction has very specific requirements for licensure. Use our Board and Agency Directory to find information specific to the jurisdiction in which you’d like to practice, and see our Getting Your License page for an overview of the licensure process.

Optional: Create a MyAAVSB account

If you’re planning a career as a veterinary professional, a MyAAVSB account can serve as your career record and the repository for the information and documents you’ll need for licensure throughout your career. 

If you use any of our services, you’ll get access to MyAAVSB as part of the service. If not, you can still create a MyAAVSB account free of charge. If you need help accessing or creating an account, let us know.