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Continuing Education Category Guidelines

Below, please find in-depth detail regarding continuing education guidelines. If you have questions about submitting CE for renewal, please also see the CE FAQ page.

For questions regarding the 2024 renewal process, please click here to be redirected to the renewal information page.

CE guideline quick links

Medical CE Guidelines

Medical programs include 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. 

Presenters of any Medical program must be qualified to engage in clinical veterinary practice or be academically qualified in a field of science related to veterinary medicine.  Examples of qualifications for speakers in this category can be demonstrated by any one of the following:

    1. A veterinarian
    2. A credentialed veterinary technician 
    3. An advanced academic degree in the subject matter
    4. Providing evidence of special knowledge in the subject area being presented (such as a certification from an accredited program)

At least 10 CE hours submitted for credential renewal must fall under the Medical CE category.

Medical 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. Each medical CE course/lecture can only be submitted once per renewal cycle.  RACE approved CE will be accepted, but RACE approval is not required for in-person or online CE.

Examples of medical topics, assuming all other guidelines for medical CE have been met:

Anesthesia, Animal Welfare, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Behavior, Cardiology, Dentistry, Dermatology, Emergency/Critical Care, Endocrinology, End of Life Care, Epidemiology, Equine, Exotics/Zoology, Food Safety, 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, Public Health, Radiology, Surgery, Theriogenology/Reproduction, Toxicology, Ultrasonography, Urology, Wildlife & Fish Hatcheries, Zoonosis, and Alternative Therapies (Acupuncture, Chinese/Herbal Medicine, Massage, Physical Rehabilitation)

NOTE: Medical 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 as medical CE, regardless of who is presenting.

CACVT reserves the right to refuse any submitted medical CE credit that does not meet the standard for medical education for a credentialed veterinary technician. 

Non-Medical CE Guidelines

Non-medical programs (practice management/professional development/professional wellness) include those 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.

Presenters of any non-medical program must be qualified to provide CE relevant to veterinary medical professionals.  Examples of qualifications for speakers in this category can be demonstrated by any one of the following.

    1. A veterinarian 
    2. A credentialed veterinary technician
    3. An academic degree or formal training in the subject matter
    4. Extensive experience or training in the subject area being presented (such as a certification from an accredited program)

No CE hours need to come from the non-medical category. However, if obtained, these credits will count towards the overall CE hours once the appropriate number of medical CE has been obtained.

Non-medical 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. Each non-medical CE course/lecture can only be submitted once per renewal cycle.  RACE approved CE will be accepted, but RACE approval is not required for in-person or online CE.

Examples of non-medical topics, assuming all other guidelines for non-medical CE have been met:

Animal Control Topics, Business Management, Communication, Regulatory compliance, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Pet Insurance, Professional/Career Development (directly related to your personal and professional growth as a VT), Professional Wellness, Non-Medical Behavior Modification Techniques, Shelter Management, Veterinary Inventory Management, Veterinary Practice Management, etc. (Please also refer to the section on Professional Crossover below).  Programs in Professional Wellness may include, but are not limited to:  Mental Health, Depression, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Suicide Ideation.

CACVT reserves the right to refuse any submitted non-medical CE credit that does not meet the standard for non-medical education for a credentialed veterinary technician.

CE Certificates/Proof of Attendance

Individuals are responsible for keeping their personal CE certificates of attendance. CACVT will ask for copies of the certificates if needed. CE certificates can be uploaded to the CE log at any time for convenience, but it is not mandatory. Certificates should contain the following information, but if they don't, this information should be documented at the time of attendance:

    1. Attendee’s name
    2. Date of presentation
    3. Time – written in duration and/or CE hours (e.g., 9am-10a/1 CE hour)
    4. Presentation title
    5. Speaker with credentials
    6. CE location
    7. Signature of presenter/director
    8. If RACE approved, the provider and program number is required on these certificates
    9. If CACVT approved, the approval ID number is required on these certificates

When submitting a conference, symposium, or event that has multiple lectures, it is the individual's responsibility to properly submit the necessary information for each of the individual lectures attended. If one certificate is granted with only the total number of hours and not each of the lectures listed out, then it is the attendee's responsibility to document the following for each lecture:

    1. Date of presentation
    2. Name of event
    3. Time – written in duration and/or CE hours (e.g., 9am-10a/1 CE hour)
    4. Presentation title
    5. Speaker name and credentials

Online CE

To be deemed medical, the CE must meet all of the above provisions outlined for medical CE. To be deemed non-medical, the CE must meet the above provisions outlined for non-medical CE.

RACE approved CE will be accepted, but RACE approval is not required for online CE.

In-Hospital CE

Organizations wishing to obtain pre-approval for CE events must do so via the link below. These events can be lunch and learns, in-house CE events, conferences, etc. 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 are met. (Examples include; nutrition lectures that have a medical base, vaccine updates, medically based new product information, etc.).

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

Click here to be redirected to the Speaker CE Approval page and application.

Colorado State Board of Veterinary Medicine Meetings

As the Colorado Veterinary State Board 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 non-medical CE credit hours per credentialing cycle for attendance at a Colorado Veterinary State Board meeting. To receive credit for attendance, the individual is responsible for contacting the CACVT Executive Director at [email protected] to request a CE certificate. It will be the individual’s responsibility to obtain a certificate before 4pm on the day of attendance. They will not be distributed retroactively. 

Equivocal Continuing Education

Speaker CE Hours

If you are a presenter/speaker for a continuing education lecture, you can now submit the hours for approval with your renewal application. The hours submitted should be the same number of hours as the lecture time. Each lecture can only be submitted once during a 2-year renewal cycle. The submitted hours need to fall under the medical or non-medical category guidelines. Must be a RACE approved program, a state or nationally recognized conference (or pre-approved by CACVT), and fit within CACVT guidelines.

Lab CE

Continuing education courses that are presented as labs can be submitted for CE for the equal number of hours.  (i.e., 1hr lab= 1hr CE)

College Credits

College courses may be approved for CE hours if they fall under the medical or non-medical CE guidelines. One academic credit granted by an institutionally accredited organization is equal to 1 CE credit.  Transcript of course with a passing grade will be used as proof of completion. College credits are required to be pre-approved by the CACVT in advance by submitting the Speaker CE request.  The course must be started and completed within the 2-year credentialing cycle.

Exhibit Halls

Exhibit halls will not be approved as CE hours for renewal.

Posters

Posters will not be approved as CE hours for renewal.

Equipment Training

Training on equipment hardware or software will not be accepted as CE.

Other

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

Professional Crossover

Many credentialed veterinary technicians branch into various areas of veterinary medicine and industry, as well as into other professions altogether, while maintaining their credentialed status. These other areas and professions, such as education, executive oversight, industry sales, and law enforcement, often have their own standards and criteria for continuing education. CE from other areas and professions may or may not be duplicated as CE for veterinary technician credentialing. This CE will be approved on a case-by-case basis. CACVT reserves the right to refuse any submitted CE that does not meet continuing education standards for credentialed veterinary technicians, regardless of professional crossover.

CE Verification

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

CE reporting procedure in your CE log: The individual is responsible for providing hosting entity/organization, presenter/speaker (including credentials), session title, dates, and credit hours. If the course is RACE or CACVT approved, the course number should also be put in the description of your CE log.

*Revised June 2023