Veterinary Technician Licensing
States Licensed
36
of 50 states and D.C.
Burden Rank
15th
for average burdens 1st is worst
Combined Rank
28th
for states licensed x average burdens 1st is worst
Change from 2017 to 2022, if any:
- ↑
- Burden increased
- ↓
- Burden decreased
- ↕
- Mixed burden change
- N
- New license
- E
- Eliminated license
2022 Licensing Burden Rank
How does my state compare to others?
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Veterinary technicians generally work in private clinical practices under the guidance of a licensed veterinarian. They may perform laboratory tests, such as a urinalysis, and help veterinarians conduct a variety of other diagnostic tests. They may also talk with animal owners about a pet’s condition or how to administer medication prescribed by a veterinarian. 12022 Snapshot
- 15 unlicensed states
- Days lost are 730 in all states
- Fees range from $150 (Arizona) to $1,076 (California)
- 36 states require 1+ exam
- 13 states set minimum age
- 3 states set minimum grade
Changes Since 2017
- No licenses created or removed
- Fees changed most often and always increased except in Alaska; Washington decreased education
- Burden rank worsened 2 spots, largely because other occupations improved more; combined rank improved 1 spot due largely to expanded licensing of a similarly ranked occupation
2022 Licensing Burden in Detail
Data Notes: 2022 data collected between February 3, 2020, and March 18, 2022. Fees include charges for application review and license issuance; exams; background checks, credit reports and fingerprinting; recovery fund contributions; third-party certification; and certain fees for training courses. Calendar days lost were estimated based on required education and experience; except for amounts smaller than one day, days lost are rounded to whole days and thus may not reflect very small changes between 2017 and 2022. Appendix A details methods for estimating days lost and calculating burden ranks. Complete data, including revised 2017 data, are available at https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/ltw3-data/.