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The differences between veterinary technicians and animal health 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 veterinary technician and an animal health technician. Additionally, a veterinary technician has an average salary of $38,441, which is higher than the $37,267 average annual salary of an animal health technician.
The top three skills for a veterinary technician include PET, patients and anesthesia. The most important skills for an animal health technician are animal handling, IM, and laboratory animals.
| Veterinary Technician | Animal Health Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,441 | $37,267 |
| Hourly rate | $18.48 | $17.92 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 41,022 | 89,376 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Veterinary Technician, also known as Vet Tech, specializes in performing laboratory tasks and providing immediate and necessary care to animals in a Hospital Clinic or Research Facility under the supervision of a Veterinarian. Moreover, a Veterinary Technician is in charge of administering medicines or treatments, gathering samples such as blood and urine for analysis, monitoring a patient's condition and learning its history, and conducting hygienic procedures such as dental and welfare. There also instances where a Veterinary Technician must communicate with pet owners, sharing extensive knowledge on how to take better care of them.
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.
Veterinary technicians and animal health technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Veterinary Technician | Animal Health Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,441 | $37,267 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $48,000 | Between $23,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute | - |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a veterinary technician and an animal health technician in terms of educational background:
| Veterinary Technician | Animal Health Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Medical Assisting Services | Animal Science |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Ohio State University |
Here are the differences between veterinary technicians' and animal health technicians' demographics:
| Veterinary Technician | Animal Health Technician | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 17.8% Female, 82.2% | Male, 29.6% Female, 70.4% |
| 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% |