Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
Health Science · Diagnostic Services
Pay and outlook shown for
New workers start near $30,370; experienced workers reach $56,140. About 1,730 people do this job in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Job outlook
Alamo region (San Antonio and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034; U.S. figures from the BLS.
- Employment change
- +40.6%
- Openings a year
- 289
- Employed in 2024
- 1,897
Typical entry education: Associate's degree
Alamo Colleges programs that lead here
1 program, with the college that teaches each.
Skills this career uses
The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Speaking3.8
- Monitoring3.5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Writing3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
What the work is
Perform medical tests in a laboratory environment for use in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases in animals. Prepare vaccines and serums for prevention of diseases. Prepare tissue samples, take blood samples, and execute laboratory tests, such as urinalysis and blood counts. Clean and sterilize instruments and materials and maintain equipment and machines. May assist a veterinarian during surgery.
- Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
- Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
- Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, or treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
- Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, or feces, such as urinalyses or blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
- Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures.
- Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.
Education people in this job have
Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.
- High school or less41%
- Certificate15%
- Some college7%
- Associate degree26%
- Bachelor's degree5%
- Doctoral or professional6%
Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.
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