Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
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.
Most important skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
- Active Learning
Key knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Customer and Personal Service
- Biology
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Chemistry
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
What the work involves
- 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.
- Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, or materials.
- Provide veterinarians with the correct equipment or instruments, as needed.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (41.3% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (31.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (42.3%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | High | Higher on contact with others than 74% of occupations compared | 83% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | High | Higher on dealing with the public than 68% of occupations compared | 51% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 77% of occupations compared | 79% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 85% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Higher on time pressure than 58% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 60% of occupations compared | 26% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | High | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 77% of occupations compared | 34% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 84% of occupations compared | 54% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 5.34%
- Occasional contact with others: 0%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 11.86%
- Constant contact with others: 82.79%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 9.6%
- Fairly important: 6.45%
- Important: 23.06%
- Very important: 9.65%
- Extremely important: 51.24%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 5.49%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 5.49%
- Very important: 10.23%
- Extremely important: 78.79%
n = 32, Incumbent 08/2020
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 19.66%
- Limited freedom: 18.26%
- Some freedom: 44.46%
- A lot of freedom: 17.62%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
Time pressure
- Never: 8.24%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 6.63%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 14.79%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 21.67%
- Every day: 48.67%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
Conflict situations
- Never: 16.03%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 20.88%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 24.32%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 26.19%
- Every day: 12.57%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 10.69%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 21.47%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.05%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 33.73%
- Every day: 22.06%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 10.78%
- Fairly serious: 13.61%
- Serious: 10.58%
- Very serious: 10.82%
- Extremely serious: 54.21%
n = 33, Incumbent 08/2020
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O*NET-SOC 29-2056.00 · SOC 29-2056 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8