Every bit an animal lover, you might recall near becoming a veterinary technician (vet tech).

Only you may have no thought what the job entails.

Vet techs work in many different settings, such every bit:

  • Labs
  • Veterinary offices
  • Colleges

Just all vet techs have one thing in common.

You all love animals, and yous want to assist them in any way possible.


What Does a Vet Tech Practise?

vet tech taking care of a dog

A vet tech's typical workday varies from day to day and workplace to workplace.

As a vet tech, y'all will be:

  • Helping the animals
  • Advising the animals' owners
  • Assisting the veterinarian

Duties

Here are the duties you lot will perform:

  • Give the animals necessary medicines and vaccines
  • Breast-stroke animals
  • Collect a multifariousness of different samples
  • Observe the weather condition and behaviors of animals
  • Perform lab examinations
  • Provide nursing care and first assist
  • Assist the veterinarians during procedures and exams
  • Do diagnostic tests similar fecal exams, blood tests, urinalysis, 10-rays, etc.
  • IV catheter and phlebotomy placement
  • Set the animals for surgery, helping during and subsequently the surgery
  • Educate owners virtually the welfare and proper care of their pets
  • Make sure that animals in the lab are treated humanely
  • Provide injured or ill animals with emergency intendance when necessary

How Much Does A Vet Tech Earn

One question many people ask is how much this task pays.

The pay that y'all receive changes depending on a variety of factors, such equally:

  • Specialization
  • Piece of work environment
  • Amount of schooling
  • Feel

The national almanac boilerplate salary ranges from $21,890 to $47,410.

Average National Salary: $32,490

*Bacon information last updated 2022

Average Annual Bacon past Land

Land Avg. Annual Salary
Alabama $34,239
Alaska $40,958
Arizona $36,062
Arkansas $33,825
California $41,161
Colorado $36,805
Connecticut $39,361
Delaware $38,876
Florida $35,474
Georgia $35,844
Hawaii $37,944
Idaho $34,530
Illinois $38,767
Indiana $35,386
Iowa $34,974
Kansas $35,773
Kentucky $34,319
Louisiana $36,129
Maine $36,357
Maryland $37,413
Massachusetts $41,398
Michigan $37,289
Minnesota $38,759
Mississippi $32,387
Missouri $35,773
Montana $34,854
Nebraska $34,408
Nevada $37,849
New Hampshire $38,432
New Jersey $41,562
New Mexico $33,992
New York $44,036
North Carolina $35,651
North Dakota $33,999
Ohio $36,212
Oklahoma $34,512
Oregon $38,039
Pennsylvania $39,160
Rhode Island $38,541
South Carolina $34,350
Due south Dakota $31,895
Tennessee $33,726
Texas $36,150
Utah $34,518
Vermont $35,921
Virginia $36,485
Washington $39,937
W Virginia $32,143
Wisconsin $36,081
Wyoming $33,016

Stride-by-Footstep Guide to Becoming a Vet Tech

Step i Graduate From High School or Get Your GED

high school student graduating

Before anything else, you volition need to get your high school diploma or GED equivalent.

It allows yous to take scientific discipline and health courses necessary to study a vet tech program.

For instance, biology and chemical science.

Pro Tip: Learning a foreign language is handy when interacting with foreign clients.

Step two Earn Your Associate's Degree

One advantage of having an acquaintance'due south degree is that information technology lands you a job as soon as you graduate.

So when choosing a schoolhouse, make sure it's an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited one first.

You tin become to community colleges as they often have first-class vet tech training programs.

And typically, training lasts upward to two years.

This is enough to go you into the entry-level position.

Step 3 Consider Getting a Specialization

Having a vet tech specialization means better job prospects.

Hither are some specializations you can consider taking:

  • Dentistry
  • Equine nursing
  • Clinical practice
  • Anesthesia and analgesia
  • Emergency and critical care

Step 4 Hone Your Soft Skills

Aside from the difficult skills, y'all must also develop your soft skills.

Every bit a vet tech, you lot must take:

  • Good communication skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Empathy

These ensure you can collaborate well with people, particularly with your patient'southward owners.

Footstep v Get Your Certifications and Licenses

Every vet tech needs to either exist:

  • Certified
  • Licensed
  • Registered

The requirements vary per state, but about vet techs have to pass an test, which has the following sections:

  • Written
  • Oral
  • Demonstrative

Passing this volition prove to the state that you have the bent for beast care.

Step vi Complete the On-The-Chore Training

Most programs require you to intern with a licensed vet to become beginning-hand experience.

This ordinarily ways a shorter training catamenia for you lot.

While in some cases, you will get the training after you lot've found employment.

Nonetheless, during that time, you must immerse yourself and consummate the grooming satisfactorily.

Stride seven Think About Career Advocacy Opportunities

The more feel you gain, the more opportunities you will come across.

For instance, getting a promotion to oversee veterinary assistants and junior technicians.

Career opportunities also arise from:

  • Continuing educational activity
  • Participating in conventions and events

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Education Needed to Become a Vet Tech

To get started on your vet tech journey, you offset have to enroll in an AVMA-accredited school.

Doing so ways that you volition go the quality education and extensive training necessary to be a vet tech.

Hither are some of those accredited schools in the U.Southward. y'all can check out:

  • Auburn University
  • University of Arizona
  • Academy of California
  • Colorado State University
  • University of Florida
  • University of Georgia
  • Purdue Academy
  • Cornell University
  • Texas Tech University
  • Washington Land University

For a full list of accredited schools, visit AVMA's website.

Once y'all've chosen a school, so y'all can keep to your studies and hold an associate's caste.

Pro Tip: Property an associate's degree creates a continuing education opportunity in veterinary studies.

The grade program lasts for about two years.

And after successful completion, you lot will exist officially recognized every bit a vet tech.

You're now able to apply for a job and practice entry-level duties.

Here's a video from a seasoned vet tech to give you some insights on areas yous should know about.

Video About The Career


Certification & Licensing

Depending on the land where you currently live, yous may be a:

  • Licensed Veterinarian Technician, which is awarded by the land's veterinarian medical board
  • Certified Veterinarian Technician, which you lot obtain through a professional or private program
  • Registered Veterinary Technician, which is given past government agencies

If yous live anywhere just Alaska, California, or Wisconsin, you'll need to:

  • Consummate a state-approved program
  • Pass the exam

State tests are usually waived if you've passed the Veterinarian Technician National Exam.

Information technology's a 200-question examination that will measure out your competency at the entry level.

This exam covers topics such as:

  • Animal care and nursing
  • Dentistry procedures
  • Lab procedures

And if you're planning to engage in research, you'll besides demand certification from the American Association for Laboratory Animal Scientific discipline.

They have three certification levels.

  • Assistant Laboratory Technician
  • Laboratory Animal Technician
  • Laboratory Animal Technologist

Boilerplate Training Programme Duration: two-iii Years


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Job Outlook and Growth for Vet Techs

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for vet techs is expected to abound upwardly to 15% from 2020 to 2030.

This rate is much higher compared to other occupations on average.

Moreover, this number means that there's going to exist loftier demand for vet techs for years to come up.

This stems from how people consider beast care equally role of their expenses.

This positive growth potential has made vet tech an ideal career choice.

Employment Growth Projection: 15%

That's a higher than boilerplate projected growth of 17,100: Interest Over Time


Should You Become a Vet Tech?

Overall Satisfaction

Overall Satisfaction: High

If y'all love animals, then this is a career you lot should very much consider.

To start, you must think of the following, especially when choosing a suitable specialization:

  • Different types of vet tech jobs
  • Types of animals you will piece of work with

Average Salary

Average Salary: Medium

On average, a vet tech will make $31,800 a twelvemonth.

Your salary volition range from $21,890 to $47,410.

This is roughly $17.forty per hour, though this amount tin vary depending on where you work.

The following factors volition also affect your salary:

  • Where you live
  • The amount of feel you have
  • Your certifications and licenses
  • Vet tech specializations, if any

Job Growth Outlook

Chore Growth Outlook: High

With the projected growth rate of 15% by 2030, vet techs won't take to worry most non getting jobs.

They're at present in demand, leading animal care facilities to recruit them actively.

Think of information technology this mode:

The more vet techs there are, the more animals get taken care of.

Education Duration

Educational activity Duration: 2-iii Years

Schooling for vet tech programs is relatively shorter than others.

It lasts for ii to three years wherein y'all have to secure an associate's degree by so.

And if you would similar to earn a specialization or get farther in your educational activity, it will take longer.

Personal Skills Needed

Personal Skills Needed

The number one criteria for being a vet tech is love and care for the animals' health and welfare.

Other important personal skills are:

  • Detail-oriented, where you need to cheque if everything is done correctly
  • Tin work under pressure, where yous tin can go along a absurd head in this demanding and stressful job
  • Results-driven, where you strive to go the results you need
  • Adept communication skills, where you can go along with the people you piece of work with, especially pet owners
  • Stiff resilience, where you can work and call back fast in the face of emergencies
  • Team-oriented, where you tin can work cohesively with your colleagues to accomplish a goal

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How many years will information technology take to become a vet tech?

Yous only demand an associate'south degree, which takes about two years to complete.

Q. How much do vet techs make?

On boilerplate, a vet tech will make $31,800 annually.

Eighty percentage of them can earn anywhere from $21,890 to $47,410.

This is roughly $17.40 per hr.

However, this can withal vary depending on:

  • Where they live and work
  • Years of experience

Q. What can you do with a vet tech degree?

Having a degree opens upward a lot of opportunities for yous, most peculiarly when yous laissez passer the licensure exam.

You are able to work in a lot of environments.

For instance:

  • Veterinary office, a common vet tech workplace
  • Emergency fauna hospital, where you lot can help animals in demand of critical medical attending
  • Research laboratory, where you can employ animals for research
  • Animal shelter, where y'all mostly help ill or injured animals
  • Zoo, where yous aid veterinarians with emergency and routine care

Many technicians also utilize their degree as a starting bespeak to another career, like:

  • Veterinarian
  • Veterinary technologist
  • Veterinary specialist
  • College professor

Q. What does a vet tech do every twenty-four hour period?

A vet tech usually performs the following duties:

  • Watch patients for behavior changes
  • Ready patients for surgery or exams
  • Give patients first aid or nursing care
  • Collect lab samples and exam them
  • Accept x-rays and develop them
  • Give treatments, shots, and medicine
  • Collect and maintain patient records


USA How to Go a Vet Tech by Land


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