Veterinary technicians are professionals who provide basic medical care to animals in veterinary clinics, hospitals and a variety of other facilities.
Because of the nature of their work, they are required to undergo formal training and maintain continuous licensing. However, there may be times when people forget to renew their licenses on time.
If you are one of those people, you may be wondering what is going to happen now. First of all, there are penalties you must face if you do not renew a vet tech license when it is due.
Nevertheless, your penalties will be less severe as long as you renew your license as close to its actual due date as you can.
Check for a Grace Period
The renewal date for your vet tech license depends on the state where you are working. While some states require you to renew your license annually, others require biannual renewals. In any case, you can check your license for its renewal date and to determine how many days you are late.
Fortunately, most states offer a grace period after which you can renew your license without any penalties.
Check with your local licensing agency to find out if they offer a grace period and whether or not you are within the time frame. If they do offer a grace period and you have not gone beyond the deadline, you can submit a renewal application as you would normally do.
Renewing After a Grace Period
If your state does not offer a grace period or you have gone beyond the grace period, you may still be able to renew your vet tech license.
However, in these cases, you will typically need to pay a late fee in addition to the current renewal fee. Late fees may vary from one state to another and often increase based on how many days have passed since the original due date.
Depending on the state where you work and how many days have passed since your renewal date, you may also need to complete some continuing education courses to renew your license. If this is the case, your licensing office will specify the number of course hours you will be required to complete when you submit your renewal application.
Renewing an Expired License
If you missed your license’s renewal date by a significant amount of time and find that your license has expired, you must discontinue working and surrender your original license.
Nevertheless, you can obtain a new license so long as you follow the steps as set forth by your licensing agency and the state.
In most cases, this involves completing a specified amount of continuing education and retaking the Veterinary Technician National Exam. After receiving an acceptable score on the VTNE, you will then be required to go through the process of applying for a new veterinary technician license in your state.
As you can see, it is much easier to renew your license on time than it is to renew it after a lapse. Of course, even under the best of circumstances, there are times when you may miss your renewal date. If this happens to you, do not fret! The steps described above can help you renew your license and get back on track.