VTS-DI: Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Diagnostic Imaging
The Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Diagnostic Imaging (AVTDI) awards the VTS-DI, and NAVTA lists the academy under its provisional recognition tier.
The requirement to plan around first is the experience window: 10,000 hours of work in veterinary medicine with 7,500 of them in diagnostic imaging, all completed within the 7 years immediately before you apply.
That window is a look-back rather than a career total, so the imaging hours you are logging now are the ones that count, and older hours quietly drop out of the calculation.
Credential
VTS-DI
NAVTA recognition
Provisional
Tracks
One
Confirm every requirement with the academy
AVTDI at a glance
The Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Diagnostic Imaging (AVTDI) awards VTS-DI.
NAVTA recognition: provisional. NAVTA’s list places it under “The following Academies have met the NAVTA CVTS requirements for provisional recognition.”
NAVTA’s description: “AVTDI is comprised of veterinary technicians dedicated to performing a higher level of veterinary diagnostic imaging modalities such as: digital radiographs, fluoroscopic special procedures, CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine imaging.”
AVTDI requirements, from the academy’s own pages
Experience
A minimum of 10,000 hours of veterinary medicine work experience is required, with 75% (7,500 hours) dedicated to diagnostic imaging, completed within 7 years before applying.
The academy’s wording
“A minimum of 10,000 hours work experience or its equivalent in the field of veterinary medicine with 75% of that work experience (7,500 hrs.) dedicated in the field of Diagnostic Imaging, clinical or research based. All work experience must be completed within the seven (7) years immediately prior to submitted the application.”
Certification - AVTDICase log
AVTDI requires a minimum of 45 case logs (not to exceed 60), with at least 10 representing skills from Section A and 20 representing skills from Section B.
The academy’s wording
“A minimum of forty-five (45) case logs must be recorded, not to exceed sixty (60). A minimum of ten (10) case logs must represent skills from Section A and a minimum of twenty (20) case logs must represent skills from Section B.”
Certification - AVTDICase reports
Six detailed, original case reports are required, covering one year before the final application submission.
The academy’s wording
“Six (6) detailed case reports original to the applicant are to be maintained for one (1) year immediately preceding the submission of the final application (02/01/2027 – 02/28/2028).”
Certification - AVTDICase reports
Case reports must cover a minimum of two species, each with 2 to 5 anonymized digital images representative of the imaging study.
The academy’s wording
“Recorded cases should have a minimum of two (2) species. Two (2) to five (5) anonymized digital images representative of the imaging study in each case report will be submitted with the final application and written case reports.”
Certification - AVTDISkills list
AVTDI skills must be documented as mastered (not simply performed), completed within the 5 years immediately before submitting the application.
The academy’s wording
“The skills section is where you’ll document those skills that have not been simply performed but have been mastered and are necessary to practice as a veterinary technician at an advanced level in the field of diagnostic imaging. The skills you document must have been completed within the last five (5) years immediately prior to submitting the application.”
Certification - AVTDIContinuing education
A minimum of 40 CE hours in diagnostic imaging is required within the 7 years before applying, with at least 10 hours completed within the year of submission.
The academy’s wording
“A minimum of forty (40) continuing education (CE) hours related to veterinary diagnostic imaging and advanced imaging modalities. The continuing education must be completed within the last seven (7) years immediately prior to submitting the application. At least ten (10) hours of the CE must be completed within the year of submission.”
Certification - AVTDIContinuing education
No more than 10 hours (25%) of CE may come from electronic/printed sources, and no more than 5 hours from non-veterinary diagnostic-imaging CE.
The academy’s wording
“No more than ten (10) hours (25%) may come from electronic and/or printed sources with accompanying certificates of completion. No more than five (5) hours may come from non-veterinary based Diagnostic Imaging Continuing Education.”
Certification - AVTDILetters of recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required, submitted separately and confidentially.
The academy’s wording
“Provide two (2) letters of recommendation, submitted separately and confidentially to the AVTDI.”
Certification - AVTDIApplication
The pre-application fee is $50, the final application fee is $50, and the examination fee is $150, all non-refundable.
The academy’s wording
“$50 non-refundable Pre-Application Fee (paid upon Pre-Application submission) $50 non-refundable Final Application Fee (paid upon Final Application submission) $150 non-refundable Examination Fee”
Certification - AVTDIExam
The AVTDI certifying exam is held on a two-year cycle.
The academy’s wording
“Examination Process Occurs Every Two Years Our Next Application Cycle is 2027 – 2028 Examination Year: 2028”
Certification - AVTDIEach requirement is summarised from AVTDI’s own published pages, as retrieved on the dates listed under Sources. Open “the academy’s wording” for the exact text and its source.
What the VTS-DI covers
NAVTA's list describes AVTDI as comprised of veterinary technicians dedicated to performing a higher level of veterinary diagnostic imaging modalities, naming digital radiographs, fluoroscopic special procedures, CT scan, MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine imaging.
AVTDI's own certification page awards recognition as a Veterinary Technician Specialist in the field of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, which it abbreviates VTS-DI.
So this is a credential for a technician whose week spans several imaging modalities rather than one machine, and the case-log wording points the same direction: the cases you log have to reflect mastery of general radiology knowledge alongside the advanced imaging skills, applied across multiple species.
10,000 hours, 7,500 of them in imaging, inside a 7-year window
AVTDI asks for a minimum of 10,000 hours of work experience or its equivalent in the field of veterinary medicine, with 75% of that experience (7,500 hours) dedicated to diagnostic imaging, clinical or research based.
The binding constraint is the look-back: all of it must be completed within the 7 years immediately prior to submitting the application.
Two consequences follow.
A technician with 10,000 total hours whose imaging share is below 75% does not meet the floor yet, no matter the tenure behind them.
And a technician moving into an imaging-heavy role mid-career starts later than they might expect, because the window only reaches back 7 years.
Track the imaging share of your hours from the start rather than reconstructing it at application time.
The application: case logs, case reports, skills, CE, letters and fees
Every piece comes from your own imaging work.
The case log needs a minimum of 45 cases, no more than 60, with at least 10 representing skills from Section A and at least 20 from Section B.
Six case reports original to the applicant are maintained for the year immediately preceding the final application, must span a minimum of 2 species and carry 2 to 5 anonymized digital images each.
The skills you document must have been mastered rather than simply performed, completed within the 5 years before you apply.
CE is a minimum of 40 hours related to diagnostic imaging within 7 years, at least 10 of them in the year of submission, capped at 10 hours (25%) from electronic or printed sources and 5 from non-veterinary diagnostic imaging CE.
Two letters of recommendation are submitted separately and confidentially.
The fees are staged too: $50 at pre-application, $50 at final application, $150 for the examination, each non-refundable — though AVTDI says it confirms the final exam fee ahead of the exam date, so check it.
A 2-year exam cycle, and a 2028 examination year
The exam is not an annual event: AVTDI states that its examination process occurs every 2 years.
The cycle posted on the certification page read for this page (September 23, 2026) is the 2027–2028 application cycle, with the examination year in 2028.
That cadence is the hidden planning constraint.
Your case-log year, your CE timing and the staged fees all sit inside a cycle you do not control, so work backward from the posted cycle dates rather than forward from your own readiness, and confirm the current window with the academy before you commit.
One gap worth knowing: the certification page read for this page does not describe what holding the VTS-DI after the exam involves, so ask AVTDI directly what it expects of credential holders over time.
Pay by VTS specialty
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours do you need for the VTS-DI?
AVTDI requires a minimum of 10,000 hours of work experience or its equivalent in veterinary medicine, with 75% of that experience (7,500 hours) dedicated to diagnostic imaging, clinical or research based.
All of it must be completed within the 7 years immediately prior to submitting the application, so hours older than that no longer count toward either figure, and the imaging share matters as much as the total.
How many case logs and case reports does AVTDI require?
A minimum of 45 case logs, never more than 60.
At least 10 must represent skills from Section A and at least 20 from Section B.
Alongside the log you maintain 6 detailed case reports original to your own cases, spanning a minimum of 2 species, and each report is submitted with 2 to 5 anonymized digital images representative of the imaging study.
How much continuing education does the VTS-DI application require?
A minimum of 40 CE hours related to veterinary diagnostic imaging and advanced imaging modalities, completed within the 7 years before you apply, with at least 10 of those hours in the year of submission.
No more than 10 hours (25%) may come from electronic or printed sources, and no more than 5 hours may come from non-veterinary diagnostic imaging CE, so plan your CE venues with the caps in mind.
When can a new applicant next sit the AVTDI exam?
AVTDI's examination process occurs every 2 years.
As of September 23, 2026, the academy posted a 2027–2028 application cycle with the examination falling in 2028, and the application window for the cycle then under way was already closed.
So 2028 is the next exam a new applicant can sit: build your case-log year, CE timing and application dates around the posted cycle, and confirm the current window with AVTDI.
What does it cost to apply to AVTDI?
The fees are staged: $50 at pre-application, $50 at final application and $150 for the examination, each non-refundable.
Budget for the full sequence rather than the first one, because each lands at a different stage of a cycle that spans years, and none of it comes back if an application or the exam does not go ahead.
One caveat: AVTDI notes the examination fee is confirmed with applicants ahead of the exam date, so check the current figure with the academy.
More VTS Resources
Sources
- NAVTA — List of Approved Academies (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- AVTDI — Certification (retrieved 2026-09-23)
Academy list: NAVTA, retrieved 2026-09-23. Page last updated 2026-09-23.