Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between veterinarians and animal care specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a veterinarian and an animal care specialist. Additionally, a veterinarian has an average salary of $109,524, which is higher than the $59,197 average annual salary of an animal care specialist.
The top three skills for a veterinarian include PET, customer service and diagnostic tests. The most important skills for an animal care specialist are PET, animal handling, and quality customer service.
| Veterinarian | Animal Care Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $109,524 | $59,197 |
| Hourly rate | $52.66 | $28.46 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 13,255 | 78,339 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Veterinarians are responsible for diagnosing the injuries and illnesses of animals through a variety of procedures. Veterinarians often perform vaccinations to protect animals from diseases, but they can also be involved with an animal's dental health as well. Some other duties include prescribing medication, performing surgical procedures, and dressing wounds. Veterinarians are concerned with all aspects of an animal's well-being, which inclues emergency procedures as well as long-term preventative healthcare. Veterinarians are also known as "vets," and most conduct their work in private clinics.
Animal Care Specialists are responsible for caring for an animal's health and safety. Their duties include grooming and feeding animals, cleaning and disinfecting living quarters, perform a physical examination, administer medication and vaccinations, and deliver post-operative assistance. They also arrange for adoptions as well as participate in animal rescues. An animal care specialist working in laboratories may collect blood samples, conduct lab tests, and record results. They help answer phone calls and administer individual queries.
Veterinarians and animal care specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Veterinarian | Animal Care Specialist | |
| Average salary | $109,524 | $59,197 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $205,000 | Between $22,000 And $155,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, ME | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | Maine | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium | SPCA of Wake County |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a veterinarian and an animal care specialist in terms of educational background:
| Veterinarian | Animal Care Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Veterinary Medicine | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between veterinarians' and animal care specialists' demographics:
| Veterinarian | Animal Care Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% Asian, 4.8% White, 83.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 1.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 6.1% Asian, 4.8% White, 83.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |