collageDo you have vested interest in knowing all about how much vet assistants make hourly? Have you earnestly been searching the internet for the best information on it? You need not search further as the article below brings you all you need to know on it.
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About How Much Does A Vet Assistant Make
As of May 3, 2021, the average hourly pay for a Veterinary Assistant in the United States is $12.45 an hour.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $15.87 and as low as $7.93, the majority of Veterinary Assistant wages currently range between $10.34 (25th percentile) to $13.94 (75th percentile) across the United States. The average pay range for a Veterinary Assistant varies greatly (by as much as $3.61), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
Based on recent job postings on ZipRecruiter, the Veterinary Assistant job market in both Lagos, NG and the surrounding area is very active. A Veterinary Assistant in your area makes on average $12 per hour, or the same as the national average hourly salary of $12.45. ranks number 1 out of 50 states nationwide for Veterinary Assistant salaries.
To estimate the most accurate hourly salary range for Veterinary Assistant jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Veterinary Assistant on ZipRecruiter today.
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Veterinary Assistant Jobs
We’ve identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Veterinary Assistant job is above the national average. Topping the list is New York City, NY, with Dublin, CA and San Mateo, CA close behind in the second and third positions. San Mateo, CA beats the national average by $3,928 (15.2%), and New York City, NY furthers that trend with another $4,327 (16.7%) above the $25,894 average.
Significantly, New York City, NY has a very active Veterinary Assistant job market as there are several companies currently hiring for this type of role.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Veterinary Assistant appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top ten cities varies very little at 6% between New York City, NY and Quincy, MA, reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Veterinary Assistant role.
City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
New York City, NY $30,221 $2,518 $581 $14.53
Dublin, CA $29,919 $2,493 $575 $14.38
San Mateo, CA $29,822 $2,485 $574 $14.34
Walnut Creek, CA $29,630 $2,469 $570 $14.25
Boston, MA $28,863 $2,405 $555 $13.88
Juneau, AK $28,860 $2,405 $555 $13.88
Berkeley, CA $28,662 $2,389 $551 $13.78
Daly City, CA $28,580 $2,382 $550 $13.74
Santa Monica, CA $28,528 $2,377 $549 $13.72
Quincy, MA $28,410 $2,368 $546 $13.66
Top 5 Best Paying Related Veterinary Assistant Jobs in the U.S.
We found at least five jobs related to the Veterinary Assistant job category that pay more per year than a typical Veterinary Assistant salary. Top examples of these roles include: Assistant Veterinary Surgeon, Head Of Veterinary Technician, and Veterinary Pharmacist.
Importantly, all of these jobs are paid between $38,080 (147.1%) and $54,902 (212.0%) more than the average Veterinary Assistant salary of $25,894. If you’re qualified, getting hired for one of these related Veterinary Assistant jobs may help you make more money than that of the average Veterinary Assistant position.
Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
Assistant Veterinary Surgeon $80,796 $6,733 $1,554 $38.84
Head Of Veterinary Technician $75,719 $6,310 $1,456 $36.40
Veterinary Pharmacist $73,080 $6,090 $1,405 $35.13
Work From Home Veterinary Hospital Administrator $64,903 $5,409 $1,248 $31.20
Work From Home Licensed Veterinary Technician $63,974 $5,331 $1,230 $30.76
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
Veterinary Assistant Salary 2020
The veterinary assistant primarily assists veterinarians in a practice with animal care. Often, it involves working side by side with the veterinarian to administer vaccinations, draw blood for testing, or otherwise generally assist in examinations and care. In certain situations, they are called upon to assist the veterinarian in surgical procedures as well.
The veterinary assistant may have office duties as well in some practices. They may help with scheduling appointments, work as a liaison with pet owners, and help maintain a clean, healthy waiting area and examination environment. Thus, depending on the situation, an assistant may need at least some familiarity with office functions such as word processing and file management.
Where allowed by licensing requirements, the assistant also typically has supervisory responsibilities for animals left in the care of the veterinary practice. They handle proper feeding and water schedules, and they must keep such areas clean and sanitary, working to assist housebroken animals in elimination and other hands-on needs.
One of the main requirements for the veterinary assistant position is a love for and comfort with animals and pets of all kinds. Additionally, being a veterinary assistant normally requires some form of technical or vocational training and certification. Normally, veterinary assistants work standard business hours, but, in certain practices, they may also be required to spend late nights or overnights at the clinic in the aforementioned supervisory role.
The California University of Pennsylvania explains that the main duty of a vet tech is to offer hands-on support as vets check and treat animals. This can include tasks such as giving basic examinations to check vital signs, offering first aid to a hurt animal, and helping with blood tests and specimen collection. Vet techs can also x-ray animals, help vets get them ready for procedures, and give vaccinations and medicines.
The BLS mentions that vet techs play a role in research and education too. For example, they try to get as much information about the animal’s condition both from the owner and through hands-on evaluation. They also will explain to pet owners how to care for their pets after illnesses or injuries and answer questions they might have about pet care.
Vet Tech Education Requirements
According to the BLS, vet tech jobs require a minimum of an associate degree in veterinary technology, while some roles will require a bachelor’s degree in that area. Manor College explains these degree programs cover topics such as animal nursing, emergency care, dentistry, pharmacology and laboratory procedures. Students at vet tech schools spend significant time gaining hands-on experience both during courses and an externship.
States usually require licensure for vet techs. This usually involves taking the Veterinary Technician National Examination and showing proof you graduated from a state-approved vet tech program. Background checks are also common.
Vet Tech Industry
You’ll find that most vet techs work for animal medical facilities where they provide hands-on care. Smaller numbers work in industries like education where they may train future vet techs or in scientific research roles. Helping sick animals can be both rewarding and challenging, and vet techs need to be aware of the risks of getting hurt while working. This occupation offers flexibility for scheduling whether you want to work full-time or do part-time hours on nights and weekends.
Vet Tech Salary
While the mean national vet tech hourly pay was $17.63 in 2019, the BLS showed that the median hourly pay was $16.98. Further, the lowest-paid vet techs earned under $11.79 an hour while the top earners made over $24.63.
Most worked for vet offices and hospitals where they earned an average hourly wage of $17.36. Average hourly vet tech wages for other popular employers were $20.61 for higher education, $20.60 for scientific research and development, $16.32 for other personal services and $17.58 for social advocacy organizations. Vet techs working for the federal government earned the best average hourly wage at $25.93.
The BLS data for vet tech hourly pay by location showed that the District of Columbia paid them $28.98 while Connecticut came in second with $23.99. Louisiana offered the lowest average hourly wage of just $12.97.
Years of Experience
Based on information from other 1,700 salaries that vet techs reported nationally, PayScale showed an average hourly salary progression for these workers as they attained more experience. The figures reported in October 2020 were:
Zero to one year: $12.68
One to four years: $13.75
Five to nine years: $15.44
10 to 19 years: $16.79
20+ years: $17.83
Vet Tech Job Growth Trend
Due to more people having pets that will need preventative care, surgeries and treatments, demand is growing for vet techs across the country. The BLS estimates a job growth rate of 16 percent through 2029, leading to an addition of 18,300 vet tech jobs. You can compare this to the 4 percent general job growth rate for all occupations. This means that new vet techs with the appropriate training and licensure should have plenty of job opportunities.
According to a report given by the US Bureau of Labor Statics, the salary for a vet assistant range from 25,250 to 37,810 dollars.
Note that these figures are the average pay and therefore, rest assured that the payment can even go higher than this.
The Annual Estimation Earning of Vet Assistant
It is not easy to figure out the annual earning of a vet assistant because the payments are usually measured based on the various factor.
Some assistant vets are paid on an hourly basis; others are paid monthly, full time and part-time.
All these factors are determined by the animal healthcare where one is employed.
This is because some animal health facilities prefer to work with part-time vet assistants, some may require to hire vets for hourly basis especially if they have an emergency, and others opt to work with full time or permanent employees.
Vet Assistant Salary Factors
No single factor determines the salary of a vet assistant.
As we saw earlier, the animal health facilities take into consideration various factors when choosing vets to work with.
So, if you are looking forward to becoming a vet assistant, here are some essential factors that will determine how much you will be earning at the end of the day.
Experience
The amount of time that you have been working as a vet assistant plays a significant role in enabling you to get a promotion to good pay.
If you have been in the industry for more than five years, it shows that you have excellent experience and thus, you know how to solve various animal issues.
Another thing that shows you have a good experience is the number of facilities you have worked at.
If you have worked in one facility or a long time, this gives you a bonus point in getting good pay.
Work Setting
As you seek employment on various facilities, you also need to consider the facilities payment terms.
The progress of the health facility determines how much the veterinary doctor will afford to pay you.
Therefore if you are looking forward to securing good employment and also get to earn good money in the end, make sure to look for a veterinary who does not have too many employees or fewer employees.
Certification
Your level of training also matters a lot since this is what the veterinaries use to gauge your level of skills and knowledge as an assistant has.
Someone with an AVA certificate has high chances of getting a good job with good pay because the certificate adds your volubility, proves that you are a qualified assistant vet, and you can handle various animal issues.
Location
The location you choose to look for a job influences your chances of securing a job with good pay.
For example, if you prefer a city with many farmers with few veterinary institutes in that city, you have higher chances of getting employment in such a place as opposed to a place where there are few farmers and many animal health institutes.
Vet Assistant Salaries by State
The State of Connecticut.
This is the highest paying state since a vet assistant earns an average pay of 36,240 dollars.
Massachusetts was ranked as the second highest paying city by US Bureau Labor Statistics with pay of 34,900.
Maine is in the third position with the salary of 32,950 dollars.
New Jersey takes the fourth position with 31,750.
Rhode Island is in top five with pay of 31,460 dollars.
Average Annual Salary by State
| State | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $28,136 |
| Alaska | $33,502 |
| Arizona | $29,381 |
| Arkansas | $27,425 |
| California | $32,939 |
| Colorado | $29,707 |
| Connecticut | $31,961 |
| Delaware | $31,605 |
| Florida | $27,980 |
| Georgia | $29,203 |
| Hawaii | $30,923 |
| Idaho | $26,980 |
| Illinois | $31,247 |
| Indiana | $28,966 |
| Iowa | $27,751 |
| Kansas | $29,174 |
| Kentucky | $28,106 |
| Louisiana | $29,441 |
| Maine | $29,945 |
| Maryland | $30,419 |
| Massachusetts | $33,740 |
| Michigan | $30,538 |
| Minnesota | $31,635 |
| Mississippi | $26,387 |
| Missouri | $29,174 |
| Montana | $28,225 |
| Nebraska | $28,047 |
| Nevada | $30,893 |
| New Hampshire | $31,308 |
| New Jersey | $33,858 |
| New Mexico | $27,691 |
| New York | $34,507 |
| North Carolina | $29,055 |
| North Dakota | $27,662 |
| Ohio | $29,559 |
| Oklahoma | $28,166 |
| Oregon | $31,131 |
| Pennsylvania | $31,901 |
| Rhode Island | $31,397 |
| South Carolina | $27,988 |
| South Dakota | $26,090 |
| Tennessee | $27,484 |
| Texas | $29,441 |
| Utah | $28,106 |
| Vermont | $29,263 |
| Virginia | $29,737 |
| Washington | $32,435 |
| West Virginia | $27,039 |
| Wisconsin | $29,500 |
| Wyoming | $26,980 |
Important Notes to Take Regarding the Salaries in Different States
The salaries are not consistency all through the year in different states like in New York.
The average income for a vet assistant in Ithaca NY is about 38,760 dollars per annum although the number of vet assistants is significantly low in this city.
Another thing that causes the salary to fluctuate is the cost of living.
This is seen in the southern part of NY whereby the vet assistants are paid lower, but when we talk of the cost of living in this area, it is quite small.
In New England states, the salary for the vet assistant is estimated to be relatively higher due to the high cost of living.
Other states where the vet assistants are paid high salaries are Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California.
But note that the cities in these states do not pay the same wage.
Meaning, you may find some towns offering a higher salary than others.
For example, metropolitan area in New Haven CT pays an average of 48,130 dollars in a year.
Other cities which are grouped among the highest paying include the Boston and Santa.
Vet Assistant Salary VS School Debt
There are different fields of the profession that require in-depth training before one can secure employment with good pay.
This means that you will need to spend a lot of money in tuition fee without forgetting the time you will need to invest in the schooling as well.
Medicine and veterinary training are two professions that require high investment regarding money, and sometimes the students end up borrowing loans to be able to sponsor their education to the end.
On the other hand, a vet assistant is a favoring career since it is usually charged like other careers.
The tuition fees are fair, and there are high chances of securing employment once you complete your training.
Vet Assistant Certification And Salary
The level of your education as a vet assistant helps you secure employment with ease and also get to earn a good salary.
If you have been awarded several vet training certificates, you have high chances of getting considered because it proves that you have had ample training in the veterinary industry.
There are various institutions such as the NAVTA that provide assistant vet approval program first established in 2010.
There are a total of 35 approved assistant vet programs in multiple states like Canada, the US, and these programs can be accessed online.
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