Changes to the VTNE technician exam raise concerns

Modifications in the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) application process and exam windows are now in effect. These changes will potentially open up the exam to more people wishing to become credentialed veterinary technicians. However, some organizations have lingering reservations.

How we got here

According to James Penrod, CAE, FASLA, CEO of the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), the push for the changes began in the summer of 2024. Around that time, several member boards asked the AAVSB board to revisit its VTNE eligibility policy. AAVSB owns, administers, and develops the test.

AAVSB staff talked with member boards along with veterinary technician and veterinary technology program directors. They also discussed matters with allied organizations and licensure candidates. The intent was to reduce the time from graduation to licensing. That way, veterinary technicians could begin work sooner.

In the fall of 2024, the AAVSB board decided to:

• Allow students in programs accredited by the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (AVMA CVTEA) and Canadian VMA Animal Health Technology/Veterinary Technician Program Accreditation Committee (CVMA AHTVTPAC) to take the VTNE during their last semester of coursework at the discretion of the program they are enrolled in. “Now every candidate that graduates from an accredited program where the school has approved them to sit for the VTNE prior to graduation is eligible to register for the exam,” Penrod explained.
• Take on the task of reviewing the eligibility of candidates who received on-the-job training (OJT) per each jurisdiction’s qualifications to take the VTNE. The same applies to and alternate pathway candidates. Previously, jurisdictions approved these candidates and allowed alternate pathways in their statutes. AAVSB did not expand eligibility but provides an administrative service. Jurisdictions still approve candidates for licensure, said Penrod.
• Increase the total examination windows from three to four annually. Also, expand windows from one to two months. This modification provides more opportunities to test. It also addresses the fact that schools have different graduation dates.
• Provide an open application process, allowing candidates to register for the VTNE at any time for the next two upcoming testing windows.

What these changes mean

“Overall, the AAVSB has made it so that candidates don’t have to apply to take the VTNE with a jurisdiction first and then go back to apply for licensure,” said Penrod. In other words, candidates apply to the AAVSB for the VTNE. Then, they go to their jurisdiction after passing to apply for licensure. Accredited schools will then send a list of eligible candidates to the AAVSB/ “The candidate will not need to send us their school transcript,” added Penrod.

“For those with an alternative pathway, such as being on-the-job trained, an employer letter needs to be verified that they have met training needs of the particular jurisdiction before we can approve them to sit for the exam,” Penrod added. “All candidates that pass the VTNE will then need to apply directly to their jurisdiction to get licensed.” All regulating jurisdictions require a passing score on the VTNE for licensure. Because of that, Penrod explains, “the time for the jurisdiction to review the licensure application will now be reduced.”

Concerns from technician organizations

When possible changes to the VTNE process were announced, the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) sought clarifications from the AAVSB. That move changed things. Afterwards, NAVTA asked AAVSB to issue a revised announcement, according to Phillip E. Russo, CAE, NAVTA executive director.

Russo noted that the AAVSB responded that eligibility for the exam and the allowance by states/provinces of OTJ training or alternate pathways had not changed. If a candidate’s accredited program allowed for VTNE testing in the final semester, it would allow it.

However, Russo explained that NAVTA supports earning a veterinary technology or nursing degree from an AVMA-accredited program. NAVTA still opposes establishing alternate routes to credentialing. It recognizes that five states—Alaska, California, Montana, Utah, and Wisconsin—allow OJT or alternate degrees for VTNE eligibility.

Other considerations

The CVMA’s AHTVTPAC also had initial reservations. According to Michelle Chen, director of CVMA’s AHTVTPAC, specific concerns regarded students’ preparedness to write the VTNE prior to graduation.

However, the advantage of the learned information being current in the students’ mind may outweigh that concern, she explained. Veterinary technician/technologist programs in Canada are developing policy addressing taking the VTNE exam before graduation.

The Association of Veterinary Technician Educators (AVTE) said some of its concerns also were not addressed, according to Jennifer Serling, AVTE immediate past president. But she noted, “we understand the AAVSB is following state-level processes and procedures.

“However, operational opportunities exist to address many concerns without requiring formal changes or overstepping their bounds,” added Serling. “AVTE, AAVSB, and other stakeholders need to think more about and take more action to educate stakeholders on the state level who can have knowledge gaps about our work.”

Timing of testing windows

There were more concerns. Regarding allowing students to take the exam before finishing their education, for example, Serling said the AVTE would have preferred more testing windows. This could avoid forcing students and faculty to decide the right time to take the exam with so much of the program left to complete.

“Expanding exam windows requires stronger test security and a larger bank of questions, an area AAVSB must continue to focus on as a strategic priority,” Serling explained. “AAVSB and AVTE need to equip educators with the knowledge necessary to make the best decisions for their students. Ongoing, data-driven conversations among AAVSB and other stakeholders will be critical to evaluating whether this change achieves its intended outcomes and collaborating to adjust if it does not.”

“AVTE values its ongoing dialogue with AAVSB leadership and staff, and I am confident they understand our community’s sentiments,” she continued. “Continuous improvement requires timely action, and we are cautiously optimistic that this isn’t the final word on AVTE and other stakeholders’ concerns.”

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