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There are a lot of options for people who want to work with animals as their job. There is a long way to go to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine or DVM. This is for people who are really driven. A veterinary technician, a veterinary assistant, and an animal trainer or groomer are some of the other jobs that work as part of a veterinary medical team. For each of these jobs, you have to get a different kind of education and license. Both the jobs and the payments are very different. People who don’t want to be doctors can become technical assistants instead. Both jobs require different levels of education and come with different responsibilities and personal and financial benefits.
Technicians and assistants are not the same.
Basically, a veterinary technician is a nurse who works in animal health care. Vet techs usually help veterinarians with both clinical and lab procedures. They do this in places like animal hospitals, private practices, and research facilities.
Even though the terms “veterinary technician” and “veterinary technologist” are often used interchangeably, they mean different things and require different levels of education. A veterinary technician usually goes to school for two years, while a technologist goes to school for four years. A vet assistant, on the other hand, is usually hired by a DVM to learn on the job. For this job, there are no education requirements, and neither a national nor a state license is needed.
Assistants usually do things that have nothing to do with medicine, such as:
- Feeding, watering, keeping an eye on, and working out the animals.
- Cleaning and sanitizing the work area and cages.
- Cleaning and sterilizing all surgical and laboratory instruments.
- Limited postoperative care
- You can apply the medication to your skin or take it by mouth.
- Some people prepare lab samples to be looked at by either a DVM or a vet tech.
Who Can Work as a Veterinary Technician?
If you want to become a vet technician, you should be able to talk to people well and like to work with others. People who are successful will also be well organized and pay close attention to the details. Obviously, you need to care a lot about animals and love them a lot. Also, this job may not be appealing to people who are uncomfortable with medical situations.
Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor says that veterinary technicians should have a good chance of finding work. The BLS says that qualified veterinary technicians who have completed at least a two-year program will have many job opportunities between 2010 and 2018. This is because the demand for better animal and pet health care is growing quickly.
The BLS says that this job will grow faster than many others, by more than 20 percent. Vet techs who are qualified will be able to make a median salary of about $30,000. Up until May 2008, the middle income was between $23,580 and $34,960. Vet techs may make a lot more money if you look into it.
The growth of education as well
With the need for qualified veterinary technicians expected to grow over the next 10 years, there will be more and more ways to learn about the field, including online.
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