Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers

Median salary

$38,150

Average salary

$40,340

Employment

126,580

Projected growth

8.7% growth

Annual openings

22,200

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers Do

Feed, 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 0.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
English Languageimportance 3.8/5
Biologyimportance 3.6/5
Administrativeimportance 3.5/5
Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.5/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.9/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 2.6/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
Spend Time Standing4.8/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.5/5
Contact With Others4.5/5
Exposed to Disease or Infections4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Registered Nurses95% skill match
Fire Inspectors and Investigators94% skill match
Flight Attendants94% skill match
Animal Trainers94% skill match
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria94% skill match
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric93% skill match
Dietetic Technicians93% skill match
Anesthesiologists93% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Instructingimportance 2.9/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
Management of Material Resourcesimportance 2.3/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX Cornerstone
Labeling software
McAllister Software Systems AVImark
Practice management software PMS
Scheduling software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Attention to Detail
Cooperation
Integrity
Self-Control
Cautiousness
Stress Tolerance

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeMedium
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
ArtisticLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).