Data & Research
 
* ELMI Occupation Profile - Veterinary Technologists and Technicians *
 
Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
(O*NET 29-2056.00, SOC 29-2056)
What they 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.
 
Also called:
Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT), Emergency Veterinary Technician (Emergency Vet Tech), Internal Medicine Veterinary Technician (Internal Medicine Vet Tech), Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT), Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT), Veterinarian Technician (Vet Tech), Veterinary Laboratory Technician (Vet Lab Tech), Veterinary Nurse (Vet Nurse), Veterinary Technician (Vet Tech), Veterinary Technologist
 
 
Wages
Vermont - 2023
Percentile1HourlyYearly
10% $ 17.97   $37,370  
25% $ 19.00   $39,520  
Median $ 21.35   $44,410  
75% $ 22.09   $45,940  
90% $ 22.97   $47,780  
 
Average $ 20.71   $43,080  
1 What are Percentile Wages?
More at CareerOneStop
 
Industries of Employment
United States - 2020
IndustryPercent of total
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services
92%
  • Educational services; state, local, and private
4%
  • Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations
1%
  • Personal and laundry services
1%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals
1%
More at BLS
 
Knowledge
People in this career often know a lot about:
  • Medicine and Dentistry
    Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • Customer and Personal Service
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Biology
    Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
More at O*NET
 
Skills
People in this career often have these skills:
  • Active Listening
    Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking
    Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension
    Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Speaking
    Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Complex Problem Solving
    Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
More at O*NET
 
Interests
People in this career often prefer these work environments:
  • Realistic
    Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
  • Investigative
    Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.
What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler
 
Work Styles
People in this career will do well at jobs that need:
  • Attention to Detail
    Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  • Stress Tolerance
    Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
    Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
More at O*NET
 
Tasks
On the job, you would:
  • Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
  • Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
  • Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books.
  • Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
  • Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
More at O*NET
 
Related Occupations
More at O*NET
 
 
Career Video
Watch at CareerOneStop with transcript or at YouTube.
 
Projected Employment
 Vermont
2020 employment 477
2030 employment 562
Annual percent change
(compounded)
1.7%
Annual projected job openings
(due to change and separations)
44
More at Occupational Projections
 
Education and Experience:
  • Typical education needed for entry
    Associate's degree
  • Work experience in a related occupation
    None
  • Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
    None
Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications
 
Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
 
  • Physical activity is Very Important
  • Level of activity is High
Importance
Low   High
Level
Compare Occupations at O*NET
 
Job Zone
Medium Preparation Needed
  • Specific Vocational Preparation Range
    (6.0 to < 7.0) - A typical worker will require over 1 year up to and including 2 years of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP
 
Education Level
How much education do most people in this career have?
Education level Percent of
U.S. Workers
Doctoral or professional degree
or post-MA certificate
  6%
Master's degree or
post-BA certificate
  0%
Bachelor's degree   5%
Associate's degree   26%
Certificate or some college,
no degree
  22%
High school diploma
or equivalent
  41%
Less than high school diploma   0%
More at O*NET
 
Abilities
People in this career often have talent in:
  • Deductive Reasoning
    The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning
    The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Near Vision
    The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Expression
    The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Information Ordering
    The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
More at O*NET
 
Work Activities
In general, what you might do:
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Assisting and Caring for Others
    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
  • Documenting/Recording Information
    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Getting Information
    Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
More at O*NET
 
Detailed Work Activities
What you might do in a day:
  • Monitor patient conditions during treatments, procedures, or activities.
  • Administer anesthetics or sedatives to control pain.
  • Monitor patients following surgeries or other treatments.
  • Maintain medical facility records.
  • Test biological specimens to gather information about patient conditions.
More at O*NET
 
Other Resources
  • CareerOneStop
    resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
  • O*NET Online
    nation's primary source of occupational information
 
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This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 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.

BLS

This page includes information produced in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics and State Occupational Projections programs.

 
 
 
 
Vermont.gov State of Vermont Department of Labor