Salary of Veterinary Technician

Vet specialists and vet assistants play different roles in treating creatures.

Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

Vets - doctors who treat creatures - are aided by 2 kinds of employees: the veterinary specialist, or technologist, and also the veterinary assistant. Vet technicians run tests and help with diagnoses, while vet assistants take care of creatures and perform routine tasks, for example feeding and grooming. Pay may differ using their duties, like a vet tech's education reflects the additional responsibilities. These employees have frequently completed a university program accredited through the American Veterinary Medical Association - with vet specialists normally generating an connect degree, and veterinary technologists generating a bachelor's. Vet assistants, however, normally only need a higher school diploma or equivalent.

Vet Specialists

The U.S. Bls reported 78, 800 veterinary specialists working countrywide by May 2011. These vet technicians gained a typical annual wage of $31, 570, or $15.18 an hour or so. The very best-compensated 10 % could earn $44, 740 or even more, the same as $21.51 an hour or so, as the cheapest-compensated 10 % could earn $20, 880 or fewer, the same as $10.04 an hour or so.

Vet Assistants

The BLS reported 72, 530 veterinary assistants working countrywide. These vet assistants gained a typical annual wage of $24, 430, or $11.75 an hour or so. The very best 10 % could earn $34, 970 or even more yearly, the same as $16.81 an hour or so, as the bottom 10 % could earn $16, 970 or fewer, the same as $8.16 an hour or so.

Related Reading through: Settling Healthcare versus. Salary

Salary Comparison

Vet technicians' average annual wage was 29 percent greater compared to vet assistants, based on the BLS. That difference was fairly proportionate, because the best-compensated vet technicians gained 28 percent greater than the very best-compensated vet assistants, and also the cheapest-compensated technicians gained 23 percent greater than the cheapest-compensated assistants.

Job Outlook

The task outlook for veterinary specialists seemed to be much better than the outlook for veterinary assistants. Vet technicians were likely to experience 52 percent job growth between 2010 and 2020, based on the BLS, while vet assistants were only designed to see 14 % growth. The vet techs' estimate was considerably faster than that for those jobs countrywide, as the vet assistants' estimate was consistent with overall national growth.