Animal technician vs veterinary nurse

The differences between animal technicians and veterinary nurses 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 veterinary nurse. Additionally, a veterinary nurse has an average salary of $34,511, 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 veterinary nurse are patients, patient care, and PET.

Animal technician vs veterinary nurse overview

	Animal Technician	Veterinary Nurse
Yearly salary	$31,378	$34,511
Hourly rate	$15.09	$16.59
Growth rate	20%	20%
Number of jobs	39,917	17,000
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	12	12

Animal technician vs veterinary nurse salary

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

	Animal Technician	Veterinary Nurse
Average salary	$31,378	$34,511
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $51,000	Between $26,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Harvard University	CVS Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between animal technician and veterinary nurse education

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

	Animal Technician	Veterinary Nurse
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Biology	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	Ohio State University	University of Florida

Animal technician vs veterinary nurse demographics

Here are the differences between animal technicians' and veterinary nurses' demographics:

	Animal Technician	Veterinary Nurse
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%	Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%
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%

Differences between animal technician and veterinary nurse duties and responsibilities

Animal technician example responsibilities.

Maintain all necessary paperwork for specific species as required by the USDA, IACUC, as well as other agencies.
Maintain the cleanliness and organization of all animal facility locations.
Stock shelves with personal protection equipment (PPE).
Learned all PPE policies for different areas of the vivarium.
Train and supervise fellow animal technicians in GLP, vivarium policy, husbandry and sterilization methods.
Perform oral gavage, im, iv and ip injections and retro orbital collections in mice.

Veterinary nurse example responsibilities.

Place intravenous catheters manage iv lines and medication administration.
Monitor anesthesia and first-assist in surgical procedures -assist doctors in filling prescriptions, communicating with pet owners, and monitoring patients.
Prepare oxygen, fluid and catheter equipment for routine use and emergency situations.
Administer vaccinations, medications, catheter placement, surgery assisting and monitoring.
Collect laboratory speciments and run routine tests.place IV catheters and monitor fluids.
Prepare surgical suites, monitor anesthesia, maintain and sterilize equipment, recording patient history, prescription and laboratory information.

Animal technician vs veterinary nurse skills

Common animal technician skills

Animal Handling, 7%
Autoclaves, 7%
Euthanasia, 6%
Laboratory Animal Care, 4%
Technical Procedures, 4%
AALAS, 4%

Common veterinary nurse skills

Patients, 21%
Patient Care, 8%
PET, 8%
Catheter, 6%
Medical Procedures, 6%
Vital Signs, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Animal Technician
Animal Technician vs Veterinary Nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

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