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The differences between animal technicians and registered 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 a registered veterinary technician. Additionally, a registered veterinary technician has an average salary of $40,204, 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 a registered veterinary technician are PET, patients, and venipuncture.
| Animal Technician | Registered Veterinary Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $31,378 | $40,204 |
| Hourly rate | $15.09 | $19.33 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 39,917 | 23,036 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 77% |
| 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.
Registered veterinary technicians work under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. The technicians must control and prevent zoonotic diseases. They assist veterinarians in medical administration, surgeries, and other animal health treatment procedures. These technicians observe animals for behavioral and physical changes, perform lab tests and collect laboratory examples, and provide nursing care to animals. They must undergo training in any accredited veterinarian technician programs and must study topics such as veterinary anatomy and physiology, parasitology, and veterinary nursing.
Animal technicians and registered veterinary technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Animal Technician | Registered Veterinary Technician | |
| Average salary | $31,378 | $40,204 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $51,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Salinas, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Harvard University | Neuralink IT Solutions |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an animal technician and a registered veterinary technician in terms of educational background:
| Animal Technician | Registered Veterinary Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Associate Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Biology | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | Ohio State University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between animal technicians' and registered veterinary technicians' demographics:
| Animal Technician | Registered Veterinary Technician | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2% | Male, 9.3% Female, 90.7% |
| 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% |