The Benefits of a Veterinary Technician Career

Do you have a passion for animals and would like to turn your love for them into a fun and exciting career? If so, why not consider training to become a veterinary technician? There are many benefits to choosing a vet tech career, and we will examine a few of the top benefits here.

Employment Opportunities

Perhaps the biggest benefit to choosing a vet tech career is that you will have plenty of great employment opportunities after you finish your training. In fact, jobs in this field have become extremely popular today, and there is a high demand for them in most every state of the country.

Furthermore, the field of veterinary technology is expected to experience rapid growth offering an abundance of employment positions and job security. According to the U.S. Labor Statistics Bureau, the demand for vet techs will grow at a rate of about 52 percent until 2020, which is much faster than most other occupations today.

Excellent Starting Salaries

Another great benefit to choosing a veterinary technician career is that as a vet tech, you will enjoy an excellent starting salary. Although the national average salary for all vet techs in the U.S. is about $31,000 per year, these professionals can earn anywhere from $19,000 to as much as $41.000 per year.

Chances for Advancement

While many veterinary technicians are happy in their careers, if you are a vet tech who would like to move on to a better-paying position, there are many opportunities to do just that. By choosing one of the following specialties, you can significantly increase your salary and employment opportunities.

• Small or Large Animal Practices
• Emergency and Critical Care
• Dentistry
• Zoo Animals
• Anesthesiology or Surgery
• Nutrition
• Behavior
• Pathology or Internal Medicine

Some veterinary technicians also decide to obtain additional training and earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree. While it can be a bit difficult to gain entry into a veterinary medicine school, if you have experience as a veterinary technician, you can gain entry much quicker and easier.

Job Variety

One of the best things about veterinary technician careers is that you can choose to work in many different settings. Additionally, depending on where you may choose to work, you can work with a vast array of animals including common household pets, exotic pets, farm animals and zoo animals. Some of the places where vet techs may choose to work are as follows.

• Small Animal Hospitals and Clinics
• Large Animal Practices
• Emergency Animal Practices
• Animal Shelters and Humane Societies
• Research Laboratories
• Aquariums and Zoos
• Wildlife Facilities
• Colleges and Universities

Emotional Rewards

If you love animals, working as a vet tech will allow you to fulfill your passions. You will gain a great feeling of satisfaction as you help many sick or injured pets each day. As a veterinary technician, you will also be able to educate pet owners on such important topics as proper nutrition, vaccinations and responsible pet ownership.

Veterinary technicians are important team members in many facilities today including animal clinics, zoos, aquariums and research facilities. While there are many fantastic benefits you can gain from choosing to train for a vet tech career, the top benefits are described above.