Veterinary specialists are individuals who have completed veterinary school (4 years after college) and an intensive 3-4 year program of advanced training in their area of expertise (a residency program).

Most programs require that a research project is done and that a scientific article has been published. In order to be a board certified specialist, the person needs to pass an examination in that specialty. Most of the examinations are 1-2 days long with a combination of oral, essay, and multiple choice questions.

A diplomate in a certain specialty is someone who is board certified (i.e. has both completed a residency program and passed the specialty exam in their subject).

Licensed veterinary technicians are also eligible to become specially licensed as Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS) in various areas of veterinary medicine, including: internal medicine, anesthesia, emergency and critical care, and dentistry.

To become a licensed VTS, technicians must have extensive work experience (3,000 – 6,000 hours) in their chosen field, complete several hours of continuing education, provide comprehensive patient case histories, get two letters of recommendation, and pass a certification exam administered by a specialist academy.

At ACCES, we have veterinary specialists in: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Intensive Care, Diagnostic Imaging, and Emergency Medicine. We also have licensed technician specialists in internal medicine and emergency and critical care.