Veterinary Assistant Salary

How much does a Vet Assistant make?

If you love animals and think you’d like to become a vet assistant, don’t go into the career expecting to get rich. If a high salary is your main priority, you’ll have to choose something else. Sure, veterinary assistants make a decent living, but the big perk is getting to work with animals.

The data hasnt been updated for 2023 statistics yet, but in May 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found the median vet assistant salary was $34,740.

In comparison, the median salary for a bank teller was $36,380; the median income for receptionists was $33,960; and the median salary for preschool teachers was $35,330. So salaries for vet assistants are in this ballpark.

$34,740 is just an average, though. Vet assistant salaries ranged from $25,270 to $44,920.

Why Is There Such a Large Range in Veterinary Assistant Salaries?

A couple of things factor into the salary difference.

• How much you can make largely depends on where you live. You can earn a higher salary in a big city as opposed to a small town or rural area. However, the cost of living is going to be way higher in a large city, so it averages out. Don’t move to San Francisco or Boston just to get a higher salary!
• Vet assistant salaries vary depending on the type of facility you work in. Not all veterinary assistants work in a vet clinic or animal hospital. They find jobs in wildlife refuges, research facilities, university laboratories – any place where animals need regular care. While the duties remain largely the same, a job in a veterinary clinic typically pays less than a job in a research facility or a college

Do You Need a Degree to Be a Vet Assistant?

No, there is not an education requirement beyond having your high school diploma or GED. It’s a career that you can learn on the job.

While this is technically true, in reality there’s a lot of competition for vet assistant positions. Lots of people love animals and want a job working with them. As a result, employers can have their pick of lots of candidates for every job opening.

And who do you think the jobs go to? People who have prior experience working with animals or people who have some type of training or certification.  Most of the time, just having a high school diploma won’t cut it.

Is Vet Assistant Certification Expensive?

When you compare the cost of certification to the cost of the average college degree, it’s very affordable. The average cost of a year at an in-state public college is $10,662 according to U.S. News and World Report. Multiply that by four and you get the cost of a degree.

You can get certified online with Animal Behavior College in a year, and the tuition will range from $2,999 to $5,630, depending on . ABC offers a lot of tuition assistance programs and frequently runs special discounts.

If you think the cost of tuition sounds steep, consider that earning your certification through ABC could help you get a job in the field faster. Their certification program is one of only a few recognized by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians, which can impress employers.

In addition to having a great curriculum, ABC makes sure every student gets 80 hours of hands-on experience in a local vet practice. Having that experience can beef up your resume!

Instead of getting turned down for every job you apply for because you have no experience or credentials, you could be getting job interviews because you have both.

Call 800-795-3294 to learn more!