AVECCTN ApplicationApplication Requirement Changes These changes were voted on by the AVECCTN membership and overwhelmingly passed. These changes will go into effect for the upcoming application cycle. Applicants that are preparing Part B of their current application (due October 31st, 2026) will not be affected by these changes since Part A of their application has already been accepted. Part B submissions that are not accepted will need to reapply, submitting Part A of their application March 31st, 2027. Those applicants will be required to comply with these changes. The requirement changes are listed below with the rationale for making the change. Change: Increase experience hours to a minimum of 8000 hours working in ECC over the past 5 years. (Previous requirement was 6000 hours) Rationale: The Academy of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care Technicians and Nurses was founded in 1996 at a time when the ECC landscape was far different than what we see now. In 30 years, a lot has changed in veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing. As an example, central line placement, which was once considered to be advanced, or “state of the art” medicine is now one of our basic/core skills. As the years have gone on, the role of the ECC technician has changed and the knowledge base and level of expertise has expanded exponentially. Technicians/veterinary nurses are managing more complex cases, using newer technologies and equipment, and there is an expectation of a much broader knowledge base and advanced level mastery of skills. Over the last 6 years (2021-2026), there has been evidence of a need to increase the experience level of our candidates. A brief overview of statistics from these past years
With a substantially higher pass rate of the first part of the application (Work experience, CE, LOR) and a significant drop off in those candidates moving on to be allowed to sit for our exam, it can be argued that even though applicants had the minimum required work hours and CE, many candidates were unable to provide evidence of their level of skill and knowledge required to pass the second part of the application process. Many applicants submit their application the moment they reach the three-year minimum. A VTS(ECC) should represent advanced level knowledge and mastery of skills- not the bare minimum. An increase in the hours requirements will not prevent applicants from submitting their applications when they reach the new minimum, but it will raise the minimum to a level that better represents the skill and knowledge base representative of a specialist. In 2022, AVECCTN increased the hours from 5,760 hours to 6000 hours. The work experience requirement for AVECCTN applicants is increasing from 6000 hours to 8000 hours or the equivalent of 4 years. The goal of this change is to ensure that applicants have more experience, are better prepared, and are more representative of what should be required to be considered a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Emergency/Critical Care. Change: Increase CE requirement to 50 CEU over the past 5 years. Rationale: A requirement of 25 hours over 5 years is significantly lower than CE expectations across most veterinary technician specialties. Increasing to 50 hours (an average of 10 hours per year) better reflects the dedication to excellence that AVECCTN expects of its membership. This update ensures that AVECCTN applicants remain current with evolving best practices, technologies, knowledge and clinical standards. 2028 Examination Applicants! Application, Part A and B will be available after November 1, 2026. Important notes: The skills list is changing for the 2027 cycle
Downloadable Copy of the NEW AVECCTN Skills List: use as a reference only. The skills are numbered and will match the Official Skills list form. (fixed error with duplicate #30's) NEW!! Skills List Picture Requirements List by Skill: This document gives you a step-by-step guideline of what EACH picture requirement is for EACH skill. Be sure to download this and keep it handy! 2027 Examination AVECCTN Application Process The application includes a Pre-application (Part A), starting November 1-March 31 due on March 31, and the remaining Final Application (Part B) will be due October 31 for all those that pass the pre-application phase. Application links are found at the bottom of this page.PRE-APPLICATION (PART A)The Pre-application will ensure all applicants are actually ready to credential as a VTS(ECC). In the pre-application we will evaluate:
The pre-application is filled in online and documentation submitted from November 1 to March 31. Applicants will be notified by April 30 if their pre-application is accepted. If your application is not accepted, you may have the option to appeal. Only those accepted applicants can submit Part B. FINAL APPLICATION (PART B)The Final Application will include the Skills List, Case Logs and Case Reports. Cases are collected and Skills are signed off for the entire year November 1 to October 31. You should start logging cases as soon as the application opens. Case Reports should be written based on cases seen during the year long period. Note, you may want to wait until your pre-application is accepted before beginning to write your reports, however you should be collecting possible cases for reports during the pre-application phase. Application Forms and LinksThe Annual application package requires you to be working on three forms simultaneously. Please follow the links below and get things started. Collection period for the Pre-application is November 1 to March 31. Part B is from November 1 to October 31. Part A Application FORM Due March 31, 2026 Part B (Case Logs, Case Reports) FORM Due October 31, 2026 *Now Available! AVECCTN SKILLS LIST Form Due October 31, 2026 Be sure to read the instructions below, the Skills List has changed!! Reference Letters Reference Letters must be submitted online through an online form. A link to the reference form is also found on the front page of the AVECCTN.org website (quicklinks down the right hand side). You and your referees will be sent a confirmation immediately upon submission, notifying you that a letter has been submitted and by whom, and the referee will be sent a copy of the submission. You may ask your referees if they are willing to share the copy of the letter with you, otherwise the candidate does not receive a copy. REFERENCE LETTERS SENT VIA EMAIL WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Letters MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA THE ONLINE FORM. Instruction LinksGeneral Information and Instructions For the 2027 Application—PART A General Information and Instructions For the 2027 Application—PART B Skills List Instructions for APPLICANTS Revised Nov 30, adding Attestant Qualifications! Skills List Instructions for ATTESTANTS Added Nov 27, 2025 Examples of Case Reports:Thank you to our Applicants who have provided two great case report examples! Frequently asked questions about the application: Q: Who should I list as an instructor for the online RECOVER courses? A: Dr. Daniel J. Fletcher, PhD, DVM, DACVECC as the instructor of record. He is the lead author and primary educator for the online BLS and ALS RECOVER courses.
Q: For the RECOVER requirements on the skills list, what documentation do I need? A: You need to submit an ACTIVE/CURRENT RECOVER certification. If your RECOVER certification has lapsed (beyond 2 years) it is not considered current. You will need to go thru the online recertification process https://recoverinitiative.org/veterinary-professionals/cpr-basic-and-advanced-life-support-courses/ to make your RECOVER certification current and submit the certificate that states you are current.
Q: I'm going through RECOVER recertification right now. Can I use that as part of my CE? A: All CE needs to be completed before November 1st. If you need the recertification for your skills list, that is fine. If you haven't completed it prior to November 1st, it won't count towards your CE on Part A of the application.
Q: How will you maintain anonymity when reviewing part B of the application where I need to submit my RECOVER certificates with my name on them? A: RECOVER certificates will be reviewed independently so that credentials committee members will not directly see these certificates in an effort to maintain anonymity.
Q: Do I need to write out doses of medications in my case logs? A: No, you can write something like "administered antibiotics...." or if you want to show more you could say "calculated and administered a fentanyl CRI" Case logs are to show skills and involvement in the case.
Q: What format should the references be for the case logs? A: We use the same format that JVECC uses which is the AMA format. There are plenty of citation generator websites that can help put your references in the proper format.
Q: I do not live in the US and the country I live in does not have credentialling. Am I eligible to apply for my VTS? A: Yes! We understand that not all countries and regions of the world have credentialling available. If you have any info on what qualifies you as whatever is deemed equivalent in your country we would love to hear from you! Tell us what requirements / documents are needed to show your qualifications. Every year we get applicants from other countries and it can be difficult for us (in the US) to understand what the qualifications are in other countries - we appreciate the help!
Q: Do I have to be licensed in the state I'm working in? A: The instructions state that you need to be licensed. It does not state that you need to be licensed in the state you are working in. There may be restrictions in your state you're working in regarding skills and procedures non - licensed team members can perform. Check with your practice act to make sure you're not doing things you are not allowed to do.
Q: My state (or country) doesn't require licensing to be a technician (Florida, Texas, etc...) Do I need to be licensed to apply if my state doesn't require it? A: If licensing is available in your state or country (regardless of it being required), you need to be licensed.
Q: Is a PICC line considered a central catheter? A: Yes, a PICC line is a central catheter. It's literally one of the initials in the acronym. Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter
Q: Would my images be rejected if they are not cropped enough to exclude identifiable features of the patient? A: Neither the patient, nor the applicant should be identifiable in the pictures. You are allowed to "blur" the patient's face. When zooming in to the skill being performed, please make sure we can identify what skill it is that you are displaying. Close up pictures of a catheter going into skin may not be easily identifiable.
Q: What are some common brand names that applications get flagged for? A: Make sure to use the generic term for all medications. If there's any question, look it up in a formulary or an internet search. It's a silly thing to get flagged for, but attention to detail is a big part of this process. Here's a short and incomplete list of common brand names that you SHOULD NOT use:
|
Announcements
AVECCT has a new Mission Statement and Strategic Plan!! Check them out under "About Us" above!Our Affiliates
