What the Heck Can a Vet Tech Expect?

Thanks to Lauren Richardson for today's guest post on the truest "labor of love!"

If you want to become a vet technician, and you’ve made it this far into your research, you’re probably being bombarded by information, statistics, vet schools, and countless options. Sorting through the information overload for the essentials when it comes to making this incredibly rewarding career choice can be difficult. Here’s what you need to know.

Photo by Naval Surface Warriors via Flickr

Career outlook

The career outlook for all those who work in animal services is promising. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a better than 50 percent increase in job opportunities for vet technicians and technologists by the year 2020. That’s a growth rate much faster than the average for all other occupations, so your chances of stable employment look very good. Vet assistant jobs currently enjoy a 14 percent rate growth.

Education required

To become a veterinary technician, you’ll need at least a high school diploma and an associate’s degree, which can generally be completed in two years or less. Depending on the state where you reside, you’ll need to pass a certification test (such as the Veterinary Technician National Exam) in order to become licensed, registered or certified. If you want to go further than a vet technician, you’ll need a four-year bachelor’s degree to become a vet technologist.

What’s the pay like?

Those who choose a vet technology career generally don’t do so for the stellar pay because, well, the pay isn’t stellar. The median salary for vet technicians is around $29,700 per year or $14.28 per hour. If you want to become a vet tech, do it because you love animals and want to make a difference, not because you want to get rich.

What to expect on the job

Some of the biggest advantages (or disadvantages, depending on your point of view) of being a vet technician include the wide variety of skills you’ll accumulate, the unpredictability of what you will be doing from hour to hour and the diverse set of clients you'll meet. You'll be learning a lot of interesting techniques for animal care and interaction.
You might spend the majority of one day interacting with customers and the next day taking X-rays or performing a dental cleaning on an Irish setter. The job can be physically and emotionally demanding, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. As a veterinary technician, one guarantee is you’ll never get bored.

Who should become a vet technician?

This is a tough question without absolute answers, but if you’re seriously considering taking a jump into the field of animal medicine, it’s well worth consideration. What type of people generally make it as vet techs? Will you even enjoy this type of work?
The most successful vet techs are obviously comfortable around animals, as well as thorough and patient, both with customers and with pets who are frightened or hurting. Because part of your job will involve comforting and calming nervous animals, you need to feel totally comfortable around them yourself.

So what do you think, is becoming a vet tech for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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