Application Resources

​The Academy of Physical Rehabilitation Veterinary Technicians (APRVT) appreciates your interest in becoming a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Physical Rehabilitation, VTS (Physical Rehabilitation). The APRVT’s goal is to assure the veterinary profession and the public that an APRVT certified technician possesses the knowledge, skills and experience needed to practice physical rehabilitation applications at an advanced level of competency. Although the academy requirements are rigorous, they are not designed to be obstacles to prevent candidates from becoming certified. The requirements of eligibility for application and examination are defined in the APRVT constitution and bylaws.

 ***** 2022 Application Packet NOW AVAILABLE  *******

​​Applicants are held to the guidelines of the applied for Exam Cycle year. Please ensure you are using the correct version.
Note: Use the Word document to retrieve forms and signature pages. A completed application must be submitted as ONE .PDF file and four (4) Case Reports in .doc format through Drop Box
Summary of Mentorship for VTS (Physical Rehabilitation) Candidates
 
Each VTS candidate should be supervised by a veterinarian who is certified in veterinary physical rehabilitation for a minimum of five (5) years or is a Diplomate of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (DACVSMR). This “mentor” should be in the same locality as the candidate and should be able to communicate at a minimum by video conferencing if needed. Non-VTS CVT’s and Physical Therapists with rehabilitation credentialing will not be accepted for mentorship. 

Applicants are to supply mentors with the packet for review. 

Submission of License, Diploma and Supporting Documents

ALL supplementary documents must include the applicant's name and date of acquisition. A blank record will be rejected along with any correlating information claimed. Information provided in the phase 1 pre-application packet must be included in the completed application packet with clear notations of updated information using the highlighting tool. Examples of supplemental documents includes: 
  • Continuing Education Certificate
  • Articles or blogs written (if name is not provided, an affidavit must be included from the mentor for verification)
  • Receipts for license, educational courses, memberships
  • Membership cards

Case Reports

Four (4) detailed case reports are required. Case reports must demonstrate expertise and understanding of principles in the management of a variety of veterinary patients requiring veterinary physical rehabilitation. Case reports must be the original work of the applicant and strictly adhere to the case report submission and guidelines in the Application Packet. Case reports shall correlate with a case log. If the correlating case log is rejected, the report is automatically rejected. This is a professional report and is of the caliber for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. A case report example will be sent to candidates after acceptance of pre-application submission materials. All references shall be in Harvard Style formatting.

Reading List

Candidates are encouraged to adhere to the reading list when preparing for the examination and when writing case reports, providing a minimum number of references for case reports and questions about the advanced skills list. Formatting guidelines for references may be submitted to the credentialing chair. 
Case reports must utilize the following validated scoring systems and will be verified in the case logs. Applicants are encouraged to use the AAHA-AAFP Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats (2015) when discussing pain and pain evaluation or the WSAVA Guidelines for Treatment and Recognition of Pain. Before using a different evaluation scale, please check with the APRVT Credentialing Chair so that your work is not rejected.
Pain Management
Orthopedics
​Neurology

Member Articles and Publications - Newsletters

Part of the VTS (Physical Rehabilitation) application process and ongoing membership is collaboration with our veterinarian colleagues. Individuals are encourages to contribute to the AARV (American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians) Technician Member Spotlight at least once during the pre-application process and is accepted in accumulation of points system points. Please contact the AARV technician associate member liaison.
2017 Member Submissions
December 2017 AARV Tech Tip - Feline Friendly Therapy Tips - Jenn Panko
November 2017 AARV Tech Tip - Disaster Response - Using therapeutic modalities for burn patients (Assisi tPEMF loop and Respond Veterinary Systems laser therapy) - Kristen Hagler
October 2017 AARV Tech Tip - Top Ten Ways to maximize your career!
September 2017 AARV Tech Tip - Using Fear Free Behavior Modification in the Physical Rehabilitation Setting - Sandra Petit-Dowd
August 2017 AARV Tech Tip  Case Study: Long-term care for Fibrocartilaginous Embolism in a Labrador Retriever - Sandy Gregory
July 2017 AARV Tech Tip Case Study: The addition of physical rehabilitation modalities and therapeutic exercise to improve post-operative ileus in a Labrador Retriever Cross - John Nielson
June 2017 AARV Tech Tip Self-Mutilation of Digits in a Military Working Dog after Tarsometatarsal Arthrodesis - Kelley Meyer