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What does a registered veterinary technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a registered veterinary technician do

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.

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Registered veterinary technician responsibilities

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

  • 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.
  • Work as the summer LVT for a native wildlife teaching hospital.
  • Administer emergency first aid, including CPR and other life saving procedures.
  • Provide LVT skills in the emergency/ ICU department on a relief basis.
  • Provide patient education on using crutches, slings, and air casts.
  • Provide triage, assist veterinarians with preventive care duties, basic and advanced/complex procedures.
  • Assist with appointments, proper restraint, subq fluids, IM injections, nail trims.
  • Provide sound veterinary medical advice to pet insurance policyholders.
  • Perform advance patient monitoring and treatment for critically ill patients and minor invasive treatments with minimal supervision.
  • Place intravenous catheters and assist with anesthesia.

Registered veterinary technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 22% of Registered Veterinary Technicians are proficient in PET, Patients, and Venipuncture. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.

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

  • PET, 22%

    Enhanced Client education and knowledge concerning, adequate and important health care, tests and medications for their family pet.

  • Patients, 14%

    Provided patient care to hospitalized patients while maintaining surgical facilities and records as well as provided client education.

  • Venipuncture, 7%

    Performed all laboratory tests, routine venipuncture, was utilized as surgery anesthesiologist, and maintained clinic inventory control.

  • Catheter, 7%

    Assisted Veterinarians performing routine exams/surgeries Intravenous/Urinary catheter placement, x-rays etc.

  • Patient Care, 7%

    Participate in monthly anesthesia/critical patient care rounds.

  • RVT, 5%

    Established new written clinic guidelines for duties of technician students Trained & mentored RVT students from different schools

Common skills that a registered veterinary technician uses to do their job include "pet," "patients," and "venipuncture." You can find details on the most important registered veterinary technician responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a registered veterinary technician to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what registered veterinary technicians do because "veterinary technologists and technicians communicate with supervisors, other staff, and animal owners." Additionally, a registered veterinary technician resume shows how registered veterinary technicians use communication skills: "enjoy client communications and customer service interactions. "

Compassion. Another essential skill to perform registered veterinary technician duties is compassion. Registered veterinary technicians responsibilities require that "veterinary technologists and technicians must treat animals with kindness and must be sensitive when dealing with the owners of sick pets." Registered veterinary technicians also use compassion in their role according to a real resume snippet: "provided compassionate and competent support and intensive care to emergency and critical care patients. "

Detail oriented. This is an important skill for registered veterinary technicians to perform their duties. For an example of how registered veterinary technician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "veterinary technologists and technicians must pay attention to detail." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a registered veterinary technician: "obtain thorough patient histories; maintain detailed medical records and client communication. ".

Manual dexterity. registered veterinary technician responsibilities often require "manual dexterity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "veterinary technologists and technicians must handle animals, medical instruments, and laboratory equipment with care." This resume example shows what registered veterinary technicians do with manual dexterity on a typical day: "prepared and analyzed diagnostic tests for different specimens manually and mechanically. "

Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a registered veterinary technician to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what registered veterinary technicians relies on this skill, since "veterinary technologists and technicians need to be able to manage and lift animals." How this skill relates to registered veterinary technician duties can be seen in an example from a registered veterinary technician resume snippet: "obtained detailed history from owners and general parameters from the patient prior to physical examination. "

All registered veterinary technician skills

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Compare different registered veterinary technicians

Registered 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.

The annual salary of animal health technicians is $2,937 lower than the average salary of registered veterinary technicians.Even though registered veterinary technicians and animal health technicians are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require pet, patients, and catheter in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a registered veterinary technician are more likely to require skills like "venipuncture," "rvt," "radiology," and "compassion." On the other hand, a job as an animal health technician requires skills like "im," "laboratory animals," "medical procedures," and "husbandry." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Animal health technicians tend to reach higher levels of education than registered veterinary technicians. In fact, animal health technicians are 6.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Registered 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.

Laboratory animal technician positions earn lower pay than registered veterinary technician roles. They earn a $9,822 lower salary than registered veterinary technicians per year.A few skills overlap for registered veterinary technicians and laboratory animal technicians. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "catheter," "iv," and "animal handling. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that registered veterinary technician responsibilities requires skills like "pet," "patients," "venipuncture," and "patient care." But a laboratory animal technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "animal husbandry," "research animals," "cleanliness," and "technical procedures."

On average, laboratory animal technicians earn a lower salary than registered 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 registered veterinary technicians have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $41,217.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Laboratory animal technicians tend to reach similar levels of education than registered veterinary technicians. In fact, they're 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 3.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Registered 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.

On average scale, technicians bring in lower salaries than registered veterinary technicians. In fact, they earn a $2,159 lower salary per year.registered veterinary technicians and technicians both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "catheter," and "patient care," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a registered veterinary technician is likely to be skilled in "pet," "venipuncture," "rvt," and "radiology," while a typical technician is skilled in "customer service," "hand tools," "diagnosis," and "preventative maintenance."

Technicians make a very good living in the telecommunication industry with an average annual salary of $46,660. On the other hand, registered veterinary technicians are paid the highest salary in the health care industry, with average annual pay of $41,217.Most technicians achieve a similar degree level compared to registered veterinary technicians. For example, they're 1.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Registered veterinary technician vs. Veterinary nurse

Veterinary nurses average a lower salary than the annual salary of registered veterinary technicians. The difference is about $5,693 per year.According to resumes from registered veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "pet," "patients," and "catheter. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between registered veterinary technicians and veterinary nurses, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a registered veterinary technician might have more use for skills like "venipuncture," "rvt," "compassion," and "anesthesia induction." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of veterinary nurses require skills like "medical procedures," "catheter placement," "emergency care," 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 registered veterinary technician is the health care industry.veterinary nurses reach similar levels of education compared to registered veterinary technicians, in general. The difference is that they're 2.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of registered 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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