How to become a vet tech in Maryland

Last checked October 25, 2026 against the sources listed below. Information, not legal advice: confirm with the board before you apply or take on a task.

Maryland vet techs hold the Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) credential, a state registration issued by the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners in the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The law says a person "may register," so unregistered staff can still work in clinics as veterinary assistants. But the law lists technician procedures, such as inducing anesthesia, for registered techs only, and only registered techs may advertise as Board registered. To register, you graduate from an AVMA-accredited program (or qualify through a long experience route), pass the VTNE and complete the state's laws attestation.

Maryland vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Maryland
Title	Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT). The law's definition of veterinary technician includes a veterinary nurse.
Issued by	State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (SBVME), Maryland Department of Agriculture, a state board
Type	State registration
Required to work as a tech	Yes, with conditions Registration is voluntary and not needed to work in a clinic. But the law lists technician procedures for registered techs only. Unregistered staff are veterinary assistants under supervision.
Education	Graduate of an AVMA-accredited program, or an alternate route: associate degree with set science courses, 10,000 hours of technician work, a skills assessment, 24 CE hours and 24 emergency hours.
Exams	VTNE, plus the State Board Examination: you read Maryland's laws and rules and sign a statement attesting to it.
Renewal and CE	Every three years, expiring June 30. 24 CE hours in the 36 months before renewal; the Board says all may be online.
Moving from another state	No reciprocity waiver found. Transfer your VTNE score through AAVSB, provide good standing letters and complete the Maryland attestation. A Board rule also lists 5 years of recent clinical work.

How to get your RVT in Maryland

Graduate from a veterinary technology program accredited by the AVMA. Students within about three months of graduation can qualify as candidates for graduation if the school writes to the Board.
If you did not attend an accredited program, you apply to the Board first for permission to take the VTNE. You need an associate degree or higher with at least three credits, grade C or better, in Biology I and II, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Anatomy and Physiology I and II. You also need 10,000 hours of work as a technician with a supervising veterinarian's signed and notarized affidavit, a Technician Skill Set Assessment signed by a licensed veterinarian, 24 hours of vet tech CE and 24 hours of work in a veterinary emergency facility.
Pass the VTNE, which is run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Scores from a Maryland sitting reach the Board automatically. If you tested elsewhere, you are responsible for having your score transferred through AAVSB.
Apply to the Board through Maryland OneStop. Have your program send a final transcript directly to the Board and upload a recent headshot. If you are or were licensed in another state, provide letters of good standing; the Board says it can look up some states' licenses online if you ask. Disclose any discipline or criminal convictions other than minor traffic violations, with documents.
Complete the State Board Examination by attesting that you have read and understand Maryland's laws and regulations for vet techs.
Meet the age and character rules: at least 18 and of good moral character. The application fee is $100, as listed by the board on Maryland OneStop as of October 2026.

Techs registered in another state: a Board rule (COMAR 15.14.13.11) lets the Board register a tech who is registered elsewhere, graduated from an AVMA-accredited school, worked continuously as a clinical vet tech for the 5 years before applying and passes the Maryland exam (VTNE plus attestation). The Board's application pages do not mention the 5-year condition, and how the Board applies it is not stated.

What a credentialed tech can do, and what an assistant can do

Since October 1, 2024, Maryland sets these duties in statute (Agriculture Article, section 2-309.1). The law defines three supervision levels. Direct supervision means the veterinarian is on the premises, available right away, and has given instructions. Immediate supervision means the veterinarian is in the immediate area, within sight and hearing. Indirect supervision means the veterinarian may be away but gave instructions and can be reached by phone or electronically.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Induce anesthesia (injection or inhalation) and intubate	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision of a veterinarian.	Not addressed: not on the assistant task list. Assistants may set up anesthesia and monitor it under immediate supervision.
Simple extractions of loose teeth (no flaps or sectioning)	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	Not addressed: not on the assistant task list. Assistants may do dental prophylaxis under direct supervision.
Suture existing surgical skin or gum incisions	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	Not addressed: not on the assistant task list.
Access a small locked stock of Schedule II drugs and fill prescriptions	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	Not addressed: not on the assistant task list. Assistants may administer medications under direct supervision.
Radiographs, sample collection, microchips, giving medications	Yes, with conditions: indirect supervision if the veterinarian decides the tech is qualified.	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision of a veterinarian, or of a tech who is under a veterinarian's direct supervision.
Euthanasia	Yes, with conditions: at an animal emergency hospital at the veterinarian's discretion when the animal cannot be saved, or at an animal shelter.	Not addressed: not on the assistant task list in the practice act.
Diagnose, prescribe or perform surgery	No	No: these are the practice of veterinary medicine, which requires a veterinary license.

Techs may also give vaccines under direct supervision, but not rabies vaccines unless another law allows it. A separate health law (Health-General section 18-313) provides for vet techs and other clinical staff at a licensed animal shelter or animal control facility to give rabies vaccines to animals in the facility's custody, if trained and named on the vaccination certificate. In an emergency, before the veterinarian first examines the animal, a tech may give life support, including basic and advanced CPR. Note that the Board's older regulation on tech duties (COMAR 15.14.13.13) was last amended in 2012 and has not been rewritten to match the 2024 law.

Veterinary assistants in Maryland

Maryland has no state permit or registration for veterinary assistants. Since October 1, 2024, the law defines a veterinary assistant as a person who helps a veterinarian or vet tech with patient care and is not registered as a vet tech. Under direct supervision, assistants may take vitals on patients that are not under anesthesia, take radiographs, clean teeth, trim nails, give medications, collect samples, insert microchips, restrain animals and set up for surgery. They may set up and monitor anesthesia only under immediate supervision. Assistants may not advertise as Board registered veterinary technicians.

Renewal and continuing education

RVT registrations last three years and expire on June 30 of the third year. You renew on Maryland OneStop.

24 CE hours in the 36 months before the new registration period. Hours earned earlier, within 72 months, can count if they were not used before.
Approved CE includes courses from AVMA-accredited veterinary and vet tech colleges, AVMA meetings, local to national CE programs, and online courses. The Board says all required CE may be done online.
Keep accurate records of your CE. The Board may ask you to verify attendance.
The renewal fee is $100, as listed by the board on its RVT page in July 2026. The Board's fee regulation sets the same three-year registration fee.
If your registration lapsed less than five years ago, you can renew with 8 CE hours for each lapsed year. After five years or more, you apply for reinstatement with the same CE and letters of good standing from other state boards where you were registered.

Recent changes

New duties law (effective October 1, 2024): Chapter 487 of 2024 (House Bill 1097) defined veterinary assistants and listed their tasks. It listed the procedures registered techs may perform, defined direct, immediate and indirect supervision, allowed tech euthanasia in emergency hospitals and shelters, and added "veterinary nurse" to the legal definition of veterinary technician.
Dropped before passage: the first version of that bill would have created a temporary route, until 2027, for working assistants to become registered techs. Lawmakers struck it, so the 2024 law did not create that route.
Not passed in 2026: House Bill 1354 would have created a faster process for techs and assistants licensed in other states and given credit for assistant experience toward registration. It had a committee hearing in March 2026 and no further action.

FAQ

Do I have to be an RVT to work in a Maryland clinic?

No. Registration is voluntary, and unregistered staff can work as veterinary assistants within the tasks the law lists. The law lists technician procedures such as inducing anesthesia or simple extractions for registered techs only, and only registered techs may advertise as Board registered.

Can I become an RVT in Maryland without going to vet tech school?

Yes, through the Board's alternate route. You need an associate degree with set science courses, 10,000 hours of technician experience, a skills assessment signed by a veterinarian, 24 CE hours and 24 hours of emergency work before the Board approves you for the VTNE.

Can a Maryland RVT pull teeth?

Only simple extractions of loose teeth that need no flap or tooth sectioning, under a veterinarian's direct supervision. Techs may not perform surgery.

Is there a state exam in Maryland besides the VTNE?

Yes, but it is an attestation, not a test. You read Maryland's laws and regulations for vet techs and sign a statement confirming you understand them.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Maryland?

Maryland law says the term veterinary technician includes a veterinary nurse, and it defines a veterinary technician as a person registered with the Board. Advertising as a Board registered veterinary technician without registration is prohibited.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners directly.

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