Fantastic! Thank you for your interest. This may seem evident, but if you aren't employed in a zoo, the most
            important step is to get yourself a zoo tech job. If you are already employed at a zoo, see our "Helpful Hints"
            section below to get started on the right foot. If you're a student, you have many steps to complete before
            qualifying for the specialty. AZVT's website, has more info on becoming a zoo vet tech.

"Can I apply for the exam if my required 10,000 hours work experience will be met at the exam date but not at the application deadline?"
            No. All requirements must be completed at the time you submit your application packet.

"Before I got my zoo job, the practice I worked in saw exotic species. Can I use those hours toward the work experience requirement?"
            No. Although you gained valuable knowledge (always beneficial), hours worked in private practice, academia,
            and/or referral zoological services do not qualify towards the 10,000 hour requirement. 

"I work in an aquarium. Can I apply for the exam?"
            Only one (1) year of work at an aquarium or wildlife center can be included in the 10,000 hour requirement.
            The remainder of the hours must be obtained from working at a zoological park. For instance, if you worked at
            SeaWorld for four (4) years and then a zoological park for five (5) years, you are only able to include one (1)
            years’ worth of time from SeaWorld towards your 10,000 hours. The remainder will come from the time worked
            at the zoological park.
            For technicians working exclusively in aquariums, AVZMT is in the very early stages of exploring the possibility
            of adding an aquatics sub-specialty under AVZMT’s umbrella. There are no plans to explore a wildlife
            subspecialty at this time. 

"I have questions about Part 1 of the application, who can I contact?"
            The AVZMT Application Packet is quite extensive; if your answer cannot be found there...Contact Us.

"What if I live outside the US or Canada, can I still apply for the exam?"
           International applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Contact Credentials Approval Committee for
           more information prior to applying.

"The Case Logs and Reports are intimidating, do you have examples?"
           See the following links:  Case Log  /  Case Report

• Start early! This application is a representation of years of work experience. Starting to compile the information early, even before the required minimum work experience is met, will be helpful to expedite completion of the application.
• Don't apply until you're ready! The minimum required work experience is 5 years (full time); however, applicants should strongly consider logging a few additional years before applying. This area of specialization is vast, and the more work experience an applicant has, the stronger their application and base knowledge in the field of zoological medicine will be. This will increase the likelihood of application acceptance, and their subsequent successful completion of the specialty examination.
  
• Pay close attention to deadlines and don't procrastinate. Completing the application is very time consuming and will take several months. It is recommended that the applicant begin completing their final application forms 6-8 months prior to the application deadline.
• Be thorough! Read through the application requirements carefully and follow all written instructions. Be sure to include all required supplemental documentation. Omission of any required documentation will result in application rejection.
• Include a strong representation of your advanced skills throughout all of the required documentation for your application packet. All the parts of the application should tie together and complement one another. It should be a detailed compilation of your advanced skills, work experience, and technical knowledge. Your application should not just demonstrate your variety of technical skills, but it should also demonstrate the use of these skills on a wide variety of species.
• Have a support system in place. An additional set of eyes to review your application packet for spelling/grammatical errors, missing documentation, form completion, etc. is an invaluable resource. The application is intricate, attention to detail is of the utmost importance (not to mention, a reflection of an advanced vet tech).
  
• Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, applicants should not look at the application packet as simply "a bunch of forms to fill out". The application is a representation of you and your years of hard work in the field of zoological medicine. It is the tool to demonstrate to the Credential Committee, you are an advanced veterinary technician, deserving of a seat at the zoo specialty examination. Think about it, is an application packet containing spelling errors, incomplete forms, and missing documentation a favorable representation of an advanced veterinary technician?...