Vet Tech vs Vet Assistant

What’s the difference between a vet tech vs vet assistant? Both are essential members of veterinary medicine and contribute to a smooth running veterinary clinic, but they have different niche roles within the vet medicine community.

After working as a vet assistant for five years, across two different states, I’ve done a lot of research on the difference between a veterinary assistant vs veterinary technician. I’ve spoken with many vet assistants and vet techs about their career choice so I can help you decide what is best suited for you!

In this post you’ll learn all about the requirements, job responsibilities, licensing, job outlook and at the end I’ll share with you a huge money-saving tip for paying for veterinary technician program! Plus, I’ll tell you why you shouldn’t waste your money on veterinary assistant programs or certifications.

The short version:

Veterinary Technicians attend 2-4 years of school to learn everything from pharmaceutical, surgical, and outpatient skills. They are often paid more, and work closely with the veterinarians. Veterinary Assistants are often trained on the job for whatever responsibilities the clinic needs like animal handling, reception and/or technical skills.

The biggest thing to pay attention is the Scope of Practice within your state. This means, researching the different laws regarding what you are able to do based on your education.

For example, unless you are a veterinarian, you may not perform surgery, prognosis, diagnose or prescribe medication. Those skills are “out of your scope of practice” if you do not possess a DVM. In summary, know your state laws, and be ready to adapt to what the clinic needs.

The more detailed, long version:

Vet Assistant vs Vet Tech Salary

Veterinary Assistant: No education costs. Average Salary: $25k-35k/year. More experienced veterinary assistants can make up to $40k per year.

Veterinary Technician: Cost of education ranges from $2,000-$30,000 and costs 2-4 years of time to complete. There are testing fees, then annual licensing fees that range from $300-$700 depending on your state. The average salary of a veterinary technician is $30,000-50,000. Some of the specialty or more experienced technicians can earn closer to $65,000 a year.

Vet Tech

Veterinary technicians complete 2-4 years of education where they learn technical skills, anatomy and pharmaceuticals. A vet tech has passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam and stays up to date with licensing requirements within their state.

There is a privilege that comes with the veterinary tech degree that allows for more freedom, salary negotiation and high demand. Also, there’s an option to go further with your degree into a specialty like dentistry, orthopedics or exotic animals. However, not many people do because the education for specialty licensure adds more to debt than to salary. Overall, there’s so much more freedom as a veterinary technician than as a veterinary assistant.

Vet Tech Assistant

Veterinary assistants and veterinary technician assistants are pretty much the same thing. This all comes down to what role the clinic needs you to fill and the scope of practice within the state.

As a vet assistant you’re usually a jack-of-all-trades. This means you can work reception, run appointments, assist with inventory or help with surgery prep. Some places will train you on technical skills as well, like catheter placement, vaccine administration or intubating a patient.

Most places are willing to train the right person for the job. As long as you have a coachable mindset and desire to help animals, you’ll have job security at any clinic!

As a veterinary assistant you’ll do everything from scheduling appointments to helping adorable pups like the one in the picture below recover from surgery! This puppy needed someone to keep an eye on her after she had surgery. So, I sat with her and kept an eye on her vitals as she recovered. This way the tech could enter notes and the doctor could call the owner. Not a horrible gig in my opinion!

Whether your a vet tech or vet assistant, you’ll want a good pair of scrubs. You’ll be on the floor, exposed to all sorts of fluids, nails and teeth. So you’ll want a durable and comfortable set of scrubs. I’ve always gone for the Greys Anatomy scrubs myself! Mine have lasted 2-3 years of working full time. (BUT- you may want to wait to buy yours because some clinics will supply them or give you a stipend.)

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Veterinary Technician Jobs

Besides a veterinary clinic, there are plenty of other places veterinary technicians can work! Zoos, research labs, teaching hospitals and administration are all employment options to for veterinary assistants and technicians.

Vet techs can even work remotely now! Some clinics have a call service for after hours and need veterinary technicians and veterinarians to answer calls from clients who need help with their pet when the clinic is closed. And, if you don’t want to stay at home, there are many opportunities that allow you travel all over the world helping to care for sick animals!

Animal shelters are always in need of assistants and technicians. Working at an animal shelter is incredibly rewarding. When I worked at a clinic this momma pitty came in with 8 puppies in rough shape. Once her puppies were weaned from her I got to foster her until the shelter was able to settle the cruelty case. Being part of this dog’s story was one of the proudest few months of my career as a veterinary assistant!

Pros and Cons of Being a Vet Tech vs Vet Assistant

Theses careers are not much different than other veterinary medicine careers. Veterinary medicine is prone to burnout and compassion fatigue. The job is hard. You’re expected to work long hours. There will be difficult clients and sad decisions, drama and tears. In reality, the average career lifespan of a veterinary technician is 5-7 years and the career time is probably a little shorter for veterinary assistants.

Nevertheless, people who become veterinary assistants and veterinary technicians go into the field because they love animals and are willing to put someone else’s animal before themselves.

So, if you decide to go into the veterinary field, a support system is essential. This includes a mental health professional that understands the common issues associated with health care workers. Furthermore, you’ll need to learn how to set boundaries between work and your personal life.

Vet Assistant Programs

Why I DO NOT recommend paying for any Veterinary Assistant education, certification or programs…

There are tons of Vet Assistant programs out there, but they really aren’t worth the money. Unfortunately, I’ve seen clinics hire several people who paid for veterinary assistant programs and they still ended up training the employee for everything on the job. Plus, a certificate in veterinary assisting doesn’t raise your salary.

At best, going through a veterinary assistant program shows that you’re interested in the career, and there are other, cheaper ways to do that.

Vet Assistant Certification

Like the vet assistant programs, I recommend that you don’t waste your time with vet assistant certifications. However, there are free certifications for more practical and applicable things that will help build your resume.

For example, becoming Fear-Free Certified can be directly applied in any career with animals and shows your interest in working with animals.

Another certificate that could help you stand out is a certification for Massage, Craniosacral or Kinesiology taping for dogs, horses or even cats! Having this type of certification not only makes you stand out on a resume, but also offers a return on your investment. Once you’re certified in a type of Bodywork or alternative therapy, you can offer those services for $40-$100 per session.

The bottom line: There are way better ways to spend your money in veterinary medicine education that will offer you a greater return on your investment than any vet assistant program or certification could.

Vet Tech Online Program

There are plenty of ways to learn online these days. The most important thing to look for in an online program is that the program is accredited, that way you can qualify to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam. The American Veterinary Medical Association has a comprehensive list of the accredited online programs here.

Learning online is a great option, especially if you’re already working in a veterinary clinic. If you are completing your degree online, you can get a lot of the hands-on assignments completed while you’re at work!

Can a Vet Assistant Become a Vet Tech?

Absolutely! Any experience you have as a veterinary assistant will be so helpful as a veterinary technician!

Ready for the BIG-Money-Saving Tip?? The cheapest way to get your veterinary technician degree is if you let someone else pay for the degree! If you get started as a veterinary assistant, a lot of veterinary clinics will help pay for your tuition towards a veterinary technician license! (Especially if they’ve been chronically short staffed).