How to hire a registered veterinary technician

How to hire a registered veterinary technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step registered veterinary technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a registered veterinary technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new registered veterinary technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a registered veterinary technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a registered veterinary technician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A registered veterinary technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, registered veterinary technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of registered veterinary technicians.

   Type of Registered Veterinary Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Registered Veterinary Technician	Veterinary technologists and technicians perform medical tests under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian to assist in diagnosing the injuries and illnesses of animals.	$14-25
   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... Show more	$11-27
   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... Show more	$10-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PET
   • Patients
   • Venipuncture
   • Catheter
   • Patient Care
   • RVT
   • Radiology
   • Exam Rooms
   • Compassion
   • Lab Tests
   • IV
   • Animal Handling
   • Triage
   • Surgical Procedures

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide patient care to hospitalize patients while maintaining surgical facilities and records as well as provided client education.
   • Care for ICU and hospitalize animals.
   • Place catheters, intubation and extubation, blood collection.
   • Weekend, graveyard surgery, ICU & emergency services.
   • Maintain up to date medical records following GLP standards.
   • Experience in intubating pigs, rats, rabbits and sheep.

   More registered veterinary technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your registered veterinary technician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A registered veterinary technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a registered veterinary technician in Utah may be lower than in California, and an entry-level registered veterinary technician usually earns less than a senior-level registered veterinary technician. Additionally, a registered veterinary technician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average registered veterinary technician salary

   $40,204yearly

   $19.33 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level registered veterinary technician salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average registered veterinary technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$52,088	$25
   2	Maryland	$47,965	$23
   3	Hawaii	$40,979	$20
   4	Kansas	$35,724	$17
   5	Indiana	$35,434	$17
   6	North Carolina	$34,837	$17
   7	Ohio	$34,696	$17
   8	Missouri	$33,876	$16
   9	New Mexico	$33,142	$16
   10	Georgia	$31,477	$15

   Average registered veterinary technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Neuralink IT Solutions	$44,099	$21.20	1
   2	ASPCA	$43,632	$20.98	17
   3	San Diego Humane Society	$42,865	$20.61	1
   4	Helen Woodward Animal Center	$42,819	$20.59	1
   5	University of Rochester	$42,758	$20.56	4
   6	Ethos Veterinary Health	$42,671	$20.51	206
   7	Best Friends Animal Society	$42,628	$20.49	1
   8	County Of Los Angeles Public Library	$42,436	$20.40
   9	VCA Animal Hospitals	$42,393	$20.38	1,424
   10	BluePearl Vet	$42,060	$20.22	348
   11	The Animal Medical Center	$41,849	$20.12	35
   12	Southern Veterinary Partners	$41,560	$19.98	1
   13	Lacosta Inc	$41,481	$19.94
   14	Modern Animal	$41,481	$19.94	66
   15	noahshospitals	$41,465	$19.94	15
   16	Memorial Healthcare	$41,296	$19.85
   17	HCR ManorCare	$39,806	$19.14
   18	Kelly Services	$39,191	$18.84
   19	VetCor	$39,095	$18.80	453
   20	East Tennessee Children's Hospital	$39,049	$18.77

4. Writing a registered veterinary technician job description

   A registered veterinary technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a registered veterinary technician job description:

   Registered veterinary technician job description example

   Sawnee Animal Clinic is a growing practice in a growing community! We are always welcoming new clients to our practice. We strive to provide the best possible care to our clients and our patients, and have been doing so since the hospital opened in 1996. We are a mixed animal practice providing care to not only cats and dogs, but farm animals, small mammals, reptiles, and birds. Our services include wellness and illness exams, general surgery, dental care, and diagnostics. We also have state of the art equipment such as digital radiology, dental radiology, and cold laser therapy.
   
   Our hospital is conveniently located close to Atlanta as well as the North GA mountains. If you believe that you would like to join our compassionate and positive team, please apply today!
   
   Southern Veterinary Partners is a veterinarian-owned and managed network of 300+ animal hospitals with the common goal of providing the highest quality veterinary care to companion animals with exceptional client experiences.
   
   We are seeking a Credentialed Veterinary Technician to join our growing team and help ensure we are providing those great experiences. When you join our organization as a Veterinary Technician, you gain access to a peer network of over 5000 individuals, CE allowance, and Learning & Development programs to help you meet your career goals. Whether you are just now starting your journey as a Veterinary Technician or are looking to make a change, SVP provides you with the resources you need to have a rewarding, enjoyable, and balanced career.
   Patient examinations, auscultation of heart and lung sounds, determine normal/abnormal TPRs and QATS Professional client communication and education obtaining medical histories and symptoms Laboratory procedures including but not limited to: hematology, cytology, urinalysis, microbiology, blood chemistry, and fecals Diagnostic imaging and implementing safety protocols of fellow staff members Surgical assisting; preparing and maintaining the surgical environment in order to ensure an asepsis environment for both patient and personal safety. Anesthesia monitoring and endotracheal intubation Nursing skills including: restraining patients, administering medications PO/IV/SUBQ/IM, applying and maintaining bandages, providing high quality physical and psychological needs of the patient during any hospitalization stay or visit Proficient in dental prophylaxis Pharmacy and pharmacology knowledge including: preparing and dispensing medications, calculating dosages, recognizing adverse reactions, knowledge of regulations regarding the safe handling of biohazardous materials Position Requirements: Veterinary Technician Certification or Licensure (CVT, RVT, LVT, or LVMT). Flexible schedule including some weekend and holiday shifts. Must possess strong communication skills, good judgment and be able to manage stressful situations.
   Ready to help us WAG? We live out our WAG Values on a daily basis, but don't just take our word for it. Check out the video below to hear directly from some of our teammates on what our WAG Values mean to them. Pay rates of $20.00-$30.00/hour based on experience Benefits
   
   Our team members enjoy an extensive, comprehensive benefits package. When you're on our team, we've got you covered.
   
   YOUR HEALTH - COVERED. Health Insurance Dental Insurance Paid Time Off Vision Insurance Critical Illness Insurance Mental Health Counseling Hospital Indemnity Insurance Life & Accident Insurance Long & Short-term Disability Insurance Teledoc- FREE doctor access 24/7
   YOUR FAMILY - COVERED. Caring for Elderly Family Returning to Work After a Baby Divorce Moving to a New Community Grieving for a Lost Loved One Military Family Matters Job Relocation Buying or Selling a Home
   YOUR FINANCES - COVERED. Sign-on Bonuses Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Budgeting and Financial Guidance Teammate Referral Program Discounted Veterinary Care Retirement Planning Will and Testament Planning Tax Issues Identify Theft Recovery Legal Counseling Teammate Assistance Program
   About Southern Veterinary Partners
   
   SVP pursues partnerships with like-minded veterinarians to build this growing network of compassionate, service-oriented animal hospitals. We're based in Birmingham, AL, but the heartbeat of our organization is in our 300+ local animal hospitals across the country.
   
   Our team's continuous dedication has rewarded us with remarkable growth, and Southern Veterinary Partners now employs more than 5,000 employees nationwide. The organization's success has not gone unnoticed, landing us recognition among Inc. 5000's List of "Fastest Growing Companies in America" (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021), Birmingham Business Journal's "FastTrack 30" of the Fastest Growing Companies in Birmingham (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021), and Birmingham Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" (2021).
   
   You + SVP Amazing Together
   Let's talk about your amazing future. Start the conversation with our teams today.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right registered veterinary technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your registered veterinary technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality registered veterinary technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit registered veterinary technicians, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new registered veterinary technician

   Once you've selected the best registered veterinary technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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