Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Median salary

$47,380

Average salary

$49,120

Employment

129,140

Projected growth

9.1% growth

Annual openings

14,300

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Veterinary Technologists and Technicians Do

Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 1.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

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

Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.1/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
Biologyimportance 4.0/5
English Languageimportance 4.0/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.5/5
Chemistryimportance 3.3/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.0/5
Administrativeimportance 2.9/5

Work Environment

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

Contact With Others4.7/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.6/5
Physical Proximity4.5/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.4/5
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.3/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.3/5

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.

Respiratory Therapists96% skill match
Pest Control Workers96% skill match
Nuclear Medicine Technologists94% skill match
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers94% skill match
Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists94% skill match
Surveyors94% skill match
Forest and Conservation Technicians94% skill match
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors93% skill match

Transferable Skills

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

Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.3/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.1/5
Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
Instructingimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

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

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Animal Intelligence Software Animal Intelligence
FileMaker Pro
McAllister Software Systems AVImark
Practice management software PMS
Veterinary practice management software PMS
Web browser software

Work Style

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

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

Career Interests

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

RealisticHigh
InvestigativeHigh
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 technologists and technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).