The modern day veterinary technician salary is widely based on expertise and experience. Vet techs must hold themselves to a higher standard of animal care if they want to make a good salary. Since the early 1960’s, formal education and training programs for veterinary technicians have been on the rise due to the popularity of the profession. Today, there are over a hundred separate education programs that are recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. As the profession becomes more popular, the amount of professional competition increases. By knowing the information contained on this page, you will be able to gain an edge over any possible competition.
Veterinary Technician Salary Variables
As a veterinary technician, the amount of money you make per hour or per year will greatly depend on your experience level and the amount of value you bring to a practice. More experience will garner more responsibility, which will bring you a higher veterinary technician salary. A normal vet tech can expect to see their salary range between $25,000 and $45,000. A tech with an Associate’s Degree can expect $20,000-$38,000. A tech with a Bachelor’s Degree can expect $33,000-$42,500. This all depends on experience and training.
Average Veterinary Technician Salary
The amount and quality of your education will not only affect your salary, but it may also affect whether or not you are able to find a job. It has been noted commonly over the past few years that the veterinary technician career is one of the fastest growing markets where education plays an important role. You absolutely need to receive an education from an accredited institution. Getting certified anywhere else is just a waste of your time.
Another factor that plays heavily on the veterinary technician salary cap is geographic location. High priced markets, such as New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston pay their techs several thousand dollars more a year. This, of course, is due to cost of living increases in those areas. The rest of the country can expect to earn a nominal amount of money. When looking at veterinary technician salary rates at prospective veterinary technician jobs, it is important to consider the cost of living in your area.
Veterinary Technician Career Overview
By the year 2012, the job demand for vet techs is expected to expand by nearly 30%. Because of this fact, most graduates of accredited veterinary technology programs can expect to be placed within a job fairly quickly.
Just like a human doctor, the veterinarian is responsible to provide diagnosis, prognosis, surgical procedures, and medication prescriptions. The veterinary technician has the responsibility of assisting the veterinarian, as well as acting as a lab technician, surgical assistant, clientele associate, and radiography technician. Because of the wide range of skills you will learn as a vet tech, you will be able to be placed in many other careers. Some of these professions include zoo and wildlife preserves, pharmaceutical sales, livestock health management, and biomedical research labs.
If you are uncomfortable standing for a long period of time, then this job may not be for you. Part of what your veterinary technician salary pays for is 40 hours of standing up per week. There is very little down time in this profession, so you should expect to be standing and running around while you perform your responsibilities during the work week.
Learn more about veterinary technician jobs
Veterinary Technician Education Programs
As previously stated, there are over a hundred accredited veterinary technician programs in the United States alone. You can expect to earn an Associate’s Degree in two years or a Bachelor’s Degree in four years, depending on the community college, technical school, or university that you choose to attend. Thanks to technology, there are several programs that offer the bulk of the classes for an accredited American Veterinary Medical Association certification online.
After graduation, it is a requirement that you take a veterinary technician exam to prove you are competent and can operate functionally as a vet tech. This ensures potential employers and clients that you have a basic understanding of the responsibilities that will be required of you once you obtain a job at a veterinary clinic or hospital.
If your education program does not offer job placement, there are several strategies that you can use to find the right type of job with a proper veterinary technician salary. The first thing you will want to try and find is an internship. You will not gain valuable experience in the classroom, so an internship will provide you the experience you need to get hired. This is just one of the strategies you can use to find the highest salary possible for your experience level.
It is important to diversify your skill sets as well. Hiring managers are looking for people that can function in multiple roles at the hospital. You will earn a higher veterinary technician salary if you are able to answer phones, be professional, keep good records, follow office rules, and bring in new clients to the business. Just because you’re a vet tech doesn’t mean that you can’t do other things around the office as well. See where you can bring value to your office. This is how you will earn a higher veterinary technician salary.
Finally, just as with any job, you will need to look well put together in order to get hired. A clean cut appearance and motivated personality will give you an edge that not many other applicants may have. Little things like remembering the first name of your clients, always being polite, and going the extra mile can pay huge dividends in the long run. Showing your manager or supervisor that you are interested in helping the business grow, in addition to your salary, can make you indispensible to the clinic or hospital. Employers look for individuals who are looking to plant their feet in one position and bring value to the company as a whole. By doing this you will be able to lock in the veterinary technician salary you deserve.