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The differences between animal technicians and emergency veterinary technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both an animal technician and an emergency veterinary technician. Additionally, an emergency veterinary technician has an average salary of $38,689, which is higher than the $31,378 average annual salary of an animal technician.
The top three skills for an animal technician include animal handling, autoclaves and euthanasia. The most important skills for an emergency veterinary technician are patients, PET, and catheter.
| Animal Technician | Emergency Veterinary Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $31,378 | $38,689 |
| Hourly rate | $15.09 | $18.60 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 39,917 | 109,185 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
An animal technician is responsible for ensuring the animals' welfare under the supervision and guidance of a licensed veterinarian. Animal technicians maintain an organized record of animal information, assisting in medical surgeries and procedures, administering medications, collecting laboratory samples, and sending examination reports to the animal owners. They also keep the cages clean, inspecting the clinic's tools and equipment, and sterilizing laboratory materials to avoid contamination. An animal technician must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the owners' inquiries and concerns and monitoring the animals' conditions.
Emergency veterinary technicians assist with treating animals by running blood tests, administering treatments or medications, among others. A typical degree program to be a veterinary technician runs around for almost two years. Being on call for intensive care, monitoring vitals, placing catheters, taking x-rays, cleaning wounds, and applying bandages or casts are just some of the responsibilities of an emergency veterinary technician. The skills needed to be an emergency veterinary technician include intensive knowledge of animal biology, animal husbandry, knowledge of animal behavior, documentation skills, clinical skills, analyzing information, use of medical technologies, and attention to detail.
Animal technicians and emergency veterinary technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animal Technician | Emergency Veterinary Technician | |
| Average salary | $31,378 | $38,689 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $51,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Rohnert Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Harvard University | Cape Cod Healthcare |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Professional |
There are a few differences between an animal technician and an emergency veterinary technician in terms of educational background:
| Animal Technician | Emergency Veterinary Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Biology | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | Ohio State University | New York University |
Here are the differences between animal technicians' and emergency veterinary technicians' demographics:
| Animal Technician | Emergency Veterinary Technician | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 28.0% Female, 72.0% |
| 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, 2.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 2.1% White, 77.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |