Do you love animals? Do you want a career where you can work to improve the lives of animals every day? You can with a career in veterinary assisting. Veterinarians need all the help they can get these days as more and more people have pets and animals that they love and need help taking care of. Veterinary assisting includes helping vets in their duties to perform medical services for all kinds of animals. Those who work in veterinary assisting are often called veterinary technologists or veterinary technicians depending on the level of formal secondary training that they have. Veterinary technicians generally graduate from a 2 year training program, and veterinary technologists generally graduate from a 4 year training program. Most technologists have more options for working in research related areas and at bigger animal institutions like zoos and aquariums.
All states in the United States require those going into veterinary assisting to pass a credentialing exam. Most people going into veterinary assisting dream of working in a zoo or aquarium. However, the job openings at these types of facilities are the hardest to get because there are so many job applicants.
Employment Outlook for Veterinary Assisting
Until recently, there have been very few accredited veterinary assisting training programs. This has caused a great need in the United States for trained veterinary technicians and technologists. Also, more Americans are getting pets and wanting them to have great medical and dental care. Due to all these factors, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics is expecting the veterinary assisting field to have nearly a 36 percent increase in job growth through 2018. This is fantastic. It means lots of job openings for those with the right skills and formal job training. The greatest need will be in animal clinics and hospitals, shelters, boarding kennels, animal control facilities, and also in human societies.
Wage Potential in Veterinary Assisting
The Occupational Outlook Handbook found that in 2008 the median average wages for veterinarian technologists and technicians fell between $23,000 and $34,000 annually. The top ten percent of veterinarian technologists and technicians made over $41,000 annually. Veterinary technologists working in research jobs earned more than veterinary technicians.
Veterinary Assisting Training Programs
Colleges have figured out that veterinary assisting is a great career field, so they have put together some excellent programs. You can get your veterinary assisting certificate that generally takes several months to obtains, or you can go into a 2 year veterinary technician program. You can even get a bachelor's degree through a 4 year training program and become a veterinary technologist.
If you are interested in earning a degree in Veterinary Assisting, click here to request more information.
* Area of Study
