{"id":863,"date":"2017-10-17T14:41:37","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T14:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac-new\/?page_id=863"},"modified":"2025-10-23T10:49:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:49:30","slug":"veterinary-technician","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/veterinary-technician\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterinary Technician"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a Veterinary Technician?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A veterinary technician is an important member of the veterinary hospital. They have been educated in the proper medical techniques needed to care for sick or injured animals. All veterinary technicians work under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. A veterinary technician may assist in procedures but cannot diagnose, prescribe medications, or perform surgery, due to a state\u2019s veterinary practice act. The daily duties of a veterinary technician include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Organizing and recording patient medical records<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Performing laboratory tests and radiographs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Post-op and pre-op care of the animals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Preparing equipment and instruments for surgery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What type of education is required?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredits Veterinary technician programs. Most AVMA-accredited programs lead to an associate degree after two years but some lead to a four-year baccalaureate degree. For a list of veterinary technician programs visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.avma.org\/ProfessionalDevelopment\/Education\/Accreditation\/Programs\/Pages\/vettech-programs-all-programs-list.aspx\">https:\/\/www.avma.org\/ProfessionalDevelopment\/Education\/Accreditation\/Programs\/Pages\/vettech-programs-all-programs-list.aspx<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the expected salary?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The average entry level salary is $33,600. The average salary in North Carolina is $41,027, while the national average is $45,144. Top earners can make around $54,528. Salary will increase with experience or additional education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can I prepare myself for a job as a Veterinary Technician while at NC&#160;State?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking courses such as Techniques of Animal Care (ANS 201), Introduction to HACCP (ANS 350), and Companion Animal Management (ANS 400), may be of interest to students interested in applying to an accredited Veterinary Technician program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What kind of experience is required?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Experience in a veterinary practice is required to ensure hands-on training. Most states require the passing of the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) to receive a license to practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where can I find more information?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>National Association of Veterinary Technicians- <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navta.net\/\">https:\/\/www.navta.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>North Carolina Association of Veterinary Technicians- <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncavt.org\/\">https:\/\/www.ncavt.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vet Tech- <a href=\"https:\/\/vettechnicians.org\">https:\/\/vettechnicians.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>US Bureau of Labor Statistics on Veterinary Technician Positions- <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/healthcare\/veterinary-technologists-and-technicians.htmwww.vettech.orghttps:\/\/www.avma.org\/public\/Careers\/Pages\/Careers-Veterinary-Technician.aspx\">http:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/healthcare\/veterinary-technologists-and-technicians.htmwww.vettech.orghttps:\/\/www.avma.org\/public\/Careers\/Pages\/Careers-Veterinary-Technician.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>North Carolina VetTech Programs:<br>Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College<br>340 Victoria Road<br>Asheville, NC 28801<br>(828)398-7900<br><a href=\"https:\/\/abtech.edu\/veterinary-tech\">www.abtech.edu<\/a><br>Director: Diane Cotter, RVT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Central Carolina Community College<br>1105 Kelly Drive<br>Sanford, NC 27330<br>(919)-718-7488<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cccc.edu\/all-programs\/veterinary-medical-technology\">www.cccc.edu<\/a><br>Director: Dr. Kim Browning at\u00a0<a data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/CCCC.EDU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1630589004628000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEnS9978pyk6HLDFsJA6r0dvS03fw\" href=\"http:\/\/cccc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CCCC.EDU<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gaston College<br>201 Highway 321 South<br>Dallas, NC 28034<br>(704)-922-6377<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gaston.edu\/health-human-services\/veterinary-medical-technology-2\/\">www.gaston.edu<br><\/a>Director: Dr. Kristine Blankenship, DVM<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Career Opportunities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In a private practice under a licensed veterinarian<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In biomedical research<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Food and safety inspection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diagnostic laboratories<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Veterinary supply sales<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Humane societies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drug and feed manufacturing companies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a Veterinary Technician? A veterinary technician is an important member of the veterinary hospital. They have been educated in the proper medical techniques needed to care for sick&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":800,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"10\/23\/2025","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-863","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/800"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=863"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8133,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/863\/revisions\/8133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/vetpac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}