Vet technicians and vet assistants work alongside each other and veterinarians to help take care of animals and assist with examinations and treatments. Having a formal education and professional certification, vet techs are qualified to do more advanced clinical tasks than vet assistants who usually learn on the job. Both careers can be a good fit if you're interested in helping and caring for animals. Having a lower barrier to entry and part-time work options, a vet assistant position can be more appealing if you want to enter the field quickly and have a less strenuous work schedule. Your salary will generally be more as a vet tech than a vet assistant due to the difference in preparation. Show Job DescriptionVet techs and vet assistants both help out veterinarians around the office. They can assist with procedures and help keep animals clean and fed. However, vet techs are qualified to perform more advanced clinical tasks to help diagnose and treat animals and take medical histories under a veterinarian's supervision, while vet assistants sometimes do clerical tasks like keeping the veterinary office and tools clean. Both of these careers require that you're empathetic and able to handle emotional situations you may face with animals and their owners. Working with distressed animals can be dangerous, so vet techs and assistants have to take precautions to avoid getting hurt. Physical strength is important to safely move and restrain animals. Education RequirementsThe education you need to become a vet tech differs significantly from a vet assistant. Vet techs need to complete a veterinary technology program that often leads to an associate or bachelor's degree, while vet assistants can learn on the job and need only a high school education. To become a vet tech, you often also need to take the Veterinary Technician National Examination to get state certified. You usually won't need certification for vet assistant jobs, but the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America offers an optional credential for vet assistants who have completed approved formal training. A vet tech's salary tends to be higher than a vet assistant's salary. In May 2017, vet techs made a median salary of $34,710, while vet assistants earned a lower median salary of $27,570; the top half of these veterinary professionals made more than these figures, while the bottom half earned less. Earnings for the lower 10 percent was less than $22,880 for vet techs and $19,110 for vet assistants. Salaries for the top 10 percent exceeded $49,350 for vet techs and $38,300 for vet assistants. IndustryThe majority of vet techs and vet assistants work in veterinary services, including animal hospitals and clinics. Fewer find positions at colleges, laboratories or social advocacy organizations. Both vet techs and assistants work alongside veterinarians, and it's common for vet assistants to assist vet techs with their duties as well. Since facilities often stay open around the clock, you may have to work irregular hours in either position. It's more common for vet assistants to work part-time hours than vet techs, making this option more flexible for families. Years of ExperienceSince vet techs need more education than vet assistants to get started in the field, vet techs tend to start out with slightly higher salaries and earn more with experience than vet assistants. This projection from April 2018 shows average salaries to give you a picture of how much vet techs make versus vet assistants based on experience:
Job Growth TrendFrom 2016 through 2026, both vet techs and vet assistants are expected to have similar job growth rates of 20 percent and 19 percent, respectively. This fast job growth is due to increases in pet ownership and pet expenses, and it's expected to add 20,400 vet tech and 16,300 vet assistant and laboratory animal caretaker jobs over the decade. You can expect good job prospects entering either of these veterinary careers; turnover helps lead to more vet assistant jobs, while vet techs can find jobs more easily due to the higher education required. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists. Excludes �Animal Caretakers� (39-2021). National estimates for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers National estimates for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:
Percentile wage estimates for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:
Industry profile for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, see the Create Customized Tables function. Industries with the highest levels of employment in Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:
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Geographic profile for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
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Top paying states for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers:
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About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files. The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages. (1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers. (2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data. (3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate. (7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment. (9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average. Other OEWS estimates and related information: May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates May 2021 Occupation Profiles Technical Notes Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022 Where do vet assistants get paid the most?Highest paying cities for Veterinary Assistants near United States. Seattle, WA. $19.39 per hour. 142 salaries reported.. Portland, OR. $19.18 per hour. 43 salaries reported.. $17.75 per hour. 23 salaries reported.. Denver, CO. $17.57 per hour. 46 salaries reported.. Chicago, IL. $16.34 per hour. ... . Show more nearby cities.. How much do vet assistants make in AZ?How much does a Veterinary Assistant make in Arizona? The average Veterinary Assistant salary in Arizona is $31,863 as of September 26, 2022, but the range typically falls between $25,673 and $38,434.
How much do vet assistants make in Arizona per hour?As of Sep 28, 2022, the average annual pay for a Veterinary Assistant in Phoenix is $25,202 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $12.12 an hour.
Is being a vet assistant worth it?Becoming a vet tech is certainly worth it for individuals who want to work with animals and outside of an office environment. To date, the career is experiencing tremendous growth, with about 10,000 new jobs hitting the market each year. The field also provides plenty of job security and room for growth.
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