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Occupation Profile

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Occupation:	Veterinary Technologists and Technicians	Change Occupation
State:	South Carolina	Change State
Profile Content:	(content listed below)	Modify Profile Content
Wages \| Employment Trends \| Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities \| Tasks & Activities Tools & Technology \| Education & Training \| Related Occupations Web Resources

VETERINARY TECHNOLOGISTS AND TECHNICIANS: SOUTH CAROLINA

Occupation Description

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.

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Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

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State and National Wages

Wage Table

Hourly Wage Chart

Yearly Wage Chart

Location	Pay Period	2009
Location	Pay Period	10%	25%	Median	75%	90%
United States	Hourly	$9.70	$11.54	$14.08	$17.25	$20.71
United States	Yearly	$20,200	$24,000	$29,300	$35,900	$43,100
South Carolina	Hourly	$8.72	$10.44	$12.73	$15.21	$19.57
South Carolina	Yearly	$18,100	$21,700	$26,500	$31,600	$40,700

Wage Table

Hourly Wage Chart

Yearly Wage Chart

Annual Wages for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Wage Table

Hourly Wage Chart

Yearly Wage Chart

Hourly Wages for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

High is the wage at which 90% of workers earn less and 10% earn more.
Middle is the wage at which 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more.
Low is the wage at which 10% of workers earn less and 90% earn more.

Occupation Wages FAQs

Median Wage by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey
State Data Source: South Carolina Wage Information

State and National Trends

United States	Employment		Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
United States	2008	2018	Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
Veterinary technologists and technicians	79,600	108,100	+36%	4,850
South Carolina	Employment		Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
South Carolina	2006	2016	Percent Change	Job Openings ¹
Veterinary technologists and technicians	790	1,190	+51%	60

¹Job Openings refers to the average annual job openings due to growth and net replacement.

Note: The data for the State Employment Trends and the National Employment Trends are not directly comparable. The projections period for state data is 2006-2016, while the projections period for national data is 2008-2018.

Occupation Trends FAQs

Employment Trends by Occupation Across States
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National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections
State Data Source: South Carolina Employment Security Commission

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The most important knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) are listed for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.

Knowledge:

Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills:

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Abilities:

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Source: Occupational Information Network: Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.

Tasks and Activities

Occupation specific tasks and the most important generalized work activities are listed for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.

Occupation Specific Tasks:

Administer anesthesia to animals, under the direction of a veterinarian, and monitor animals' responses to anesthetics so that dosages can be adjusted.
Administer emergency first aid, such as performing emergency resuscitation or other life saving procedures.
Bathe animals, clip nails or claws, and brush and cut animals' hair.
Care for and monitor the condition of animals recovering from surgery.
Clean and sterilize instruments, equipment, and materials.
Clean kennels, animal holding areas, surgery suites, examination rooms, and animal loading/unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
Collect, prepare, and label samples for laboratory testing, culture, or microscopic examination.
Conduct specialized procedures such as animal branding or tattooing, and hoof trimming.
Dress and suture wounds, and apply splints and other protective devices.
Fill prescriptions, measuring medications and labeling containers.
Give enemas and perform catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, and gavages.
Maintain controlled drug inventory and related log books.
Maintain instruments, equipment, and machinery to ensure proper working condition.
Maintain laboratory, research, and treatment records, as well as inventories of pharmaceuticals, equipment, and supplies.
Monitor medical supplies and place orders when inventory is low.
Observe the behavior and condition of animals, and monitor their clinical symptoms.
Perform a variety of office, clerical, and accounting duties, such as reception, billing, bookkeeping, or selling products.
Perform dental work such as cleaning, polishing, and extracting teeth.
Perform laboratory tests on blood, urine, and feces, such as urinalyses and blood counts, to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of animal health problems.
Prepare and administer medications, vaccines, serums, and treatments, as prescribed by veterinarians.
Prepare animals for surgery, performing such tasks as shaving surgical areas.
Prepare treatment rooms for surgery.
Provide assistance with animal euthanasia and the disposal of remains.
Provide information and counseling regarding issues such as animal health care, behavior problems, and nutrition.
Provide veterinarians with the correct equipment and instruments, as needed.
Supervise and train veterinary students and other staff members.
Take and develop diagnostic radiographs, using x-ray equipment.
Take animals into treatment areas, and assist with physical examinations by performing such duties as obtaining temperature, pulse, and respiration data.

Generalized Work Activities:

Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Detailed Work Activities:

administer injections
administer medications or treatments
analyze medical data
apply appropriate physical restraint
collect clinical data
collect specimens from patients
communicate technical information
draw blood
follow clinical radiation safety procedures
follow dental or medical office procedures
follow dental or medical x-ray procedures
follow infectious materials procedures
follow patient observation procedures
identify animal species
identify body response variations
inventory medical supplies or instruments
maintain dental or medical records
make presentations on health or medical issues
observe patient condition
position patient for therapy
prepare medical treatment room
prepare patients for tests, therapy, or treatments
prepare supplies or equipment for surgery
record medical history or data
set up patient care equipment
take vital signs
understand technical operating, service or repair manuals
use animal disease control techniques
use clinical sterilizing technique
use darkroom procedures in radiology or medical or dental lab setting
use emergency medical procedures
use first aid procedures
use hazardous materials information
use interpersonal communication techniques
use knowledge of medical terminology
use quality assurance techniques
use sanitation practices in health care settings
weigh patients

Source: Occupational Information Network: Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.

Tools and Technology

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians View Detailed Report

Tools:

Animal catching devices - Animal capture nets, Animal catching poles, Animal snares
Animal husbandry equipment - Cattle chutes, Dehorners, Hoof picks
Emergency medical services suction units or accessories - Airway suction units, Battery-powered portable suction units, Fixed-suction equipment
Emergency response litters or stretchers or accessories - Multi-level wheeled cots, Stair chairs, Stretchers
Laryngoscopes or accessories - Curved adult blades, Curved pediatric blades, Laryngoscopes, Straight adult blades, Straight pediatric blades

Technology:

Data base user interface and query software - FileMaker Pro software, Microsoft Access
Medical software - Animal Intelligence Software Animal Intelligence, McAllister Software Systems AVImark, Veterinary practice management software PMS
Office suite software - Microsoft Office software
Spreadsheet software - Microsoft Excel
Word processing software - Microsoft Word

Source: Occupational Information Network: Veterinary Technologists and Technicians.

Education and Training

Occupation: Veterinary Technologists and Technicians
Most Common Educational/Training Level: Associate degree
Related Instructional Programs: Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant

Distribution of Educational Attainment

Occupation	Percent of employees aged 25 to 44 in the occupation whose highest level of educational attainment is
Occupation	Less than high school diploma	High school diploma or equivalent	Some college, no degree	Associate's degree	Bachelor's degree	Master's degree	Doctoral or professional degree
Veterinary technologists and technicians	2.5%	27.8%	34.1%	19%	14.1%	1.4%	1.1%
Health Technologists and Technicians	1.9%	19.6%	29.5%	25.6%	19.1%	2.3%	2.1%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical	1.2%	10.4%	15.4%	15.4%	20.7%	11.6%	25.2%
Total, All Occupations	10.7%	27.6%	20.6%	8.9%	19.4%	8.3%	4.5%

Find colleges, training schools and instructional programs for this occupation.

Find education and training programs where you can earn a certificate, diploma, or award in less than 2 years with the Short-Term Training Finder.

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WIA Eligible Training Provider List: http://www.workforcesouthcarolina.com/provider/

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections (Education/Training Level, Educational Attainment); National Center for Education Statistics (Typical Instructional Programs)

Related Occupation Profiles
Occupations with similar skill requirements

There is no information about Related Occupations. This may occur because data has not been collected or because this is a composite occupation (e.g., ""All Other"").

Web Resources

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