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CE Category Guidelines* 

TECHNICAL CE Guidelines

Definition: Technical CE is CE that is 1. medically oriented, 2. technical in nature, 3. directly applicable to the work of a clinical credentialed veterinary technician, 4. while being presented at the skill level of a veterinarian or credentialed veterinary technician, and 5. provided by a licensed veterinarian or credentialed veterinary technician.

At least half of CE hours submitted for certification renewal must fall under the Technical CE category.

Technical CE can be obtained in state or out of state, in-person or online, so long as the CE meets all applicable criteria posted here. See important guidelines for acquiring online CE below.

Technical CE is limited to the outlined list of topics, assuming all other guidelines for Technical CE have been met:

Anesthesia, Behavior, Cardiology, Dentistry, Dermatology, Emergency/Critical Care, Endocrinology, End of Life Care, Epidemiology, Equine, Exotics/Zoology, Gastroenterology, Geriatric Care, Herd Management, Hematology, Hospice and Palliative Care, Internal Medicine, Laboratory Animal, Large Animal, Microbiology, Nephrology, Neurology, Nutrition, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Pain Management, Parasitology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Preventative Care, Radiology, Surgery, Theriogenology/Reproduction, Toxicology, Ultrasonography, Urology, Wildlife & Fish Hatcheries, Zoonosis, and Alternative Therapies (Acupuncture, Chinese/Herbal Medicine, Massage, Physical Rehabilitation)

NOTE: Technical CE must be presented at an advanced medical level for individuals in the veterinary field. Presentations that are catered/open to the public will not be accepted regardless of who is presenting.

Example: ABC Vet Clinic hosting a “How to Feed your Pet For Optimal Weight Loss” for their clients is NOT Technical CE. * Example: Dr. Smith, DVM, DACVIM speaking on “Advancements in Critical Care Nutrition” would count as Technical CE.

CACVT reserves the right to refuse any submitted CE that does not meet a technically approved education standard for Certified Veterinary Technicians.

SUPPORTIVE CE Guidelines

Definition: Supportive CE is CE that may not fit all of the criteria for technical credit, but enhances an individual’s scope and ability to grow as a Certified Veterinary Technician. Supportive CE must be presented by an expert in the area that is being presented. No CE has to come from the Supportive category. However, if obtained, these credits will count towards your overall CE hours once the appropriate amount of Technical CE has been obtained. Supportive CE can be obtained in state or out of state, in-person or online, so long as the CE meets all applicable criteria posted here. See important guidelines for acquiring online CE below. 

CACVT reserves the right to refuse any submitted Supportive CE credit that does not meet the standard for supportive education for a Certified Veterinary Technician.

CACVT cannot create a comprehensive list of all potentially acceptable supportive CE topics available, but here are some examples of common Supportive CE topics:
Animal Control Topics, Compassion Fatigue/Burn Out, DEA/Controlled Substance Protocols, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Pet Insurance, Professional/Career Development (directly related to your personal and professional growth as a CVT), Non-Medical Behavior Modification Techniques, Shelter Management, Veterinary Inventory Management, Veterinary Practice Management, etc. (Please also refer to the section on Professional Crossover below).

Colorado Veterinary State Board of Veterinary Medicine Meetings:

As the Colorado Veterinary State Board of Veterinary Medicine (SBVM) oversees the Colorado Veterinary Practice Act, which informs all manner of practice of veterinary medicine in the state of Colorado, CACVT highly recommends getting exposure to this board and how it operates. It also serves as a prime example of state regulation in veterinary medicine.

CACVT will offer up to 4 Supportive CE credit hours per certification cycle for 8-noon attendance at a Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine meeting. Click HERE to access the SBVM meeting schedule and location information. 

As SBVM meetings are open to the public, in order to receive credit for attendance, the CVT is responsible for approaching the CACVT Executive Director (present at all SBVM Meetings) to state that he/she is there for CE. It will be the CVTs responsibility to obtain a certificate before noon on the day of attendance. They will not be distributed retroactively.

Online CE

CACVT will accept only RACE approved online CE. Strict reporting procedures apply – see below. In order to be deemed Technical, the CE must meet all of the above provisions outlined for Technical CE. In order to be deemed Supportive, the CE must meet the above provisions outlined for Supportive CE.

Reporting Procedure: The CVT is responsible for obtaining the RACE approved provider and course number, in addition to hosting entity/organization, provider name, session title, dates, times, and credit hours, if intending to submit a RACE approved online course for CE credit. If this information is not provided by the CVT in the Description area of the CE Log, CACVT will not accept the hours for CE credit in either category. CACVT will not accept any ONLINE CE that is NOT RACE approved.

Visit AAVSB.org or google RACE approved CE for options.

In-Hospital CE

  1. CE provided in-hospital by an employer, veterinarian, or credentialed veterinary technician must be approved by CACVT to be eligible for recertification purposes. As it can take 3 weeks to receive confirmation on CE approval, it is suggested that a Speaker CE Approval form be submitted well in advance of the event. The submitter will be notified of acceptance of the program for CE hours and CE category prior to the event. A certificate of attendance must be given to all CVTs.
  2. In-clinic industry representative lectures, so long as they are not equipment training based, will apply for CE credit in the category for which the criteria is met. (Examples include: nutrition lectures that have a medical base, vaccine updates, new product information which is medically based).

In-Hospital rounds, training, and training on new procedures or equipment training will not be accepted as CE.

Professional Crossover

Many Certified Veterinary Technicians branch into various areas of veterinary medicine and industry, as well as into other professions altogether, while maintaining their credentialing status. These other areas and professions, such as education, executive oversight, industry sales, law enforcement, often have their own standards and criteria for Continuing Education. CE for your chosen position may or may not duplicate as CE for your veterinary technician certification. CACVT reserves the right to refuse any submitted CE that does not meet continuing education standards for Certified Veterinary Technicians, regardless of professional crossover.

CE Verification

Once CE has been submitted as part of your complete certification renewal application, between May 1 and June 30 of each even year, it will be reviewed by the Certification Committee. If there are any discrepancies with submitted CE hours, you will be notified by CACVT. Your certification will not be processed and current until CACVT has received all required CE and it has been approved by the Certification Committee.

Please note:
1 hour of lecture = 1 hour of CE
2 hours of hands on lab = 1 hour of CE
1 RACE credit = 1 hour of CE

*Revised January, 2015