Continuing Education for Credentialing FAQs

Question: How many hours am I required to submit for renewal?

Answer: For most individuals, the answer is 20 hours. The exception is if this is your first renewal after graduating and you passed your VTNE between July 1st of an odd numbered year and March 1st of an even numbered year (you can also check your credentialing confirmation email), then you may only need to submit 10 hours for your first renewal. If you credentialed by experience, you will be required to submit 20 hours of CE for your first renewal.

Question: Can I submit more than my required hours?

Answer: Yes, there is no maximum number of CE hours you can submit.

Question: What is the timeframe within which the current cycle's CE needs to be obtained?

Answer: The required CE needs to be obtained between July 1st of the last even year and June 30th of this even renewal year. For instance, for the 2024-2026 renewal cycle the CE submitted needs to be obtained between 7/1/2022 and 6/30/2024. There are some exceptions if you submitted a reinstatement application.

Question: Why is the CE I entered for the last renewal cycle still in my log?

Answer: Your CE log is cumulative, and all logged CE will stay in there for your records. To date-limit the CE hours for a specific cycle, enter the dates for that cycle on the left-hand side and push apply filters. The dates for each cycle are from July 1 of an even year to June 30 of the following even year (for example 7/1/22-6/30/24).

Question: How do I log my CE?

Answer: The continuing education log is located under your name tag, after you log into your member profile. You can also click here to be directed to your log (after logging in). Read the step-by-step instructions on how to log your CE here.

Question: Do I enter a conference as one CE entry, or do I list each lecture as one entry?

Answer: You can enter a conference as one entry as long as you list out the individual lectures you attended in the description or upload a list of the lectures you attended where you upload the certificate.  

Question: What is Medical CE?

Answer: The medical CE category includes all medical and surgical topics that are evidence-based, including the science of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease as it relates directly to patients. It also includes topics in veterinary science that are not specifically clinical in nature but consider the comprehensive range of the practice of veterinary medicine and veterinary technology. (For a detailed list of examples, click here)

Question: What is Non-Medical CE?

Answer: The non-medical CE category (Practice Management/Professional Development/Professional Wellness) includes topics that serve the public interest by helping make veterinary medical professionals more competent and capable in the delivery of veterinary services, but that are not necessarily scientific or clinical in nature. (For a detailed list of examples, click here)

Question: How many medical category CE hours do I need for renewal?

Answer: At least half of your required CE hours need to fall under the medical category. For most members that is at least 10 hours of medical category CE.

Question: Can more than half of my required hours fall into the medical category?

Answer: Yes, all your CE hours can fall into the medical category.

Question: How many non-medical CE hours do I need for renewal?

Answer:  As long as you have at least the required 10 hours of medical CE, the other 0-10 hours can be non-medical hours.

Question: Can all my hours fall into the non-medical category?

Answer: No, at least half need to be in the medical category.

Question: All my CE was online. Do I need more in-person hours?

Answer: CACVT does not have a maximum number of online CE hours you can submit. All or none of your hours can be from an online source. 

Question: Does my CE need to be RACE approved?

Answer: The CE you submit does not need to be RACE approved.

Question: Do I need to upload my CE certificates?

Answer:  An audit of 10% of the individuals who submit a renewal application will be required to provide CE certificates for all of their submitted hours.  To expedite the process, it is recommended to have them uploaded in your CE log but is not required to submit a renewal application.

Question: I was a presenter for a CE lecture. Can I submit this lecture as CE for renewal?

Answer:  Yes, as a presenter you can submit the lecture for the same number of hours as the lecture/lab time. You can only submit this lecture once per cycle so if it is a presentation you have given multiple times a year, it will only be approved once per renewal cycle. The CE must be a RACE approved program, a state or nationally recognized conference, or pre-approved by the CACVT and meet the CACVT guidelines. 

Question: I attended a 6-hour lab CE. Can I submit this for CE?

 Answer: Continuing education courses that are wet labs can now be submitted for the equal number of hours (i.e. 1hr lab = 1hr CE).  Like other CE hours, labs must still fall under the CE guidelines listed here.

Question: I am concerned one of my CE hours may not get approved. Is there a way I can check before I submit my hours with my renewal?

Answer: Some of the most common hours that get denied are equipment training, posters and exhibit halls at conferences. If you want to know if your CE will be approved check that it falls under the CE guidelines located here.