Are you someone who loves animals and find it easy to care for them?
Then you might enjoy a rewarding career as a veterinary assistant.
How much do vet assistants make?
A Rewarding Career as a Veterinary Assistant
How much a vet assistant makes is completely dependent on the location where they work and their schedule at a vet clinic.
So, how much does a vet assistant make an hour?
As of the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the average pay for veterinary assistants is more than $16.58 per hour or $34,490 per year. Additionally, the rate of growth for veterinary assistant jobs is extremely high and is expected to grow by 20%, which is much faster than the national average.
Since the growth rate for this career is so high, there is no better time than right now to become a vet assistant. The amount vet assistants make per year in this growing industry depends still on how many hours a week they are able to work and the rate made every hour.
Factors That Affect Veterinary Assistant Pay
While it’s easy to look at average salaries in the US, it’s important to understand that a lot of factors go into vet assistant pay. Experience, industry, and location all factor into your wage, rather than just one or the other. Here’s a breakdown of each of these factors and the current data available on them.
Experience
As with many professions, experience plays a significant role in determining pay for veterinary assistants. Entry-level veterinary assistants may earn less than those with several years of experience in the field. With more experience, vet assistants acquire new skills, knowledge, and proficiency in handling various tasks within a veterinary clinic or hospital. This increased competence usually leads to higher pay.
According to a survey done by Indeed, the average hourly pay for a vet assistant in the US at entry-level is $17.14. However, for vet assistants with more than six years of experience, it is $20.23. This data is based on around 16,700 reported salaries on its platform. Keep in mind that the salary increase is likely to be higher if a vet assistant moves up into a vet technician role, which is the natural next step in this career.
Industry
Veterinary assistants work in various settings, including private veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, research facilities, zoos, and animal shelters. However, the type of industry in which they work may have a significant impact on pay.
For example, veterinary assistants working in specialized areas such as emergency veterinary clinics or research facilities may earn higher salaries compared to those working in general veterinary practices or animal shelters. Industries with higher demand for skilled veterinary assistants or those that require specialized knowledge may offer higher pay.
Let’s use another example from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to its most recent report, vet assistants working in surgical animal hospitals made the most, around 44% higher than the average vet assistant salary. However, those in animal shelters made slightly less than the average wage. Additionally, there are generally fewer openings for the higher-paying industries.
Location
The location of a veterinary assistant job can also influence the pay. In areas with a higher cost of living or greater demand for veterinary services, such as urban centers or regions with a high concentration of pet owners, veterinary assistants may command higher salaries. For example, BLS data shows that vet assistants make the most in places like New Haven, CT, and San Francisco, CA.
Additionally, differences in state or regional regulations, market competition, and local economic conditions can impact pay rates for veterinary assistants. Rural areas or regions with lower demand for veterinary services may offer lower salaries compared to urban areas with a higher demand for qualified veterinary assistants.
That being said, there are a few different rural locations that may pay more because there aren’t a lot of veterinary services available. While employment of vet assistants in a place like Alaska is low, they tend to make more than the national average based on BLS data.
What State has the Highest Average Salary of a Vet Assistant?
Based on BLS data alone, the highest paying state for veterinary assistants is Massachusetts. So how much do veterinary assistants make on average here?…around $43,190 per year. However, this is just one data source. The job posting site Zippia says that Alaska tends to have the highest pay, at $38,801.
So what’s with the disparity? Generally, job posting sites make their estimates based on job openings posted to their platforms with a listed salary. In contrast, BLS conducts a survey consisting of both households and businesses and creates samples based on their responses.
In other words, job posting sites usually base their data on job vacancies, while the BLS primarily uses data on existing positions.
Schedule
One factor not always considered when it comes to vet assistant pay is the work schedule. Many vet assistant positions are only part-time, or less than 30 hours per week. In general, these positions pay less if they are hourly. However, more specialized vet assistant positions, like those in labs or university settings, may be full-time and salaried. This can have a tremendous impact on overall pay.
What Does a Vet Assistant Do?
Veterinarians need a vet assistant to help care for the many animals they see every day.
A veterinary assistant is typically in charge of daily animal care and may feed, bathe, and exercise animals and even provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. They often assist with animals during surgery, monitor them post-surgery, and give immunizations or medication prescribed by a veterinarian.
You can make more money as a vet assistant if you have previously worked at a vet clinic. If you can bring a lot of experience to the veterinary clinic, it will make you a valuable employee. Vet assistants who have an education, additional training, or a certification can not only expect to earn a higher vet assistant salary but will also have greater job prospects for future employment.
Where Do Vet Assistants Work?
As mentioned before, the industry and location of a vet assistant job has a great effect on the pay they can expect. The nature of the job is also slightly different depending on where a vet assistant works. Let’s take a look at the most common workplaces for vet assistants and their differences in pay and duties.
Clinics and Animal Hospitals
Most veterinary assistants work in clinics and animal hospitals where they assist veterinarians in treating animals that are injured or ill. Work can be full or part-time. Many clinics are open 24 hours a day and night, weekend and holiday work is often necessary.
Since vet clinics are open for these extended hours, they are often looking for employees to fill shifts. With a need for workers, it is easy for vet assistants working at these types of clinics to fill a schedule working there.
A full-time schedule lets vet assistants make more money during the week, and they can also make overtime pay or holiday pay, which is typically time and a half.
Labs and Universities
Many labs in universities and research institutions also utilize veterinary assistants to care for animals.
The daily tasks are similar and assistants feed animals, clean kennels, and monitor care while under the supervision of a veterinarian, scientist, or veterinary technician or technologist. If you are considering how much vet assistants make, work in a lab can offer above-average pay, especially for those certified through the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.
You can also make more money as a vet assistant at a laboratory or university.
Since labs and university programs are often funded through donations and grants, they typically offer higher salaries to their workers because they have to use the money. If they don’t, they must give the money back to the donor or grant fund.
How Do I Become a Vet Assistant?
Veterinary assistants typically have a high school diploma or equivalent and learn from on-the-job training. Entry-level workers can often break into the vet assistant field with little or no training, although those with more training will typically earn a higher income.
What veterinary assistants truly need are certain skills. They should be detail oriented, have excellent communication skills, enjoy working with their hands, and have a big heart for animals.
Many people enter the veterinary field to help animals and ensure they are cared for when sick or injured. Being a vet assistant is a tough but rewarding career in a growing industry. Learn more today to see if becoming a vet assistant is the right career for you.
Learn More About the Veterinary Assistant Field
Pets are a very important part of people’s lives today and pet-related spending might be predicted to drive an increase in demand for veterinary assistants in the coming years.
A rewarding career as a veterinary assistant can be a part of your future. Stratford Career Institute’s online Veterinary Assistant training course is a convenient and affordable way to learn more about caring for animals and what it’s like to work as a veterinary assistant.
Get started by requesting more information or enrolling today!
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