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The differences between animal care specialists and small animal 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 a small animal veterinarian. Additionally, a small animal veterinarian has an average salary of $65,546, 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 a small animal veterinarian are PET, excellent interpersonal, and patient care.
| Animal Care Specialist | Small Animal Veterinarian | |
| Yearly salary | $59,197 | $65,546 |
| Hourly rate | $28.46 | $31.51 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 78,339 | 14,844 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Animal care specialists and small animal veterinarians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animal Care Specialist | Small Animal Veterinarian | |
| Average salary | $59,197 | $65,546 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $155,000 | Between $31,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | - |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | - |
| Best paying company | SPCA of Wake County | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between an animal care specialist and a small animal veterinarian in terms of educational background:
| Animal Care Specialist | Small Animal Veterinarian | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Biology | Veterinary Medicine |
| Most common college | Cornell University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between animal care specialists' and small animal veterinarians' demographics:
| Animal Care Specialist | Small Animal Veterinarian | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% | Male, 31.5% Female, 68.5% |
| 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, 5.8% Asian, 4.7% White, 83.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |