In a clinic, only the veterinarian may diagnose, prescribe and operate. The technicians and assistants work under that veterinarian, and the letters after each name tell you what training stands behind it. Petipedia publishes this page for National Veterinary Technician Week, 18 to 24 October 2026.
Both mean a veterinarian. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says the average vet completes four and a half years of college and then four years of veterinary school, and graduates as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or a Veterinary Medical Doctor (VMD). VMD is short for the Latin Veterinariae Medicinae Doctoris, the degree of the University of Pennsylvania. Tufts Catnip, the cat newsletter from Tufts University's veterinary school, sums up the difference as "same training, same tests".
The degree alone is not a license. The AVMA says a vet must be licensed in every state where they practice, must pass a national exam to get that license, and must keep studying to hold on to it.
They mean a specialist. The AVMA defines a board-certified specialist as a vet who has completed additional training in one area and passed an exam in it. It recognizes 22 specialty organizations and says more than 16,500 vets hold such a diploma. The letters begin with D for Diplomate and end with the name of the board.
| Letters | Board | What the specialist covers | Training after veterinary school |
|---|---|---|---|
| DABVP | American Board of Veterinary Practitioners | One kind of animal, such as cats, birds, reptiles or exotic companion mammals. | At least four years in practice or a residency of at least two years, case reports and an exam, renewed every ten years. |
| DACVIM | American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine | Heart, nerves and brain, cancer, nutrition and internal medicine. | A one-year internship or its equivalent, a residency of two to three years and exams. |
| DACVS | American College of Veterinary Surgeons | Surgery on small or large animals. | At least a one-year internship, a three-year residency, published research and exams. |
| DACVECC | American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care | Emergency rooms and intensive care. | A three-year residency, a published study and a two-day exam. |
The AVMA's list also covers anesthesia, behavior, dentistry, skin, eyes and imaging. You do not need a specialist for everyday care, and your own vet may operate as well. The American College of Veterinary Surgeons says: "All primary care veterinarians may perform surgery as part of their veterinary practice."
The AVMA says a referral is for a problem that needs equipment or expertise your own vet does not have, and the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine says the decision is best made with that vet. Each board has a public page for finding its specialists:
They are one job under four names. Purdue University's veterinary college says Certified, Licensed and Registered Veterinary Technician and Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician all refer to the same profession, and that the title depends on the state. To earn it a person completes a program accredited by the AVMA, most often a two-year degree, passes the Veterinary Technician National Examination and meets the state's own requirements.
The AVMA's list of a technician's work includes taking the medical history, collecting samples, nursing care, giving and monitoring anesthesia, cleaning teeth and taking x-rays. It also draws the line in a few words: technicians "cannot diagnose, prescribe, perform surgery".
The word technician is less protected than the job. In March 2022 the AVMA's news service, citing a report by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA), wrote that only 11 states both defined the title veterinary technician and limited it to people who hold the credential. NAVTA names seven states that have added protection since. The letters on a badge therefore tell you more than the word technician does, and it is fine to ask.
NAVTA also lists 16 specialty academies, among them emergency and critical care, anesthesia, dentistry, behavior and nutrition, and a technician certified by one is a Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS). NAVTA holds National Veterinary Technician Week on 18 to 24 October 2026 to honor credentialed technicians.
An assistant supports the vet and the technician. The AVMA's list of the work includes holding and handling animals, helping with tests, feeding and exercising animals, cleaning boarding kennels and exam rooms, and desk work. Assistants may come from a training program or be trained on the job.
NAVTA offers a voluntary title, Approved Veterinary Assistant (AVA), to people who finish an approved program and pass its exam.
Each state's veterinary practice act decides, so the details change at the state line. The AVMA publishes a model act that states can borrow from, with three levels of supervision. Immediate means the vet is within sight and hearing. Direct means the vet is on the premises and readily available. Indirect means the vet is elsewhere but has given instructions and can be reached by phone.
Pennsylvania's regulation shows how one state fills this in. Neither a certified technician nor an assistant may perform surgery, diagnose, give a prognosis, prescribe, or attest to an animal's health. A certified technician may give anesthesia and clean teeth only under direct supervision, and may take diagnostic images such as x-rays, place an intravenous line and give injections under indirect supervision. An assistant may do such tasks only under direct or immediate supervision.
This is also why the person who answers the clinic's phone cannot tell you what is wrong with your pet. If you are unhappy with an outcome, the AVMA says to talk to the vet first, and that a complaint you cannot settle may go to the state licensing board. For a pet that is ill right now, read the emergency signs.
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Sources read on 2 October 2026; every number is as the source gives it. State rules differ, so check your own state.