Hospital technician vs veterinary technician

The differences between hospital technicians and 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 a hospital technician and a veterinary technician. Additionally, a veterinary technician has an average salary of $38,441, which is higher than the $34,666 average annual salary of a hospital technician.

The top three skills for a hospital technician include patients, customer service and hospital policies. The most important skills for a veterinary technician are PET, patients, and anesthesia.

Hospital technician vs veterinary technician overview

	Hospital Technician	Veterinary Technician
Yearly salary	$34,666	$38,441
Hourly rate	$16.67	$18.48
Growth rate	11%	20%
Number of jobs	78,657	41,022
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	45	32
Years of experience	12	12

What does a hospital technician do?

A hospital technician assists the doctors and nurses in a clinic or hospital. They assist healthcare administrators in providing quality health care to patients, which may include providing prescriptions to patients. They are expected to keep patient records, and they may also be called upon to operate some laboratory equipment. This position requires basic knowledge of how to operate hospital equipment.

What does a veterinary technician do?

A Veterinary Technician, also known as Vet Tech, specializes in performing laboratory tasks and providing immediate and necessary care to animals in a Hospital Clinic or Research Facility under the supervision of a Veterinarian. Moreover, a Veterinary Technician is in charge of administering medicines or treatments, gathering samples such as blood and urine for analysis, monitoring a patient's condition and learning its history, and conducting hygienic procedures such as dental and welfare. There also instances where a Veterinary Technician must communicate with pet owners, sharing extensive knowledge on how to take better care of them.

Hospital technician vs veterinary technician salary

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

	Hospital Technician	Veterinary Technician
Average salary	$34,666	$38,441
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $45,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Jersey City, NJ	San Rafael, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	Baystate Health	Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between hospital technician and veterinary technician education

There are a few differences between a hospital technician and a veterinary technician in terms of educational background:

	Hospital Technician	Veterinary Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Business	Medical Assisting Services
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Hospital technician vs veterinary technician demographics

Here are the differences between hospital technicians' and veterinary technicians' demographics:

	Hospital Technician	Veterinary Technician
Average age	45	32
Gender ratio	Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%	Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.0% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	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 hospital technician and veterinary technician duties and responsibilities

Hospital technician example responsibilities.

Ensure proper transfer and disposition of medical record to the VA in CHCS are accomplished according to establish policies and procedures.
Verify patient demographics are correct in CHCS.
Book all medical appointments within HIPPA guidelines.
Communicate hospital rules and regulations to patients, relate availability of benefits provide to patients by various social service programs.
Interview patients in ER clinics and inpatient areas to obtain identify and financial information, verify patient eligibility for hospital service.
Construct telephone consults and referrals and input data into AHLTA.

Veterinary technician example responsibilities.

Manage tech appointments, suture removal, bandage removal and placement, CPR and emergency care when need.
Manage operational and administrative functions such as training/supervising new employees, issuing prescriptions, and documenting pet insurance applications and transactions.
Advance medical procedures such as intravenous catheter placement, anesthetic monitoring, and nasal catheter placement.
Provide specialize nursing care, administer treatments to hospitalize patients, catheter placement and provide post operative care.
Assist in surgical preparation of patients and maintain status during surgical procedures including monitoring and adjusting anesthesia base on patient status.
Conduct routine health procedures on dogs and non-human primates, including dentistry and TB testing.

Hospital technician vs veterinary technician skills

Common hospital technician skills

Patients, 42%
Customer Service, 9%
Hospital Policies, 5%
CPR, 5%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Vital Signs, 4%

Common veterinary technician skills

PET, 25%
Patients, 12%
Anesthesia, 6%
Catheter, 6%
Exam Rooms, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Hospital Technician
Hospital Technician vs Veterinary Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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