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What Does it Take to Be a Veterinary Technologist or Technician?
Veterinary Tech Job Description Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.
A Day in the Life of a Veterinary Tech
- Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
- Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.
- Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
- Fill prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers.
- Maintain instruments, equipment, or machinery to ensure proper working condition.
- Perform dental work, such as cleaning, polishing, or extracting teeth.
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What a Veterinary Tech Should Know
When polled, Veterinary Technologists and Technicians say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Medical Technologist
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist
- Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT)
- Veterinary Laboratory Technician (Veterinary Lab Tech)
- Animal Health Technician
Is There Going to be Demand for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians?
There were about 102,000 jobs for Veterinary Technologist or Technician in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 20% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 20,400 new jobs for Veterinary Technologist or Technician by 2026. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 10,700 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Veterinary Tech are Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Ohio, Maine, or District of Columbia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Veterinary Technologists and Technicians Make A Lot Of Money?
The salary for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians ranges between about $23,490 and $50,010 a year.
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians who work in Nevada, New York, or Massachusetts, make the highest salaries.
How much do Veterinary Technologists and Technicians make in different U.S. states?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $31,480 |
| Alaska | $39,550 |
| Arizona | $33,910 |
| Arkansas | $29,990 |
| California | $41,920 |
| Colorado | $36,390 |
| Connecticut | $43,340 |
| Delaware | $34,670 |
| District of Columbia | $37,140 |
| Florida | $33,280 |
| Georgia | $31,690 |
| Hawaii | $35,950 |
| Idaho | $31,660 |
| Illinois | $36,750 |
| Indiana | $32,030 |
| Iowa | $35,500 |
| Kansas | $33,920 |
| Kentucky | $32,450 |
| Louisiana | $26,410 |
| Maine | $36,760 |
| Maryland | $36,190 |
| Massachusetts | $40,990 |
| Michigan | $37,420 |
| Minnesota | $38,740 |
| Mississippi | $36,060 |
| Missouri | $31,910 |
| Montana | $31,580 |
| Nebraska | $33,190 |
| Nevada | $46,370 |
| New Hampshire | $34,900 |
| New Jersey | $37,630 |
| New Mexico | $34,150 |
| New York | $43,190 |
| North Carolina | $32,760 |
| North Dakota | $35,990 |
| Ohio | $33,170 |
| Oklahoma | $29,600 |
| Oregon | $36,670 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,860 |
| Rhode Island | $35,670 |
| South Carolina | $31,630 |
| South Dakota | $33,720 |
| Tennessee | $31,150 |
| Texas | $31,010 |
| Utah | $30,560 |
| Vermont | $34,680 |
| Virginia | $39,060 |
| Washington | $38,220 |
| West Virginia | $30,360 |
| Wisconsin | $33,870 |
| Wyoming | $31,620 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Veterinary Technologists and Technicians:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Word processing software
- FileMaker Pro
- McAllister Software Systems AVImark
How to Become a Veterinary Tech
What kind of Veterinary Technologist or Technician requirements are there?
What work experience do I need to become a Veterinary Tech?
Where do Veterinary Technologists and Technicians Work?
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Veterinary Technologist or Technician might also be interested in the following careers:
Those who work as a Veterinary Technologist or Technician sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Ryan Conroy via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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