Vet techs are sometimes responsible for the feeding of animals under their care.
If you're an animal lover looking for a career that will allow you to work with animals, the job of veterinarian's assistant may seem appealing. Vet assistants are primary caregivers, helping in the day-to-day care of animals, while also taking part in medical tasks like diagnosing conditions and delivering medical treatments. However, before you choose any career path, it's important to understand the kind of salary you can expect to earn in the field.
Definition
A vet assistant, is, as the name implies, a veterinarian's right-hand person. That means that when dealing with sick animals, you will play an active role in helping the veterinarian in the examination room. This may entail calming and holding the animals still while exams are performed, taking skin scrapes or fecal samples to examine, or giving vaccinations and shots. However, vet assistants may also be responsible for other tasks as well, such as feeding animals daily, bathing them as needed and monitoring their progress or behavior. Some vet assistants work in traditional veterinary practices, while others work in research laboratories or animal shelters.
Average Salaries
As of 2007, the average salary for a vet technician in the United States was $28,920, according to the All Allied Health Schools website. The top 10 percentile made an average of $40,550. In 2008, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the median annual wage for this position, also often referred to as veterinary technologist or technician, was $28,900. While the top 10 percent earned around $41,490, the bottom 10 made less than $19,770. Vet tech salaries are not increasingly very rapidly. In some cases, increases may not even keep up with inflation.
Geography
Salary ranges like those mentioned in the previous section take into account people working in the field throughout the entire country, but some parts of the country, like big cities where the cost of living is higher, tend to pay more than other parts. And salaries can be vastly different from one state to another as well. For instance, in California, the median hourly rate as of 2010 was between $9.81 and $14.24, while in Ohio, the median hourly rate was $8.54 and $11.06.
Other Considerations
The average salary for this position may or may not reflect what you should be earning if you were to go out and get a job in the field today. Not only does where you live affect how much you make, but also factors like your education, specialization and years of experience. Given that all factors are the same, someone with 20 years of experience is likely to earn a lot more than someone who is new to the field. For instance, according to PayScale.com, a vet's assistant with less than one year of experience earned between $8.16 and $10.19 an hour in 2010, while a vet's assistant with 20 years or more earned between $12.34 and $16.46 an hour.
Maximizing Your Pay
Where you choose to live can impact how much you earn in the field, but just as important is where you choose to work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that while vet techs working in animal research may start out at lower salaries than those in other settings, they tend to quickly outpace vet techs in other settings in terms of pay. Additionally, vacation, holiday and sick leave pay, as well as health benefits and retirement plans, can add a lot to an otherwise low salary, so consider those factors when choosing a job.
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