Veterinary Technician Salaries
Thursday May 19, 2005
Questions about veterinary salaries are a common theme in the Pre-Vet & Career Forum. This week, a viewer asks what the average veterinary technician salary is (approximate) before enrolling in a course of study for veterinary technology.
MCPITBULL asks: "I know this is a little out-there and bold, but I was wondering how much a vet tech makes hourly. I would like to become a vet tech through the Education Direct, but I would like to know how much they make hourly round-a-bout before I get too into it..."
Comments
I must be honest with you…if you get into this career, you will not be doing it for the money!! Unfortunately, in the 10 years that I have been working as a certified veterinary technician (meaning I went to school and took the national boards), I have come to realize that the pay pretty much stinks no matter where you go or what aspect of vet tech work you get into (unless you go into research) Trying to “live” as a single person (without roommates) is nearly impossible. I am in Boulder, Colorado which has an extremely outrageous cost of living and the “poverty level income” here is $16/hr. Needless to say, despite many years of experience and everyone telling me that I’m the best technician they’ve ever worked with, I’m still only making $14/hr. So, make your decision carefully. Don’t get me wrong…it is a very fun and rewarding job but you will most likely always be living paycheck to paycheck without much hope of saving any money. I tell you this in all honesty, it is not an easy way to make a living and I do not live lavishly by any means. My boyfriend and I rent a small studio apt and I drive a 1989 pickup so it isn’t as if the reason I have nothing left over is due to lots of debt or overextending myself. If you can pull it off for the love of the profession, go for it…otherwise, think long and hard and be sure to think about the cost of living in your area compared to the going wages for vet techs.
I would have to agree with Jen. I have been in this career for 20 years now and am supervising technicians, I only receive 14.50 an hour. I also am licensed, yet my career choice will never allow me to live beyond paycheck to paycheck either. I have chosen this career because I love what I do, however it would be a welcome change in our community to be recognized financially for all that we are trained to do.
I have to say look around at the different states and see what the pay wage is. I started as a assistant 14 years ago now I have graduated took my boards and never looked back . I make 17.oo an hour in emergency , I tried research and it was great and the money too. If you want to get in for money aspect then go to school and get into research or how about pharmacy reps, the money to is equally good but look around. I do reccomend the school aspect you have more doors opened to you. Good luck and just remember nobody gets rich in this business .
I have been in the field for seven years, and just became licensed this year. I make $20/hr in a referral practice (and I have only been employed there for 2 years). The money is there, if you are good at what you do, and you know where to look.
I quit my corporate job (making $40,000/year) to follow my dream of becoming a veterinary technician. I graduated in 2004 with no experience, except from the externships. I currently work in an emergency/specialty/referral hospital and make $15/hour. It you look, you can find where the money is at. You also must be dedicated and good at your job! But if you want to work at a small practice with only 2 or 3 doctors, you won’t make much. I agree with the others, however. This isn’t a job you do for the money. It’s fun, rewarding and challenging work. I will never regret the career change!
That is a great question. I am hoping to go into the same line of work. I live in Maine and hope to stay here but I also don’t want to have to live paycheck to paycheck.
I am in this boat now. I have worked with animals for years and I am about to start vet tech school in January. It is a 10 month program and what I want to do is be a rescue shelters vet tech. I am sure they don’t make much money at all but the important thing is that I love working with homeless unwanted animals who have nobody else.
My dad on the other hand is not going to understand this. It is all about making money…
Wow, I just realized how underpaid I really am. I have been working as a certified veterinary technician for ten years. I currently make $10.20/hr. I live overseas at a military facility. This is the most I have ever made and I previously worked in New Jersey..which has one of the highest costs of living around. Before I was married I lived pay check to pay check and never had any left over. Sometimes not even enough to buy food! It is a profession that is truly a labor of love. Do not expect to make decent money in the field. Beyond that the job may not be worth the stress. I have suffered frequent emotional burnout due to my deep passion and love for my job. It is a frustrating career…but one I would love to stay in forever if I could survive on it. Instead I decided to become an RN so I could survive financially. (But I can’t work as an RN here..so fate has brought me back to the field). I suppose if you look really hard you might be able to find a position that pays well..but I have never known a technician who made more than $15/hr and that is with over ten years of experience. I have known technicians who have made as little as $8!
Wow… It is definitely different from state to state. I live in NY and I am only a part time assistant/kennel worker and I already make $13/hour. I will be finished with tech school and hopefully licensed in 2008, and I am already promised $23/hour to start where I am now. Which is a 4 doctor hospital. I have not checked out many places in my area… maybe I just got lucky??
Hey just a word of advice, be very carefull with education direct. I took the vet assistant program with them and could not find a job. Be advised that you need that clinical experiance that a technical school or college offers. I did learn valuable information, but of all the apps and resumes I sent out I got no responses with education direct listed as my educational backround and after speaking with a few human resource managers in several hospitals they basicly told me that my “credentials” with an online program were no good. Do the research before you spend the money!
Education Direct has changed to Penn Foster College. The Veterinary Technician program is an Associate In Science Degree program now and is accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). You can even transfer credits from another college up to 50% of courses. Don’t confuse this with the Penn Foster Career School Veterinary Assistant program which is a diploma program, not a 2 year degree. The Vet Assistant program is not accredited by the AVMA.
I have been in the vet tech program at CCM in NJ only to have to leave it to work. I started a petsitting business, making a heck of alot more than vet techs do. Now, I am trying to become an RN, because the money is great. I’d love to go back to school to be a vet tech though. The earnings is the big deterrment. My heart is saying yes, but my head says, your just going to keep being poor. Is there any hope for people like me?????
Andi
Has anyone graduated from the Penn Foster College for the Vet Tech program? There isn’t a school here in Orlando and it looks like that is my only choice unless I move. So my question is has anyone grauated with an online degree and sucessfully got a job as a Vet Tech?
Katie - what part of NY are you in?
Katie, there are a few on-line programs that are accredited by the AVMA. Try San Juan College (Which is due to be accredited in April 07′ or Cedar Valley College which is accredited already. You do the program Part time, must be employed in an approved animal health facility and wind up with your AA in Veterinary Technology. Perhaps the place to start is by getting a job in a practice where maybe you can start cleaning cages and runs like I did. . . GOOD LUCK.
Hey, try checking out Banfield. They hire vet tech without experience and are willing to train on the job.
Well as far as i know the vet tech program at penn foster just recently became certified, so you probably wont find anyone just yet. I am also enrolled in the program, and also working as a tech making 7 dollars an hour. So don’t feel so bad guys! It truly is a career of passion, but if the passion is there for you it is very rewarding regaurdless of the pay. I wouldn’t leave this field for anything.
I am 14 years old,I have huge intrestes in being in the vet business world. I love animals I am willing to do anything to help them out . They are my passion.So right know you are probably thinking you have no idea about the money they are getting paid. but i have actually heard that vets are rich. call me crazy, but thats what is going around, and is probably true , since the animal population is increasing. but its not about the money anyways its about the animals.
I am a senior tech and office mgr at an equine practice. I have been in my position for 14 yrs. Our technicians and myself all make $15 / hr. for our tech work. We also have health benefits, 401K plan, profit sharing and other perks. I am fortunate enough to have taken over the management end which entitles me to a % of the gross as well. I strongly believe you have to look really hard at the employers before making that commitment, as most of them will pay as little as possible to keep their help. If you proove yourself as excellent staff, they will recognize that. Then they need to be made aware what options are out there for you. If they know that they have good staff and they will go elsewhere unless they offer a compatable salary/benefits, which can be obtained elsewhere, they will be more likely to try harder to meet your needs. Good Luck!
I am considering doing a vet tech. distance education program, but decided first to pursue a position as an assistant (not needing a degree) to make sure I could handle it. Like others are saying..the money is out there. You’ll never make a Vet’s salary, but Im in WV and just got a position as a vet assistant making 9 dollars an hour- with no degree or anything (I know someone above said they were only making 10 something and HAD a degree..so the state obviously matters.) I feel sure that if the Veterinary practice works for me and I get an A.A. in science to be a R.V.T then I could make enough money to be happy.
I just got out of high school last year and I am on my way to being a vet tech. The thing is I don’t want to work with dogs and cats, I would love to work with monkeys and exotic animals is this the right field?
I want to be an Avian Vet Tech, specifically for exotic birds (parrots & toucans) but I bet they make less than ordinary vet techs. (Which only sucks becuase I don’t want to live pay check to paycheck for the REST of my life, and I couldn’t afford my own parrots!)
Anyone know the average salaries of avian vets?
I graduate from a well-known vet tech school in Colorado this June and have been trying to “rally the troops” since the first day of school. I firmly beleive that one of the reasons techs make so little money is . . . BECAUSE WE ACCEPT THE LOW PAY. Over and over, people are saying to “not expect much” or that it is a “labor of love.” Yes, it is. I agree. But, that does not mean that our hard work, educational investment and training should go uncompensated. Techs accepting $7.00 per hour should be absolutely ashamed of themselves! We are well-educated and trained professionals and should demand to be compensated as such. There is a huge shortage of certified and licensed technicians in this country (reports say there are 6-8 jobs out there for every certified tech), so we should have the upper hand when it comes to negotiating salaries. Why do we continue to let ourselves be taken advantage of? Look around at your clinics. Would they be able to operate at all without their techs? They know they can’t, but they also know they can get the better end of the deal by paying you a minimal wage. Collectively, we all need to start requiring that our skills be valued and our passion for the industry rewarded. Be sure though, that your work ethic is solidly in place and your commitment to the betterment of veterinary medicine is second to none. Give your employers no reason whatsoever to tell you that you’re not worth your weight in gold. This may mean being the first to arrive and the last to leave each day, volunteering to help where needed, and going the extra mile whenever possible. Oh wait, we all do that already! Let’s rally together and I promise you, vet tech salaries WILL increase. They’ll have to. Think about it and please share stories. Thank you.
I work at a vet clinic as a receptionist/Assistant while I am going to school to get my Vet Tech degree. I actually asked to be salary instead of hourly and I am making $20/hr there now. When I was hourly I was making $15/hr so the money is out there you just need to find it. Also the Veterinarians tend to pay better if you ask for salary instead of hourly. Just something for you to guys to think about.
Kanya (or anyone else) what are the salary equivalents of $20/hour and $15/hour, etc? I am a VERY soon-to-be college graduate with a B.S. in Animal Science. I’m looking at other career options because it seems my passion will have to wait. I’m trying to get a handle on how much money I should be asking for when I apply to different jobs. I really despise money, and could use some help!
I’m interested in going back to school to pursue Vet Tech. Has anyone heard anything about the Bradford School of Business’ Vet Tech Institute? I’m also having a hard time finding a school close enough (live close to Orlando). Do Vets usually hire people with no experience?
If you are interested in a distance education program, i would really recommend that you attend a program that is accredited by the AVMA…I think there are currently only 5 or so. Being a resident of Florida, I would look into St Petersburg College. They have both on campus and a distance program, they are accrecited, and they have a Bachelors program if you opt to continue on beyond your AS.
I have been an unlicsenced vet tech for about 10 yrs now. Yes, the pay is horrible. I started at $8. and now I am at $18. per hour. You get burnt out. The clinics charge people an arm and a leg compared to what it actually costs!!! It is not all about petting Fluffy. It is a business. In addition, You do have to wrestle aggressive dogs at times…cats too. You must always be on your “toes” or accept the fact that you will get bit. A cat bite can be quite nasty. As much as you love that fluffy animal, it may be scared and not love you. I feel that being a tech is a fun job for a while but also a dead end job. Where is the advancement if you do not attend veterinary school? So if you have zero aspirations of becoming a DVM, choose another career that makes more money. This will enable you to pay your bills and you can always volunteer at clinics or shelters and help out with the animals.
Been a technician for 14 years…about time we get a union started and stop worrying what that AVMA is gonna say about it!
Wow, I am really glad I found this forum. I am 21 and making 43k per year without having completed either of my degrees yet ( i am 2+ years away from completing a double major in marketing and business management). I think I would starve to death making $10-15 dollars an hour… I *was* considering getting into a vet tech program, but the pay mentioned on here is stagering. I love animals, and would be very interested in going in as a DVM, but the closest school is 5 hours away and the vet I spoke with said the curriculum was so rigorous that you really arent allowed to have a job, so my 43K a year could be kissed goodbye, plus the insane debt of going to vet school would be added. It really is ashame that a) the pay for a tech is so low and b) there are only 15-20 veterinary schools in this country.
Both of those aspects makes it increasingly difficult for those of us with the passion and drive to be good in this field to actually take a leap. Yes I love animals, and specifically would excel in equine studies, but I cannot be happy with my job if I am constantly in a state of financial distress. What a shame…
I’m so nervous. I’m going into a vet tech program at PIMA Medical Institute. I’m registered and am enrolled. I knew before hand the money was tight, but I’m just nervous of living my entire life paycheck to paycheck. I know it’s possible, but it’s almost terrifying knowing I can’t do anything about it.
The job I love doesn’t pay much.
But I know it’ll be worth it because my heart lies with animals, but im just so confused about how I’m gonna handle this.
I live in Florida, and i just recently enrolled in a local community college. AFter taking my pre reqs i plan on going to get my vet tech degree. I’ve been applying at local clinics as a receptionist, or anything i can get, to hopefully get some hands on training while going to school, but so far ive had no luck at all. Is there anyone that could give me some pointers? Maybe something extra i could do? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
-Kayla
Kayla,
I’m also planning on applying for a position in a vet tech program next fall, and i’m not sure how it works elsewhere, but here in oregon, the acceptance into the program is based on a point system, and experience in a vet clinic gets you uber points. i’m going to volunteer at a clinic while at my full time job, and then maybe try to be a part-time receptionist while in school. i think volunteering is a great way to get your foot in the door. if you show that you are willing to work hard for no money, the employer will likely be eager to hire you knowing that you’ll just work that much harder when you’re actually getting paid. this is what has been suggested to me by a friend whose step-father is a vet, and she’s worked with him in his clinic for about 10 years. hope this helps a little!
~megan
This has been a lifelong dream of mine to become a vet tech reading some of your comments has me scared as far as the money aspect but in life sometimes you have to sacrifice and compromise to fullfill a dream so i won’t be discouraged i know it will take alot of hard work and dedication to succeed
I have an interview today for a Vet Tech position but i do not have much experience nor a degree in this field but they were impressed with my resume. I have a whole lot of experience in Public Health but not animals in particular. What should i expect? I live in TN
hey guys i was reading through what all of yall are saying about the vet tech stuff and i think all of what you are saying is true. i am currently at a high school that gives majors (one of the few in the country to do this) and im in the Vet Tech program. im a jr. and when i graduate i have a liscense as a vet tech. i just wanna know what i should do from here. keep goin. i love animals and i would like to work with farm animals in the country where there arent many vets. do i need to go all the way to vet to open my on place in the backwoods or what? i work at a clinic right now making $12 bucks an hour and paying for gas is about 1/3 my paycheck every week. i wanna know how much longer would i need to go to school to get to be a vet and is it worth it if i wanna be happy in the long run. college isnt cheap guys and i might need to take the student loan.
K, in comment #23 above (April 21, 2007), is absolutely right. Nothing will change until vet techs join forces and collectivly refuse to work for such low pay. You may have to put up with being considered a troublemaker in the short term, but that will change when the vets can’t find anyone willing to do the work that supports their own salaries (the median salary for a vet in the U.S. in 2004 was $66,590/annum, and 10% earned more than $118,000, US Dept of Labor stats). So don’t just give in to dismal pay, as if it’s ordained in heaven and cannot be changed. Get together and create the change.
Anyone that hopes to get involved in the profession of veterinary technology should never expect to make much money. That was drilled into my head on my very first day at tech school. Several years later, I’m speacialized (VTS), published, and lecture locally and nationally. I still barely make enough to make ends meet - and I do not live beyond my means at all!
It’s more than just caring for animals. It’s about continually learning, science, working with people that make you want to do better, and yes…a deep caring for people and their pets.
Money - no way.
Personal satisfaction - great but you have to work for it.
For me, I am a 22 yr old college student and in my 5th year. ya….5th year. I have been from Atlanta(which is where i am from) to Connecticut and back to Savannah Ga. I began as Pre-vet but with the high demands for vet school and requirements i have changed my major to other things in the medical field-now in health science. I got offered a job at a vet while i was in school in CT but ended up not taking it because they thought my schedule was too demanding with 17 hours of school a semester and college cheerleading, which is understanding. At this point I am ready to graduate with something and to stop living off of a waitress pay in a restaurant and bar. I just decided to apply to a school in Charleston which is about an hour and a half away and go back to the closest thing that was my original major and livelong dream. IS it a good decision? When i was 13 my mother worked in an internal medicine vet and i used to work there for free all summer and clean cages, weigh in animals, take temps, walk them, sit in on surgeries and acupuncture. i loved it and i have alot of science behind my belt like chem 1 and 2, botany, anatomies, and some health classes. is it hard to get into the programs????
just trying to finally figure out where my college life is finally going to end.
I am 22, I have attended a few different schools for a few different things. I have recently started a vet tech program and i knew going in that the pay they made was average 12.50 and hour. and I thought well i guess i could make a living off of it. But the more i think about it, the more i don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck. of course i can save some but still. i want to be able to live life. do exciting things, and maybe a career as a vet tech isn’t the way to go for that. I love the program so far. i love working with animals but…i just wish they weren’t underpaid. Right now i am deciding weather or not i should continue with my vet tech program or switch to a different school for a different major. I believe that a vet tech is a career for someone who is in a two income household. not for a single person trying to support themselves own their own. My vet tech teacher told me she left the field because of the pay. its rewarding in every other way except the money.Just from what i heard.
I am currently in my first semester at an accredited school in Ca for the Vet-tech program. It’s very important to become specialized in a particular field of your choice once you finish the vet-tech program. Yes, it’s more schooling but you will be heads above the rest who do not go further with their education. The choice is yours.
Whew… Where do I begin??? I am currently a Licensed (in two states) Head Vet Tech with 25 continously employed years of experience. I love my job, but am leaving the profession.
I worked for 20 years at the same practice, until I relocated with my husband. EVERY position I interviewed for, I was offered. My professional references are excellent… I have worked waaaay too many 10-14 hour days, waaay too many over 40 hour work weeks with no overtime, (just “comp” time) nights, weekends and holidays. I truly belive in capitalism and God bless the business person making a lot of money… BUT, veterinary practice owners know and have known for the longest time that people- mostly women, go into this profession for the love of it and exploit that fact!!! (Most) Young men do not want to go into a profession for the kind of money MOST veterinarians are willing to pay. Yes there are niches that exist as well as vets that pay decent monies, but for the most part, that is the exception to the rule!!! Yes, we can try to band together and refuse low slaries, but behind closed doors, most vets just hire kids to do the work an LVT does, ie: everything an RN does PLUS what an anesthsiologist does, a radiology tech does, an office manager etc, etc.
I would say to ANY young person, do your homework concerning salaries- as I did so many years ago, but be sure to realize that you will not be 20 years old forever. Think about where you see yourself in 10-20 years and how many hours a week you want to work later on in your career. Do you want a life outside of vet medicine??? Unless you use your tech schooling as a stepping stone to vet school… Find another career. Because to have a janitor in a school district with 3-5 years experience making more money than I, PLUS the fact that we have MINIMAL benefits to boot, is just NOT worth it!
You can continue to feed the part of your heart that made you consider being an animal nurse by volunteering your time to a worthy animal cause!!!
If you don’t really want to go to college, then start now looking for an entry level federal, county, state or city job. You will then have a NORMAL scheduled work week, REAL benefits as well as the opportunity to advance your career- and maybe have your education subsudised further with tuition assistance!!
I have been fortunate to have a husband that through the years made the REAL money we needed to live comfortably!! Now, I plan to change careers and use my skill and dedication elsewhere… AND be compensated appropriately!
P.S.- You can love another profession where you feel you are helping/ nurturing, doing something that in the bigger picture matters for your heart and others… Some examples: An RN, a respiratory tech, a physical therapist or PT tech, a radilolgy tech. Check out THEIR salaries!! Also, be sure to talk to people IN the profession to get the real low-down!!
Godd luck young people in your future endeavors!!
Trust me, veterinarians can afford to pay their technicians well. You just can’t be afraid to ask for it. When you apply for the job, they almost always ask you to write down your expected pay on your application. If you write $10/hr, they’re going to give you $10/hr. So don’t undersell yourself! The first vet tech job I took, I made $9.50/hr. Eventually, I got so sick of working so much for such little pay, that I quit and found a new practice. This time, I asked for $16/hr, and wouldn’t ya know? I got it. You just have to find the right practice with the right doctor. Don’t work for someone who doesn’t appreciate the hard work and long hours that you will most definitely put into this job. Work for someone who will compensate you fairly. If they are unwilling to pay what you ask, there is always another hospital to apply at! Don’t just take any job, be picky! Because as much as we all love working with animals, we still have to be able to upport ourselves. And let’s face it, the veterinarians rely upon us heavily every single day so they’re willing to pay enough money for the right person.
Im very interested in becomint a veterinary technician. The problem is that there are no school close to where I live. I was lookinga at Penn Foster that is now acredited by the AVMA. I just dont really understand how it works. If anyone one has any info or advise please let me know. I know this is what I wanna do and really want to get started but dont know where to begin.
Now I feel discouraged to look into Vet Tech school. I’ve volunteered at an animal clinic and I loved it, but now knowing how the pay is for technicians, I’m not sure. I’m a senior in high school, and I need help!! Kiss this dream goodbye or stick to it :/
I was going to say the same thing as comment #44. I am almost 25, and tired of my current job. I am going to go nowhere where i am and they dotn appreciate my hard work. i was looking into the penn foster college to become a vet tech. I dont care about money, i just want a job that i can enjoy going to. i would appreciate any information that anybody has on this program.
I am about to enroll in a vet tech program at HCC in Tampa. I hope to specialize in working with excotic wildlife not just pets but any creature in need. I notice that the pay isn’t much but i believe that it is much more important for me to find something that i can enjoy. I can’t go on being a cashier even though i am full time with insurance making 9 an hour. I am starting to hate people more and more everyday. It sucks living in FL with it being a right to work state. There should absolutely be an union for vet workers. Exspecialy in FL. I hate to think a 3 year program will only get me a buck or two more that what i make now. I just need to remember I am doing this for something i can love rather than bitch about everyday.
If you’re looking to make money as a vet tech, forget it. I’m in NY and started in 1983 as an assistant at a spay/neuter clinic, then in a hospital when I decided I wanted to go to school to find out why I was doing what I was doing! “Monkey-see-monkey-do” didn’t sit well with me. With alot of blood, sweat and tears I became licensed in 1997. My salary today in 2008? $15/hr. The highest salary I know of is $18/hr. (I work for a known cheap-skate!) Sometimes I am totally discouraged by my profession because vets in general do not want to pay, nor do they have respect for LVTs. They pay assistants and LVT’s alike. They just want their work done - period, they don’t care if it’s a high school kid off the street or an LVT who has loads of experience, knowledge, and skills. If I had to do it all over again? I wouldn’t. I would’ve gotten my associates (2 year)degree in veterinary science, become an LVT, and then I would’ve gone to Cornell as a Junior as they had offered. (Only needed an additional chemistry class!) My advise? If you don’t want to become a vet, just apply at a hospital - they’ll train you to be a tech!
I am actually attending Penn Foster as we speak, and i live in SC, one main reason i went with them, is because we DO NOT have a college here where I can take an online course and get an associates degree. i work full time, and do not have time to go and sit in a class all day after work, so Penn Foster was the right choice for me. They have Online deicussion groups, student forums, etc. Is really helpful. If your interested, check out their website! I also was aware of the salary, but like ive seen in previous comments, its the love of the job! I’m thinking that when i get my assoc. degree, im going to go back and actually get certified to be a Vet. and then maybe one day open my own clinic. those are my dreams!! Good luck to the ones who are thinking about school, and to those who are not. If you feel in your heart that this is what you want to do, please please go for it!
I got my veterinary assistant career diploma at thompsons education direct. which now is called penn foster, I recieved my diploma about four years ago. I have applied at three counties around where I live nothing.I have been to one interview the vet told me he would not hire me.I have lost my previous job two months ago and now I can not find another one. I do not suggest penn Foster to anyone I want my money and time wasted back.I am very dissapointed and hurt I worked so hard for that.
i am a vet.tech and have been one for 25 years,and love every min. of it.
but make sure its what you want before you do it.
So, would anyone here agree that becoming a Vet Tech is a good stepping stone to beginning one’s career as a vet? It has always been my dream to be a vet (with a specialty in herpetology) and I want to do the most I can to ensure I can make it into one of the schools in the US. I am 23 and on my way to a good career in advertising (soul-crushing) and more and more I want to go after my life-long dream. Would anyone here say that this is not a good idea - to be a vet tech to gain experience for veterinary school?
This is truely a labor of love. But please do not let others talk you out of it. I am an R.V.T and have worked through blood, sweat, and tears to gain respect in my hospital. Within 5 years (I know it seems long, but not when you look at lifetime career goals) I have gone from a start of $7.00 to a middle management postion of $18.00 hr - salary actually round about 37,XXX. If you prove yourself, and your employer is decent you can go places, aim for management. Over doubling your salary in 5 years isn’t too bad, plus if you work for a corp. you can even go above a clinic type job.
Amanda: Maybe to get experience working in a vet hospital it would be an ok idea, but the two different tracks are very different education-wise. All programs I’ve seen make it clearly stated that a vet tech program is NOT a prerequisite for a veterinary medicine program. I wouldn’t waste time in vet tech school if what you really want to do is become a veterinarian. Volunteer at a vet hospital or shelter, or maybe even a part-time job, to get experience. That’s just my opinion and I’m just re-stating what vet tech schools have told me. Good luck in your career path and I hope you can pursue your dream!
I am currently attending a Vet Tech program in Iowa and the average salary here is between $10 and $13 an hour. The more critical and specialized the field, the more money you’ll make. In Iowa, VT programs are NOT stepping stones to full Vet degrees. Most colleges will not allow you to transfer VT courses to Vet school.
Being a tech is like being a SGT in the army. You get a little more respect than the privates(assistants), but you still do the grunt work and live in townhouses on post while the officers (Vets) live in the bigger, single homes on the other side of the post casting orders left and right. Officers who started as enlisted tend to give their SGT’s a little more respect.
If you want to get paid a little more, find a vet who started as a tech. We have one near here who gives each of her techs a set of assistants and they get paid well above average. Go into research, work for a zoo or put in your grunt time and got to work for the State as an inspector. Expecting $30/hr for this field right now is ludacris. People just aren’t willing to pay as much for their animals as they do for themselves, although that is changing every year.
As for me, my husband is military and he supports us on what he’s making. My career is purely for my happiness and any money I make is just gravy. I will not, however, accept anything under $12/hr after I graduate. I truly believe that accepting anything below that is keeping our salaries at their dismally low levels. — Just do your research, work cleaning kennels and think about what you really want from this job before heading off to school. —-Good luck and Godspeed to those who join us in this field!!
I would suggest to anyone that is starting to go to school to be a tech…work at a clinic part time while you’re going to school. If you know that you don’t care about the pathetic pay we make…for education sake you should work at a clinic. I went to an AVMA accredited school at 18 and wasn’t too passinate about my studies just the job I would have in future. I wish I had worked in a clinic while going to school because things would have made more sense to me as I was learning them. Remember to those that are going to school you have to get out and pass your boards. Without passing your boards you’re on the same pay as those that didn’t go to a school.
Like I said when I started school when I was 18; they warned us that if we wanted to make lots of money that this profession wasn’t for us. At 18 I was like $30,000 isn’t awful (it sure was a hell of a lot more than I was making) and thought I could live at least decent on it. Well only 5 years later I realize that one needs a lot more money to survive! If it wasn’t for me being in a relationship and being able to share rent with my boyfriend it would be impossible to live on my own.
I cannot even wrap my head around eventualy trying to afford children in future…it’s already hard enough. I make $14 and hour which seems to be around, if not more, than what others are saying. So just remember right now it may not matter that you won’t make money because you’re living your dream..but in future you may want to have children (other than 4 legged ones)
I love my job but not only does the pay not do us justice…we can bit, scratched and peed on, on a regular basis.
I am 26 years old and have been working as a tech in a 4 doctor clinic in NJ for 5 1/2 years. I took and passed the state vet tech exams without goin to school(all on the job training). I am the head technician, in charge of 6 and I make $44,000 a year. Hard work and stepping up to responsibilities has paid off for me. I am also lucky to have been able to take the tech exam before schooling was a requirement in NJ. I have worked with techs who went through college programs that were still unprepared to “work” in the field. I’m not saying that the schooling is worthless, but on the job experience is the most important thing to have.
To Amanda (comment 52):
I would say that if you are willing to stay in school a couple extra years, vet tech is a GREAT way to get experience for vet school. No, the classes don’t count towards pre-requisites for vet school, but they do give you experience. And unlike the experience you would get by simply being trained as an unlicensed tech in a clinic, you will actually learn the science/reasoning behind everything you are doing in tech school. It’s the route I am currently taking, and is a route that many of the students in our tech program take. I’ve also discussed this with my academic advisor, who is one of my vet tech professors and a DVM who has been in practice for approx. 20yrs or more (and, by the way, began her studies for vet school at Colorado State University–one of the top vet schools in the country–before she even finished a bachelor’s degree), and she highly recommends it. But whatever you choose, good luck!
This was awesome to come upon. It feels as if everyone is drowning in the same thoughts as my own. Such as.. the salary and Penn Foster College. What a coincidence. I was finally happy to think I had my future figured out when become a vet tech came to mind, but now i’m hesitant. A majority of people work their asses off expecting to make good money, especially if they go to school for it. And of course, that is what i first thought. But now.. i don’t know what i want to do. I’m not saying that anyone stomped on my dreams, i’m actually really happy i came upon this, but now i’m thinking about become a vet. How long do they go to school for anyway? And has anyone ever considered about animal control? they help animals as well. Maybe i just watch too much animal cops on animal planet. I think i might just go with Penn Foster since i need some form of education to jump start my life, since I just turned 19 and had my first child. I just need some answers.
I am very glad I came across this because i am currently looking into the Vet Tech Program and live in Beloit. I have a 3 year old son and have to stay at home but I did some research and have found a college that is accredited called San Juan College in New Mexico and is a distance learning program. I was considering being an accountant because everyone needs an accountant and actually took a semester in it and did very well. I started taking the next semester and had to finally drop out. I found that I am not a business woman and spending any more time doing my schooling would be a waste. Sure an accountant could potentially make pretty good money but where is the fullfillment in it all? My boyfriend makes pretty good money and we went back and forth on whether if I should make money or be happy at what I am doing and we finally decided that if we could live off of his income with having a child then we will do just fine by me being a vet tech and not making the best pay. I am really excited to start taking classes. I did wonder about the pay though because we learn everything a nurse does about people but actually do the job of many other health professionals. And once again if anyone is looking for a distance learning college to go to then look up San Juan College. It is accredited and am also wondering if anyone out there has graduated from this school yet?
I am very happy to have come across this site. It’s full of first hand experience. Thanks to all of you who has taken the time to type up your opinions and thoughts. I’ve been deciding like others whether to pursue happiness or money. After weighing the pros and cons, I’ve finally come to accept that I need money. Money is very important to a person who constantly needs security. Of course my love for animal is also important but I think I first need to take care of myself and then the lovely pets. I’ll soon be moving to Toronto so I will need to look for a full time job. After I settle, hopefully I’ll be able to get trained to be a vet technician so that I can work at animal shelters. Those unwanted pets really need us!!! Don’t give up everyone - there’s always a way to help and fulfill your heart to helping animals!!