Veterinary Technologists and Techs

Veterinary Technologists and Techs

Career Overview

Veterinary technologists and technicians do medical tests that help diagnose animals’ injuries and illnesses.

Education

Veterinary technologists and technicians must complete a postsecondary program in veterinary technology. Technologists usually need a 4-year bachelor’s degree, and technicians need a 2-year associate’s degree. Typically, both technologists and technicians must pass a credentialing exam to become registered, licensed, or certified, depending on the requirements of the state in which they work.

Future Outlook

Employment of veterinary technologists and technicians is projected to grow 16 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment is expected to grow as veterinarians continue to use technicians and technologists to do general care and lab work on household pets.

Work Environment

Veterinary technologists and technicians work in private clinics, laboratories, and animal hospitals. Their jobs may be physically or emotionally demanding. Many work evenings, weekends, or holidays.

Recommended High School Courses

  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Volunteer at an animal shelter!
  • Algebra
  • Physics
  • Communication

  • 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.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Extent Flexibility - The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Hold patients to ensure proper positioning or safety.
  • Give medications or immunizations.
  • Monitor patients to detect health problems.
  • Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
  • Control prescription refills or authorizations.
  • Clean patient rooms or patient treatment rooms.
  • Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
  • Conduct diagnostic tests to determine patient health.
  • Assist practitioners to perform medical procedures.
  • Collect biological specimens from patients.
  • Perform clerical work in medical settings.
  • Clean medical equipment.
  • Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
  • Schedule patient procedures or appointments.
  • Record vital statistics or other health information.
  • Administer basic health care or medical treatments.
  • Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
  • Feed patients.
  • Prepare patient treatment areas for use.
  • Stock medical or patient care supplies.
  • Teach medical procedures or medical equipment use to patients.
  • Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
  • Prepare medical reports or documents.
  • Assist patients with daily activities.
  • Inventory medical supplies or equipment.
  • Process medical billing information.
  • Order medical supplies or equipment.
  • Sell products or services.

Schools

usa_school
Alfred State College
Alvernia University
Angelo State University
Asbury University
Ashworth College- Norcros...
Assumption College
Auburn University
Augustana University
Austin Community College...
Bakersfield College- Pano...
Ball State University
Barry University
Baylor University
Belmont University
Bismarck State College
Carrington College- Citru...
Carrington College- Mesa...
Carrington College- Phoen...
Carrington College- Pleas...
Carrington College- Portl...
Carrington College- Sacra...
Carrington College- San J...
Carrington College- San L...
Carrington College- Spoka...
Carrington College- Stock...
Carrington College- Tucso...
Carroll College
Central Texas College
Coastal Alabama Community...
Colby Community College
Davidson College
Eastern Florida State Col...
Eastern Florida State Col...
Eastern Florida State Col...
Eastern New Mexico Univer...
Eastern University
Edinboro University
Elizabethtown College
Ferris State University
Fort Valley State Univers...
Franklin And Marshall Col...
Louisiana State Universit...
Matanuska-susitna College
Michigan State University
Miller-motte College- Ral...
New England Institute Of...
Nicholls State University
Ohio State University-mai...
Southern Technical Colleg...
Suny College Of Veterinar...
Suny Plattsburgh
Tarleton State University
University Of Delaware
University Of Georgia
University Of Maryland- C...
University Of Massachuset...
University Of Massachuset...
University Of Nebraska- L...
University Of Nevada- Ren...
Wesleyan College
Wofford College
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Academy Of Learning- H...
Bow Valley College- Do...
Campion College
Canadian Mennonite Uni...
Cdi College- Richmond...
Cdi College- Surrey Ca...
Centre For Arts And Te...
Douglas College- Coqui...
Georgian College- Oril...
Granville College
Insignia College Of He...
Lakeland College- Verm...
Maritime Business Coll...
Mckay Career Training
Olds College- Main Cam...
Oulton College- Main C...
Saskatchewan Polytechn...
Seneca College- King C...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Sprott Shaw Community...
Universite De Montreal...
Vancouver Career Colle...
Vancouver Career Colle...
Vancouver Career Colle...

Potential Scholarships

5 Strong Scholarship
Agnes M. Lindsay Scholars...

Approx Salary Expectation

Currency:
Low End:
$25,520.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$36,260.00 /yr
High End:
$52,410.00 /yr

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.