How to become a vet tech in Nevada

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.

Nevada vet techs hold the Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) credential, a state license issued by the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. You need the license to practice as a veterinary technician; practicing without one is a gross misdemeanor. Unlicensed veterinary assistants may do only the tasks on the assistant list in the board's rules. To get licensed, you complete an accepted education route, pass the VTNE, apply to the board, and pass the Nevada jurisprudence exam.

Nevada vet tech credential at a glance

Item	Nevada
Title	Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT)
Issued by	Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, a state board
Type	State license
Required to work as a tech	Yes Practicing as a veterinary technician without a Nevada license is a gross misdemeanor. Unlicensed assistants may do only the tasks listed for assistants in the board's rules.
Education	A vet tech degree from an AVMA-accredited or state-agency-accredited college, a bachelor of science degree that meets the board's coursework scoring rule, or a board-approved accelerated program. The last two also need 4,000 supervised clinical hours.
Exams	VTNE (or another board-approved exam), plus the Nevada jurisprudence exam. The board's application lists a passing score of 90 percent.
Renewal and CE	Every two years. Renewal is due by May 15 of each odd-numbered year. 20 CE hours per two-year cycle, at most 10 by distance learning or correspondence.
Moving from another state	No formal reciprocity, and no technician endorsement rule was found. Apply the regular way with your VTNE score and a good-standing letter from every state where you were licensed.

How to get your LVT in Nevada

Complete an accepted education route. The standard route is a veterinary technician degree from a college accredited by the AVMA or by the appropriate state agency where the college is located.
If you use the bachelor of science route, your transcripts must score at least 300 points under the board's rule, with at least 100 points from animal science courses. Bachelor's and accelerated-program applicants must also document 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in a US veterinary facility, with at least 2,001 hours earned in the last five years.
Pass the VTNE, which is owned and run by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), or another exam the board approves. Have the score sent to the board.
Apply to the board. The application asks for official transcripts or a notarized diploma, one letter of recommendation from someone in veterinary practice, a photo, and a letter of good standing from every state where you hold or have held a license.
Pass the Nevada jurisprudence exam. The board's application says you get exam instructions by email once the rest of your application is in, and lists 90 percent as the passing score.

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

Nevada assigns tasks by supervision level. Under immediate supervision, the supervisor is in the immediate area, within sight and hearing. Under direct supervision, the supervisor is on the premises and quickly and easily available. Under indirect supervision, the veterinarian is off the premises but has given written or oral instructions. LVT tasks are supervised by a veterinarian. Many assistant tasks may be supervised by a veterinarian or an LVT. The rules also say assistants may perform only the tasks on their list, and the supervising veterinarian must make sure unlicensed staff do not do duties specific to LVTs.

Task	Credentialed tech	Veterinary assistant
Induce anesthesia and intubate	Yes, with conditions: under immediate or direct veterinarian supervision.	No Assistants may help a veterinarian monitor anesthesia under immediate supervision, but may not give anesthetic injections, and induction is not on their list.
Take radiographs (position the animal and run the machine)	Yes, with conditions: under immediate, direct or indirect veterinarian supervision.	Yes, with conditions: under immediate or direct supervision by a veterinarian or LVT.
Place an IV catheter	Yes, with conditions: under immediate, direct or indirect veterinarian supervision.	No Placement is not on the assistant list. Assistants may start fluids and give some injections only through a catheter already in place.
Dental cleaning (prophylaxis)	Yes, with conditions: under immediate or direct veterinarian supervision. The dentistry rule requires general anesthesia with a cuffed endotracheal tube.	No The rules limit veterinary dentistry, including removing calculus and polishing teeth, to veterinarians and listed exceptions that do not include assistants.
Assist in surgery	Yes, with conditions: under immediate veterinarian supervision.	Yes, with conditions: under immediate supervision by a veterinarian or LVT.
Euthanasia	Yes, with conditions: under immediate or direct veterinarian supervision.	No Euthanasia is not on the assistant list.
Surgery, diagnosis or prognosis	No	No

Other LVT tasks listed in the rules include drawing blood and other lab samples, giving injections and implanting microchips (immediate, direct or indirect supervision), and removing very loose teeth with stage 4 periodontal disease or retained baby teeth other than canines (immediate supervision). With a veterinarian-client-patient relationship and a diagnosis in place, an LVT may also do a short list of tasks outside the clinic under off-site supervision.

Veterinary assistants in Nevada

Nevada does not issue a permit or registration for ordinary veterinary assistants. The rules define an assistant as someone with less training than an LVT whose tasks are set out in NAC 638.06025. Under immediate supervision, assistants may assist in surgery or in monitoring anesthesia, apply bandages, remove sutures or staples, and collect blood samples. Under immediate or direct supervision, they may monitor vital signs, run an ECG, take radiographs and give fluids or blood through a catheter already in place. At a veterinarian's direction, they may give injections through a preplaced catheter, but not anesthetics, controlled substances or vaccines for diseases that spread to people.

Two registered statuses sit between assistant and LVT. A Veterinary Technician in Training (VTIT) is a registered student near the end of an accredited or board-approved program, a recent graduate waiting on the VTNE, or a bachelor's graduate with at least 1,000 hours of clinic work who meets the coursework rule. A VTIT may do LVT tasks under immediate supervision of a veterinarian or LVT. A 2026 rule adds a registered veterinary student extern status for vet students with at least 1,000 hours of clinic experience.

Renewal and continuing education

LVT licenses renew every two years. The renewal application, fee and proof of CE are due by May 15 of each odd-numbered year. A license that is not renewed by August 31 of that year is forfeited. The board may reinstate a forfeited license if you apply, pay what is owed plus a monthly late penalty counted from June 30, and meet the reinstatement rules.

20 hours of board-approved CE in the 24 months before the new licensing period, with at most 10 hours by distance learning or correspondence.
If your license was issued on or after July 1 of the preceding even-numbered year, you need 10 hours in the prior 12 months, at most 5 by distance learning. Before the 2026 rule change, this cutoff was October 1.
The board's 2024 application form says new licensees do not submit CE at their first renewal. Ask the board which applies to you.
The board may audit licensees and ask for proof of CE within 30 days.

Recent changes

R116-23 (filed February 27, 2024): revised LVT and assistant task lists. LVTs gained regional and local blocks, intraosseous and nasal catheter placement, external drainage placement and feeding-tube placement. Euthanasia moved from immediate to immediate or direct supervision. Assistants may now remove sutures or staples and do internal anal gland expression.
R026-26 (adopted by the board in 2026): removed the foreign-degree (PAVE) education route for LVT applicants, moved the reduced first-renewal CE cutoff from October 1 to July 1, removed the anesthesia-free tooth cleaning option, and created the registered veterinary student extern status.
The Legislature's compiled NAC page can lag behind adopted regulations. The individual regulation filings show the current wording.

FAQ

Can I work as a veterinary technician in Nevada without an LVT license?

No. Practicing as a veterinary technician without a license is a gross misdemeanor in Nevada. Unlicensed staff may work as veterinary assistants, within the assistant task list.

Does Nevada have its own state exam?

Yes. Besides the VTNE, you must pass a Nevada jurisprudence exam on state law. The board's application lists a passing score of 90 percent.

Can I get licensed with a bachelor's degree instead of a vet tech degree?

Yes, with conditions. Your coursework must score at least 300 points under the board's rule, and you must document 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience in a US veterinary facility.

Does Nevada offer reciprocity for an LVT from another state?

No. The board says Nevada has no formal reciprocity, and its endorsement rule covers veterinarians, not technicians. Out-of-state techs use the regular application with good-standing letters from every state where they were licensed.

Is the veterinary technician title protected in Nevada?

Nevada protects the practice, not just the title. A licensee who lets an unlicensed person use their name as a veterinary technician, or who employs someone unlawfully claiming to be one, can be disciplined. No rule was found that reserves the words "veterinary nurse."

Sources

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

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