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The differences between animal care specialists and emergency veterinarians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an animal care specialist and an emergency veterinarian. Additionally, an emergency veterinarian has an average salary of $94,518, which is higher than the $59,197 average annual salary of an animal care specialist.
The top three skills for an animal care specialist include PET, animal handling and quality customer service. The most important skills for an emergency veterinarian are PET, patients, and emergency medicine.
| Animal Care Specialist | Emergency Veterinarian | |
| Yearly salary | $59,197 | $94,518 |
| Hourly rate | $28.46 | $45.44 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 78,339 | 34,931 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Animal Care Specialists are responsible for caring for an animal's health and safety. Their duties include grooming and feeding animals, cleaning and disinfecting living quarters, perform a physical examination, administer medication and vaccinations, and deliver post-operative assistance. They also arrange for adoptions as well as participate in animal rescues. An animal care specialist working in laboratories may collect blood samples, conduct lab tests, and record results. They help answer phone calls and administer individual queries.
An emergency veterinarian is responsible for providing quality care services for animals at veterinary clinics and hospitals. Emergency veterinarians diagnose the animal's condition and administer treatment plans and medications. They also coordinate with other veterinarians to claim the animal's initial medical records and history. An emergency veterinarian performs immediate surgery as needed and ensure the stability of the animals' vital signs, requiring them to have extensive knowledge of animal care of various species or area of interest.
Animal care specialists and emergency veterinarians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animal Care Specialist | Emergency Veterinarian | |
| Average salary | $59,197 | $94,518 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $155,000 | Between $47,000 And $188,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | Albany, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | SPCA of Wake County | National Veterinary Associates |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an animal care specialist and an emergency veterinarian in terms of educational background:
| Animal Care Specialist | Emergency Veterinarian | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Biology | Veterinary Medicine |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between animal care specialists' and emergency veterinarians' demographics:
| Animal Care Specialist | Emergency Veterinarian | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% | Male, 26.4% Female, 73.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% Asian, 4.8% White, 83.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 5.9% Asian, 4.7% White, 83.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |