How to become a vet tech in Mississippi

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.

Mississippi vet techs hold a state certificate as a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) or Certified Veterinary Technologist, issued by the Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine. Since July 1, 2026, the law reserves the vet tech titles for people the Board has credentialed and treats uncertified practice of veterinary technology as a violation. A separate, older exemption still lets any employee of a licensed veterinarian do delegated duties other than diagnosis, prognosis, prescribing or surgery under the vet's direction and supervision. To get certified, you graduate from an AVMA CVTEA-accredited program, pass the VTNE, apply to the Board and pass Mississippi's state board exam.

Mississippi vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Mississippi
Title	Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) or Certified Veterinary Technologist. The law defines a technologist as a graduate of a four-year accredited veterinary technology program.
Issued by	Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine, a state board
Type	State certification
Required to work as a tech	Yes, with conditions Since July 1, 2026, certification is required to use vet tech titles and to practice veterinary technology. An exemption still lets any employee of a licensed vet do delegated duties short of diagnosis, prognosis, prescribing or surgery.
Education	Graduate of a veterinary technology or technician program accredited by the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA). No experience-only route found.
Exams	VTNE, plus Mississippi's state board exam on the Practice Act and AVMA Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics, taken online through AAVSB's SPA program.
Renewal and CE	Every year. 10 CE hours per renewal. The Board's procedure says certificates expire August 31; its current renewal form gives a September 1 deadline but still shows last year's dates.
Moving from another state	No technician reciprocity route in the Practice Act. Apply normally, send your VTNE score and good-standing letters from every state where you held a credential, and pass the Mississippi state exam.

How to get your CVT in Mississippi

Graduate from a veterinary technology or technician program accredited by the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA).
Pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE), which is owned and run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). Have AAVSB send your score to the Mississippi Board.
Apply to the Board on paper or through its online licensure portal. Send a copy of your diploma or an official transcript, a passport-quality photo taken within the past 6 months, three letters of recommendation, and letters of good standing from every jurisdiction where you have ever held a credential. The paper application form is signed in front of a notary and asks you to disclose any past discipline or convictions.
Pay the fees. As listed by the board as of October 2026, the application fee is $100, and the state board exam costs an extra $50 paid directly to AAVSB.
Once your application is complete, the Board sends you a link to take the state board exam through AAVSB's SPA program. The exam covers the Mississippi Veterinary Practice Act and AVMA ethics. If you do not pass, you must wait 60 days to retake it and pay the $50 testing fee again for each attempt.
After you complete the application and pass the state exam, the Board issues your certificate. The Board says a first certificate expires August 31 of the year after it is issued.

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

Mississippi does not publish a task-by-task list. The Practice Act defines the practice of veterinary technology as patient care or other services that need a technical understanding of veterinary medicine, done on a veterinarian's written or oral instructions, and it excludes diagnosing, prognosing, surgery and prescribing. The law and Board rules do not assign common tasks such as anesthesia induction, radiographs, catheter placement or dental cleaning to techs or to assistants.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Patient care that needs a technical understanding of veterinary medicine	Yes, with conditions: on a veterinarian's written or oral instructions. The Act does not set a supervision level for specific tasks.	Not addressed: the 2026 law bars uncertified people from practicing veterinary technology, but the employee exemption below was not changed, and the Board has not explained how the two fit together.
Delegated duties other than diagnosis, prognosis, prescribing or surgery	Yes, with conditions: under the direction and supervision of the veterinarian, who is responsible for the work (Section 73-39-61(n)).	Yes, with conditions: the same exemption covers any other employee of a licensed veterinarian, under the vet's direction and supervision.
Diagnosis or prognosis	No Excluded from the practice of veterinary technology and from the employee exemption.	No Excluded from the employee exemption.
Prescribing drugs, medicine or appliances	No Excluded from the practice of veterinary technology and from the employee exemption.	No Excluded from the employee exemption.
Surgery	No Excluded from the practice of veterinary technology and from the employee exemption.	No Excluded from the employee exemption.

The Practice Act defines two supervision levels. Direct supervision means a licensed veterinarian is readily available on the premises where the patient is being treated. Indirect supervision means a veterinarian has given written or oral treatment instructions and is readily available by phone or another form of communication. The Act does not say which tasks need which level.

Veterinary assistants in Mississippi

No state permit or registration for veterinary assistants was found in the Practice Act or the Board's rules. Section 73-39-61(n) says the Practice Act does not prohibit a certified tech "or other employee" of a licensed veterinarian from doing duties other than diagnosis, prognosis, prescribing or surgery under the vet's direction and supervision. HB 514 did not change that section. The same 2026 law says a person who is not licensed or certified may not perform the practice of veterinary technology, so the line between assistant work and regulated tech work is not fully explained in current Board materials. Assistants may not call themselves a veterinary technician, veterinary technologist, vet tech or CVT.

Renewal and continuing education

Certificates renew every year. The Board's application procedure says a first certificate expires August 31 of the year after it is issued. The Board posted its technician renewal form, labeled 2026-27, in May 2026, but the form still says credentials expire September 1, 2025 and asks for CE earned from August 1, 2024 to August 1, 2025. Check the current deadline with the Board or its online portal.

10 CE hours per renewal, one clock hour per credit, under Board rule 30 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 1701, R. 2.11. Send copies of your registration and proof of attendance with the renewal.
The renewal form says all hours may be RACE-approved online CE, as long as 5 of them are live, meaning an interactive webinar or a live-streamed course.
The renewal fee is $50, as listed by the board as of October 2026.
The form exempts that cycle's new graduates from CE (it names "2025 graduates"). The rules do not state a general new-graduate exemption, so ask the Board how it applies to you.
You can renew online through the Board's licensee portal or by mail. The law lets the Board waive the renewal fee for a certified tech on active military duty.

Recent changes

House Bill 514, approved March 17, 2026, effective July 1, 2026: the law now says no one may use the title "veterinary technologist," "veterinary technician," "vet tech" or "CVT" unless credentialed by the Board, and using the title Certified Veterinary Technician or Certified Veterinary Technologist without a valid credential is a misdemeanor. The definition of veterinary technology already existed; HB 514 added veterinary technology to the law's ban on unlicensed or uncertified practice and lets the Board seek a court order against uncertified practice.
State exam: HB 514 says anyone not already licensed or certified under Mississippi law must take the state board exam, and it lets the Board use AAVSB results.
Board seats: HB 514 added one Certified Veterinary Technician and one public member to the Board.
Discipline: HB 514 gave the Board express power to revoke, suspend or limit a technician's certification and to set fine amounts.

FAQ

Can I work in a Mississippi clinic without being a CVT?

The law allows any employee of a licensed veterinarian to do delegated duties other than diagnosis, prognosis, prescribing or surgery under the vet's direction and supervision. Since July 1, 2026, the law also bars uncertified people from practicing veterinary technology, and the Board has not said where that line falls. You may not use a vet tech title without certification.

Does Mississippi require a state exam?

Yes. After your application is complete, the Board sends a link to its state board exam on the Practice Act and AVMA ethics, taken through AAVSB's SPA program. As listed by the board as of October 2026, it costs $50 per attempt, paid to AAVSB, and you must wait 60 days to retake it.

I am already credentialed in another state. Can I transfer to Mississippi?

The Practice Act has no technician reciprocity or endorsement route, so you apply like any applicant: VTNE score, good-standing letters from every state where you held a credential, and the Mississippi state exam. Mississippi also has a general law for people who move to the state with a credential held in good standing for at least a year (Section 73-50-2), but the Board's technician materials do not say how it applies to CVTs, so ask the Board.

Does Mississippi list which tasks a vet tech may do?

No specific task list was found in the Practice Act or the Board's rules. The law defines veterinary technology broadly and excludes diagnosis, prognosis, prescribing and surgery.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Mississippi?

The law does not mention a "veterinary nurse" title. It protects "veterinary technologist," "veterinary technician," "vet tech" and "CVT," and it treats using words that suggest you can practice veterinary technology as a violation if you are not certified.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine directly.

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