CVA Certification and Renewal

Certification:

In order to receive certification, applicants must complete the certificate examination with a 70% or higher score needed for passing and submit the CVA Level One Checklist *** Please Note that a Licensed DVM and /or credentialed technician must have signed off on 500 supervised hours of practical work experience and that 100% of the Skills Validation Checklist must also be completed.  Please note that for high school students in a CTE animal sciences or Ag program, an in-class instructor MAY be able to sign off on up to 200 of the required hours of supervised practical work experience. In addition, a high school student may also receive a Pending Practical Experience (PPE) certification and have one (1) year to complete the required supervised work hours but these must be completed within one year of passing the CVA I exam in order to earn a CVA Level I certification

Successful applicants receive a congratulatory letter and certification! For individuals who do not pass the online exam, the exam can be retaken with Patterson for a $55 re-examination fee. 

For individuals that have earned their level I certification, there is also the option to progress to level II and level III certification. Level II certification requires passing of the level II exam, an additional 1,000 supervised hours,  and a more advanced skills checklist that must be completed. Level III certification, which is the highest level of CVA certification that can be earned through the program, moves beyond this with the successful passing of the level III exam, another 1,000 supervised hours, and a completion of the level III skills checklist. Below, please find links for the level II and III applications/checklists:

CVA Level Two Application/Checklist

CVA Level Three Application/Checklist

Renewal:

Certification is valid for two years and will expire on March 1st after each two-year period has passed (after the date of initial certification, at least two years will have passed before renewal is required; for example, a CVA who passed their exam in June of 2024 will not have to renew until March 1 of 2027). Candidates are required to acquire five (5) hours of continuing education (CE) each renewal period. These CE hours may be acquired through any legitimate veterinary educational venue, including but not limited to: state and local VMA meetings, online courses, professional seminars presented by veterinary companies which are RACE approved, etc. Hours accumulated beyond the five required hours cannot be carried over to the next renewal period. The CVA is responsible for contacting VVMA at [email protected] on or before their renewal date and for submitting the application for renewal of certification. The candidate is responsible for keeping track of their own CE hours. The CVA renewal fee is $30.00 and the candidate for renewal must provide payment to VVMA with their renewal form.

Please click here for a full overview of the VVMA CVAA Policies and Guidelines.pdf