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What does a veterinary surgery technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
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John Seyjagat
What does a veterinary surgery technician do
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Veterinary surgery technician responsibilities

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

  • Manage tech appointments, suture removal, bandage removal and placement, CPR and emergency care when need.
  • Provide pet owners with information on advise medical procedures.
  • Develop a new radiology technique chart in order to improve xray quality.
  • Draw blood, place iv catheters, educate clients on the best care for their pets.
  • Set up all equipment and prep animals for surgery: shaving, iv catheters and administering intravenous/intramuscular drugs.
  • Regulate surgery and radiology department.
  • Prepare animals for surgery, including intubation of patients and installing intravenous catheters.
  • Administer routine, post-operative and daily treatments to patients in collaboration with the veterinarian.
  • Administer oral or topical medications to hospitalize or boarding patients as specified by veterinarian in the patients record.
  • Create a patient kit for new pet owners through collaboration with hospital staff to identify important and useful educational materials.
  • Develop anesthesia and general nursing protocols, and establish a reputation for veterinary excellence in small animal and exotic species medicine.
  • Administer chemotherapy in accordance with doctor's orders.

Veterinary surgery technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 28% of Veterinary Surgery Technicians are proficient in Patients, PET, and Catheter. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.

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

  • Patients, 28%

    Administered oral or topical medications to hospitalized or boarding patients as specified by veterinarian in the patients record.

  • PET, 21%

    Certified Pet Crematory Technician Licensed Veterinary Technician

  • Catheter, 16%

    Administer vaccinations, medications, catheter placement, surgery assisting and monitoring.

  • Radiology, 5%

    Regulated surgery and radiology department.

  • IV, 4%

    Administered medications oral, IV, IM and topical.

  • Surgical Procedures, 3%

    assist veterinarians with a variety of surgical procedures.

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

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a veterinary surgery 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 veterinary surgery technician resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "involved in hospital aaha certification skills used radiology phlebotomy communication quick to learn new policies and procedures"

Compassion. Many veterinary surgery technician duties rely on compassion. "veterinary technologists and technicians must treat animals with kindness and must be sensitive when dealing with the owners of sick pets.," so a veterinary surgery technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways veterinary surgery technician responsibilities rely on compassion: "demonstrated strong communication skills, work ethic, and pet compassion. "

Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of veterinary surgery technicians is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday veterinary surgery technician duties, as "veterinary technologists and technicians must pay attention to detail." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "excel in thoroughness and being detail oriented in exam room. "

Manual dexterity. A big part of what veterinary surgery technicians do relies on "manual dexterity." You can see how essential it is to veterinary surgery 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 veterinary surgery technician tasks: "designed training manuals and education techniques in laboratory procedures using ms office. "

Physical strength. Another common skill required for veterinary surgery technician responsibilities is "physical strength." This skill comes up in the duties of veterinary surgery technicians all the time, as "veterinary technologists and technicians need to be able to manage and lift animals." An excerpt from a real veterinary surgery technician resume shows how this skill is central to what a veterinary surgery technician does: "performed as a school trained veterinary technician assisting in surgeries, physicals, radiology and laboratory testing. "

Most common veterinary surgery technician skills

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Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume
Veterinary Surgery Technician Resume

Compare different veterinary surgery technicians

Veterinary surgery 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.

We looked at the average veterinary surgery technician salary and compared it with the wages of an animal health technician. Generally speaking, animal health technicians are paid $1,752 lower than veterinary surgery technicians per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both veterinary surgery technician and animal health technician positions are skilled in patients, pet, and catheter.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, veterinary surgery technician responsibilities require skills like "radiology," "mri," "cpr," and "critical care." Meanwhile a typical animal health technician has skills in areas such as "laboratory animals," "husbandry," "euthanasia," and "usda." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

The education levels that animal health technicians earn slightly differ from veterinary surgery technicians. In particular, animal health technicians are 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a veterinary surgery technician. Additionally, they're 2.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Veterinary surgery 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.

Technician positions earn lower pay than veterinary surgery technician roles. They earn a $974 lower salary than veterinary surgery technicians per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Veterinary surgery technicians and technicians both require similar skills like "patients," "catheter," and "iv" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real veterinary surgery technician resumes. While veterinary surgery technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "pet," "radiology," "surgical procedures," and "mri," technicians use skills like "customer service," "patient care," "hand tools," and "diagnosis."

On average, technicians earn a lower salary than veterinary surgery technicians. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, technicians earn the most pay in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $46,660. Whereas veterinary surgery technicians have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,412.technicians earn similar levels of education than veterinary surgery technicians in general. They're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for veterinary surgery 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.

Veterinary surgery 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.

On average, laboratory animal technicians earn lower salaries than veterinary surgery technicians, with a $8,637 difference per year.By looking over several veterinary surgery technicians and laboratory animal technicians resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "catheter," "iv," and "surgical procedures." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a veterinary surgery technician is likely to be skilled in "patients," "pet," "radiology," and "mri," while a typical laboratory animal technician is skilled in "animal husbandry," "research animals," "cleanliness," and "technical procedures."

Laboratory animal technicians earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $35,377. Veterinary surgery technicians earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $40,412.When it comes to education, laboratory animal technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to veterinary surgery technicians. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Veterinary surgery technician vs. Animal technician

An animal technician is responsible for ensuring the animals' welfare under the supervision and guidance of a licensed veterinarian. Animal technicians maintain an organized record of animal information, assisting in medical surgeries and procedures, administering medications, collecting laboratory samples, and sending examination reports to the animal owners. They also keep the cages clean, inspecting the clinic's tools and equipment, and sterilizing laboratory materials to avoid contamination. An animal technician must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in responding to the owners' inquiries and concerns and monitoring the animals' conditions.

Animal technicians tend to earn a lower pay than veterinary surgery technicians by an average of $7,641 per year.According to resumes from veterinary surgery technicians and animal technicians, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "patients," "pet," and "catheter. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A veterinary surgery technician uses "radiology," "mri," "cpr," and "critical care." Animal technicians are more likely to have duties that require skills in "autoclaves," "euthanasia," "laboratory animal care," and "technical procedures. "In general, animal technicians earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $41,499. The highest-paying industry for a veterinary surgery technician is the health care industry.The average resume of animal technicians showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to veterinary surgery technicians. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of veterinary surgery 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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