Animal health technician vs technician

The differences between animal health technicians and 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 a technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a technician has an average salary of $38,045, which is higher than the $37,267 average annual salary of an animal health technician.

The top three skills for an animal health technician include animal handling, IM and laboratory animals. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Animal health technician vs technician overview

	Animal Health Technician	Technician
Yearly salary	$37,267	$38,045
Hourly rate	$17.92	$18.29
Growth rate	20%	1%
Number of jobs	89,376	596,842
Job satisfaction	-	2
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	32	40
Years of experience	12	2

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 a technician do?

Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.

Animal health technician vs technician salary

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

	Animal Health Technician	Technician
Average salary	$37,267	$38,045
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $58,000	Between $24,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Microsoft
Best paying industry	-	Telecommunication

Differences between animal health technician and technician education

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

	Animal Health Technician	Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Animal Science	Business
Most common college	Ohio State University	-

Animal health technician vs technician demographics

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

	Animal Health Technician	Technician
Average age	32	40
Gender ratio	Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4%	Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%
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, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	9%	2%

Differences between animal health technician and 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.

Technician example responsibilities.

Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.

Animal health technician vs technician skills

Common animal health technician skills

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

Common technician skills

Patients, 16%
Customer Service, 14%
Patient Care, 8%
Hand Tools, 6%
Diagnosis, 5%
Preventative Maintenance, 4%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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