Animal health technician vs animal care technician

The differences between animal health technicians and animal care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an animal health technician, becoming an animal care technician takes usually requires 1-3 months. Additionally, an animal health technician has an average salary of $37,267, which is higher than the $29,617 average annual salary of an animal care technician.

The top three skills for an animal health technician include animal handling, IM and laboratory animals. The most important skills for an animal care technician are patients, animal husbandry, and pigs.

Animal health technician vs animal care technician overview

	Animal Health Technician	Animal Care Technician
Yearly salary	$37,267	$29,617
Hourly rate	$17.92	$14.24
Growth rate	20%	28%
Number of jobs	89,376	96,973
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	12	3

What does an animal health technician do?

Animal health technicians work primarily in an animal diagnostics laboratory, where they test specimens according to a veterinarian's requests. The animal health technician must be capable of operating all of the necessary diagnostics equipment for animal care. The animal health technician must provide accurate results on diagnostic requests coming from a veterinarian. Added responsibilities of an animal health technician are educating owners on taking care of their pets, ensuring that all equipment is working correctly, and providing accurate results for better diagnosis.

What does an animal care technician do?

An animal care technician is an animal medical professional who is responsible for providing care to animals in the clinical or research setting. Animal care technicians take blood or stool samples from animals and run laboratory tests to determine the cause of an ailment. They often take charge of bathing and grooming animals as well as administer anesthesia before procedures. Animal care technicians are also required to speak to the pet's owners to help them understand the diagnosis and administer medication.

Animal health technician vs animal care technician salary

Animal health technicians and animal care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Health Technician	Animal Care Technician
Average salary	$37,267	$29,617
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $58,000	Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Emory University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between animal health technician and animal care technician education

There are a few differences between an animal health technician and an animal care technician in terms of educational background:

	Animal Health Technician	Animal Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Animal Science	Biology
Most common college	Ohio State University	New York University

Animal health technician vs animal care technician demographics

Here are the differences between animal health technicians' and animal care technicians' demographics:

	Animal Health Technician	Animal Care Technician
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%	Male, 31.1% Female, 68.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	11%

Differences between animal health technician and animal care technician duties and responsibilities

Animal health technician example responsibilities.

Manage tech appointments, suture removal, bandage removal and placement, CPR and emergency care when need.
Blood draws, lab work, suture removal, catheter placement.
Prepare media and other analytical processes in compliance with FDA regulations guidelines.
Inspect and maintain facilities organization and operations according to FDA and clinical standards.
Administer drug, fluid and respiratory therapy to critically-ill patients in an effort to provide optimal support during anesthesia.
Perform various administrative support functions including answering telephones, checking patients in/out and responding to any inquiries and taking appointments.

Animal care technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Train in safety procedures for blood borne pathogens, GLP and GMP certification, and ISO standards.
Familiarize with the strains of various animal species to include rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs.
Interview prospective adopting families while counseling on animal welfare and responsibilities of pet owners.
Maintain knowledge of CPR procedures and evacuation procedures.
Assist with minor emergency procedures, perform CPR.

Animal health technician vs animal care technician skills

Common animal health technician skills

Animal Handling, 12%
IM, 7%
Laboratory Animals, 6%
Medical Procedures, 6%
Husbandry, 5%
Euthanasia, 5%

Common animal care technician skills

Patients, 10%
Animal Husbandry, 9%
Pigs, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Animal Handling, 5%
GLP, 4%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Animal Health Technician
Animal Health Technician vs Animal Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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