How to become a vet tech in Nebraska

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.

Nebraska vet techs hold the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) credential, a state license issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Licensure Unit with the Board of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. State law says only an LVT, or an unlicensed assistant working within the task limits set in state rules, may perform delegated animal health care tasks, and only an LVT may present themselves as one. To get licensed, you graduate from an AVMA-accredited vet tech program and pass the VTNE. No separate Nebraska exam is listed for technicians.

Nebraska vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Nebraska
Title	Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Issued by	Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit, with the state Board of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
Type	State license
Required to work as a tech	Yes Delegated animal health care tasks require an LVT license. Unlicensed assistants may do only the narrower task list the rules set for them.
Education	Graduate of an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program. The statute also requires the program to be approved by the board.
Exams	VTNE. No Nebraska jurisprudence or other state exam is listed for technicians.
Renewal and CE	Licenses expire April 1 of each even-numbered year. 16 hours of approved continuing competency per renewal period; home study and practice management are each capped at one quarter (4 hours).
Moving from another state	Reciprocity: a license from another US state, territory, DC or a Canadian province, the board's standards, and active practice in at least one of the last three years. Transfer your VTNE score through AAVSB.

How to get your LVT in Nebraska

Graduate from an AVMA-accredited veterinary technician program. The DHHS application form also says you must be at least 19.
Pass the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE), which is owned and run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB). If you did not take the VTNE in Nebraska, ask AAVSB to transfer your score to Nebraska.
Mail the DHHS veterinary technician application with proof of US citizenship or lawful presence, answers to the conviction and discipline questions, and the license fee. The form lists fee waivers, for example for applicants under 26, some low-income applicants and military families.
Have your program or a transcript service send an official transcript showing your graduation date and degree directly to DHHS. If you are licensed in another state, send license certifications if DHHS asks for them.
If you have graduated and are waiting on the VTNE, you can ask about a temporary license. State law lets DHHS grant one for up to one year. Do not work as a technician before you are licensed: the application warns this can bring an administrative penalty and other discipline.

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

Nebraska rule 172 NAC 180-004 lists the tasks LVTs and unlicensed assistants may do and the supervision level for each. For every listed task, the supervising veterinarian must examine the patient. Immediate supervision means the veterinarian is on the premises and within sight and hearing range. Direct supervision means the veterinarian is on the premises and available. Indirect supervision means the veterinarian is not on the premises but is easily reachable and has given written or oral instructions. By statute, unlicensed assistants may perform delegated tasks only within the limits these rules set.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Assist the veterinarian in surgery by handling tissue and instruments	Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision.	Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision.
Extract a tooth that does not need sectioning or bone removal	Yes, with conditions: immediate supervision.	No Not on the assistant list, and the statute limits assistants to the tasks the rules set for them.
Induce anesthesia or perform euthanasia	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision.	No Not on the assistant list.
Take radiographs	Yes, with conditions: indirect supervision, including settings, positioning, processing and safety.	Yes, with conditions: direct supervision, to position the patient or run the x-ray machine after the radiation safety training required by 172 NAC 93.
Give drugs by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection	Yes, with conditions: indirect supervision.	Yes, with conditions: indirect supervision.
Place an IV catheter or start parenteral fluids	Yes, with conditions: indirect supervision.	No for placing catheters or starting fluids. Assistants may give crystalloid fluids through an IV catheter already in place, under direct supervision.
Diagnose, give a prognosis, prescribe, perform surgery, or give a rabies vaccine	No The rules reserve these for the veterinarian.	No The rules reserve these for the veterinarian.

Under direct supervision, LVTs may also collect, prepare and give blood for transfusions and do listed dental cleaning tasks such as removing calculus, polishing teeth and floating equine teeth. In an emergency, both LVTs and unlicensed assistants may give listed life-saving aid, such as controlling bleeding, resuscitation and splinting. Drugs and fluids in an emergency are allowed only after direct contact with a veterinarian who is present or on the way.

Veterinary assistants in Nebraska

Nebraska has no permit or registration for veterinary assistants. The law calls them unlicensed assistants. Under immediate supervision they may assist in surgery. Under direct supervision they may help with radiology, give crystalloid fluids through an IV catheter already in place, collect blood and monitor vital signs. Under indirect supervision they may collect voided urine and fecal samples, run automated blood tests or commercial ELISA tests, take a patient history, do a preliminary physical exam, educate clients, and give treatments and drugs by topical, oral, rectal, intramuscular and subcutaneous routes. The statute limits assistants to the tasks the rules set for them. Only a licensed veterinary technician may advertise or offer services in a way meant to make others believe the person is an LVT.

Renewal and continuing education

All Nebraska veterinary technician licenses expire April 1 of each even-numbered year, no matter when the license was issued. To renew, you need 16 hours of approved continuing competency earned in the renewal period before the renewal date.

An hour means 50 minutes of formal instruction.
Accepted activities include state and national veterinary or vet tech association meetings, formal courses, college-sponsored courses and AAVSB RACE-approved programs.
Home study courses with a scored test count for at most one quarter of the hours, which is 4 hours.
Practice management programs are separately capped at one quarter, also 4 hours.
DHHS says you may place your license on inactive status at any time with a written request.

Recent changes

Out-of-state credential recognition (2024): LB 16, approved March 5, 2024, amended the Occupational Board Reform Act. It requires licensing boards to issue a license to some applicants who have held a credential in another state for at least one year in an occupation with a similar scope of practice, subject to conditions such as a background check. Ask DHHS whether this route fits your case.
Injured police dogs (operative July 1, 2025): LB 910 added an exception to the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act so emergency care providers can give emergency care to law enforcement dogs injured in the line of duty. It does not change LVT or assistant duties.
No 2024 to 2026 change to technician education, exams, task lists, title or continuing education was found. The technician rules in 172 NAC 180 were last amended effective November 1, 2021.

FAQ

Can I work in a Nebraska clinic without an LVT license?

Yes, as an unlicensed assistant, but only within the task list the rules set for assistants and at the supervision level each task requires. Technician-only tasks such as inducing anesthesia or placing IV catheters need an LVT license.

Does Nebraska have a state exam for vet techs?

No technician state exam was found. The statute, the rules and the DHHS application list only the VTNE. Nebraska's jurisprudence exam is listed for veterinarians.

Can a Nebraska LVT extract teeth?

Yes, with conditions. Under immediate supervision, an LVT may extract a tooth when the extraction does not require sectioning the tooth or removing bone.

I am licensed in another state. Can I transfer to Nebraska?

Nebraska offers reciprocity if you hold a license from another US state, territory, DC or a Canadian province, meet the board's standards, and actively practiced in at least one of the last three years. Have AAVSB send your VTNE score. You may also ask about a temporary license while your application is pending.

Can I call myself a veterinary nurse in Nebraska?

Nebraska law does not mention a "veterinary nurse" or "veterinary technologist" title. It says only a licensed veterinary technician may advertise or offer services in a way meant to make others believe the person is an LVT.

Sources

Rules change and boards apply them case by case. If your situation is unusual, ask the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services directly.

We are adding vet tech, assistant and veterinarian jobs state by state. Leave your email and state, and we will write when jobs in your state go up or your state's rules change. One email a week at most.