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What does a licensed veterinary technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
John Seyjagat
What does a licensed veterinary technician do

A licensed veterinary technician serves as the assistant of the veterinarian who is responsible for doing clinical work inside a clinic or a veterinary hospital. They monitor and observe the current health situation of an animal and also give them first aid when needed. They are also tasked to collect specimens and conduct different laboratory tests, then give it to the veterinarian to determine the pet's health condition. Vet techs can also perform vaccination or prepare sick animals for tests or surgery.

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Licensed veterinary technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real licensed veterinary technician resumes:

  • Place intravenous catheters manage iv lines and medication administration.
  • Perform venipuncture for catheter placement, urinary catheter placement and lab diagnostics.
  • Induce and monitor anesthesia during surgery and diagnostic procedures.
  • Perform venipuncture from various sites for necessary laboratory tests.
  • Job responsibilities include assisting the veterinary surgeon and veterinary assistant with admitting patients for routine spay/ neuter surgery.
  • Perform daily tests on autoclaves.
  • Draw blood from numerous venipuncture sites.
  • Administer medications, start iv cathethers.
  • Perform life saving measures, including CPR.
  • Maintain records and logs for OSHA inspections.
  • Assist with front office duties and triage owner phone calls.
  • Prepare sutures, sponges and other surgical supplies as needed during procedures.
  • Provide the utmost care and compassion felines, canines, exotics and avians.
  • Assist fulltime staff with cleaning and preparing for inspections by OSHA and AAHA.
  • Utilize experience, knowledge base and compassion to advance the students assign to success.

Licensed veterinary technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Licensed Veterinary Technicians are proficient in PET, Patients, and Anesthesia. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Licensed Veterinary Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • PET, 16%

    Certified Pet Crematory Technician Licensed Veterinary Technician

  • Patients, 14%

    Assisted Veterinarian with patients during physical exams and medical procedures as well as with sterile surgical procedures.

  • Anesthesia, 8%

    Induced and monitored anesthesia during surgery and diagnostic procedures.

  • Patient Care, 7%

    Trained technicians on advanced procedures, recognize and prioritize emergency situations and implement improvement plans to increase patient care and comfort.

  • Catheter, 7%

    Licensed Veterinary Tech: Draw blood, take x-rays, and place catheters

  • Venipuncture, 6%

    Performed venipuncture placed IV catheters Administered Subcutaneous, Intramuscular, and Intravenous injections and fluids.

"pet," "patients," and "anesthesia" are among the most common skills that licensed veterinary technicians use at work. You can find even more licensed veterinary technician responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a licensed veterinary technician to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "veterinary technologists and technicians communicate with supervisors, other staff, and animal owners." Additionally, a licensed veterinary technician resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "provided client communication and education. "

Compassion. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling licensed veterinary technician duties is compassion. The role rewards competence in this skill because "veterinary technologists and technicians must treat animals with kindness and must be sensitive when dealing with the owners of sick pets." According to a licensed veterinary technician resume, here's how licensed veterinary technicians can utilize compassion in their job responsibilities: "provide pet owners with excellent customer service and compassionate care for their pets. "

Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of licensed veterinary technicians is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday licensed veterinary technician duties, as "veterinary technologists and technicians must pay attention to detail." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "utilized appropriate restraint system to manage agitated, disoriented, and/or combative high risk patients. "

Manual dexterity. A big part of what licensed veterinary technicians do relies on "manual dexterity." You can see how essential it is to licensed veterinary technician responsibilities because "veterinary technologists and technicians must handle animals, medical instruments, and laboratory equipment with care." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical licensed veterinary technician tasks: "vet tech veterinary clinic lab work patient care clinical care, surgery prep and monitoring record keeping, and x-ray manual development"

Physical strength. A commonly-found skill in licensed veterinary technician job descriptions, "physical strength" is essential to what licensed veterinary technicians do. Licensed veterinary technician responsibilities rely on this skill because "veterinary technologists and technicians need to be able to manage and lift animals." You can also see how licensed veterinary technician duties rely on physical strength in this resume example: "perform initial physical exam and evaluate them for adoption and/or rehabilitation according to their health and behavioral status. "

All licensed veterinary technician skills

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Compare different licensed veterinary technicians

Licensed veterinary technician vs. Technician

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.

If we compare the average licensed veterinary technician annual salary with that of a technician, we find that technicians typically earn a $2,324 lower salary than licensed veterinary technicians make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between licensed veterinary technicians and technicians are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like patients, patient care, and catheter.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, licensed veterinary technician responsibilities require skills like "pet," "anesthesia," "venipuncture," and "radiology." Meanwhile a typical technician has skills in areas such as "customer service," "hand tools," "diagnosis," and "preventative maintenance." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Technicians tend to make the most money working in the telecommunication industry, where they earn an average salary of $46,660. In contrast, licensed veterinary technicians make the biggest average salary, $41,755, in the health care industry.technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than licensed veterinary technicians. In fact, technicians are 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Licensed veterinary technician vs. Laboratory animal technician

A laboratory animal technician is responsible for conducting animal research studies by observing and analyzing animal nature and conditions. Laboratory animal technicians maintain the safety and cleanliness of animal cages, supply them food and water, and administer medications as needed. They also take samples for laboratory examinations, monitor the adequacy of inventories, and sterilize tools and equipment. A laboratory animal technician writes finding reports, logs information on the database, and coordinates with other animal experts for study validations.

A career as a laboratory animal technician brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a licensed veterinary technician. In fact, laboratory animal technicians salary is $9,987 lower than the salary of licensed veterinary technicians per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Licensed veterinary technicians and laboratory animal technicians both require similar skills like "catheter," "iv," and "surgical procedures" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, licensed veterinary technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pet," "patients," "anesthesia," and "patient care." Meanwhile, a laboratory animal technician has duties that require skills in areas such as "animal husbandry," "research animals," "cleanliness," and "technical procedures." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, laboratory animal technicians earn a lower salary than licensed veterinary technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, laboratory animal technicians earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $35,377. Whereas licensed veterinary technicians have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $41,755.laboratory animal technicians earn similar levels of education than licensed veterinary technicians in general. They're 2.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for licensed veterinary technicians in the next 3-5 years?

John SeyjagatJohn Seyjagat LinkedIn profile

Executive Director, ZAA - Zoological Association of America

Digitalization! Most of the education deliverables would be virtual. We would see an increase in webinars, recorded subject matter, and virtual tours. He who can take digitalization and bring it to life with content, uniqueness, action, drama, and storytelling would succeed.

Licensed veterinary technician vs. Animal health technician

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.

On average scale, animal health technicians bring in lower salaries than licensed veterinary technicians. In fact, they earn a $3,102 lower salary per year.By looking over several licensed veterinary technicians and animal health technicians resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "pet," "patients," and "patient care." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from licensed veterinary technician resumes include skills like "anesthesia," "venipuncture," "radiology," and "catheter placement," whereas an animal health technician is more likely to list skills in "laboratory animals," "medical procedures," "husbandry," and "euthanasia. "

Most animal health technicians achieve a higher degree level compared to licensed veterinary technicians. For example, they're 5.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Licensed veterinary technician vs. Veterinary nurse

Veterinary nurses average a lower salary than the annual salary of licensed veterinary technicians. The difference is about $5,858 per year.While their salaries may vary, licensed veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "pet," "patients," and "patient care. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between licensed veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a licensed veterinary technician might have more use for skills like "anesthesia," "venipuncture," "compassion," and "surgery." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of veterinary nurses require skills like "medical procedures," "lab tests," "internal medicine," and "radiographic procedures. "

In general, veterinary nurses earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $35,153. The highest-paying industry for a licensed veterinary technician is the health care industry.veterinary nurses reach similar levels of education compared to licensed veterinary technicians, in general. The difference is that they're 1.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of licensed veterinary technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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