Veterinarian technician vs laboratory animal technician

The differences between veterinarian technicians and laboratory animal 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 veterinarian technician and a laboratory animal technician. Additionally, a veterinarian technician has an average salary of $38,198, which is higher than the $30,382 average annual salary of a laboratory animal technician.

The top three skills for a veterinarian technician include patients, PET and anesthesia. The most important skills for a laboratory animal technician are animal handling, animal husbandry, and research animals.

Veterinarian technician vs laboratory animal technician overview

	Veterinarian Technician	Laboratory Animal Technician
Yearly salary	$38,198	$30,382
Hourly rate	$18.36	$14.61
Growth rate	20%	20%
Number of jobs	37,898	63,768
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	12	12

Veterinarian technician vs laboratory animal technician salary

Veterinarian technicians and laboratory animal technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Veterinarian Technician	Laboratory Animal Technician
Average salary	$38,198	$30,382
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $49,000	Between $22,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Petaluma, CA	Santa Cruz, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Boehringer Ingelheim	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between veterinarian technician and laboratory animal technician education

There are a few differences between a veterinarian technician and a laboratory animal technician in terms of educational background:

	Veterinarian Technician	Laboratory Animal Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of Virginia	Ohio State University

Veterinarian technician vs laboratory animal technician demographics

Here are the differences between veterinarian technicians' and laboratory animal technicians' demographics:

	Veterinarian Technician	Laboratory Animal Technician
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 22.7% Female, 77.3%	Male, 37.5% Female, 62.5%
Race ratio	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%	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 veterinarian technician and laboratory animal technician duties and responsibilities

Veterinarian technician example responsibilities.

Manage tech appointments, suture removal, bandage removal and placement, CPR and emergency care when need.
Conduct general triage of all appointments before seen by DVM.
Assist DVM with schedule appointments, restrain pets as needed, draw blood and place I.V.
Develop and implement new drug control procedures as well as pet control and identification program
Draw up blood work & assist veterinarian during physical exam of patients, administer controlled/uncontrol drugs to patients
Prepare patients for examinations by assessing potential problems prior to entering examination room with doctor -assist Dr. McMahon with surgery

Laboratory animal technician example responsibilities.

Manage the crossing activities to meet the target number of F1 seed, including quality control and purity.
Conduct daily internal audits/inspections to ensure lab are in compliance with IACUC, GLP and FDA regulations.
Register animal lab technician and member of AALAS.
Maintain lab records in accordance to USDA standards.
Depend upon for movement of sows and gilts.
Perform husbandry duties for all species house according to ALLAC and USDA standards.

Veterinarian technician vs laboratory animal technician skills

Common veterinarian technician skills

Patients, 16%
PET, 9%
Anesthesia, 8%
Catheter, 7%
Lab Tests, 7%
Surgery Room, 6%

Common laboratory animal technician skills

Animal Handling, 11%
Animal Husbandry, 10%
Research Animals, 5%
Cleanliness, 5%
Technical Procedures, 5%
Animal Species, 4%

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Veterinarian Technician
Veterinarian Technician vs Laboratory Animal Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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