What are salary ranges, and where are best paying jobs for CVTs?

[lmrubin]

I have a Master's Certif. in Project Management, and a PMP, but I really want to work with animals, more than volunteering at a shelter. So, since I am already 53, and don't want to get out of school at 61,  I am considering going back to school in the fall for Tulsa Comm. College's accredited Veterinary Technology/Nursing Program (I don't have to take any gen ed classes, since I have an (ancient) BS degree, but I will start the two prereqs --  Biology and Intro to Vet Tech -- in January).  What are real salary ranges for a vet tech, and where are the best paying jobs/opportunities for CVTs? How rewarding is the career compared to the money?

Also, has anyone combined a CVT with project management in a particular job??

[kaberle7]

Salaries are different all over the country right now. Most average salary for a vet tech is between $10.50(starting pay) t0 $35 an hour with experience in the right place. I would say the average tech makes about $12.50-15.00 an hour in most practices.

You can combine project management with being a hospital manager. While you are not working with the animals per se, you can be in a hospital and help run it more efficiently. Technicians still suffer from a lack of recognition all over the country as well as lack of salary hikes. In a recent article in Vet Tech magazine the topic came up about vet techs making $70,000. a year at some point in the future and it brought in all kinds of comments, both pro an cons.

At 53 (I am 54 so I understand) it is going to be a lot tougher getting a job as a tech also. Most vets hire young people that they can 'mold'. The isn't to say that you cannot find a position in a lucrative practice, maybe even a teaching facility. Schools pay more than private practice.
AAHA puts out a book (that is overpriced in my opinion) called Career Options for the Vet Tech which does give a plethora of information on alternative careers for graduate techs. There are many things a vet tech can do.

But first of all, you need to ask yourself if you are willing to relocate, if you can lift 70 lb dogs and how long you want to do this for. I am not sure if you are male or female but I can tell you that it is a very hard job physically. I destroyed my back after lifting dogs onto tables and removing them by myself for over 25 yrs. I also have a arthritic right shoulder from holding dogs for ear exams.

So before you put a lot of coin down on school, do some research. You can find out a lot of information from the NAVTA website also, as well as the AAHA site.

Here are the links for you:
http://www.aahanet.org/

http://www.navta.net/

Good luck to you and I hope some more people chime in on this topic!!
Kaberle

[nvucinich]

I just graduated from a Vet Tech program in 2008 (at age 52).  Our school (in Nevada) advertised an average salary of $15/hr.  My first job was at an emergency clinic, where I made $17/hr.  Because I didn't have any previous experience in the field of Veterinary Technology, an emergency clinic was not a great place for me to start (but they were the first to offer me a job, so I took it).  Since then, I have worked at a couple of hospitals making $9/hr and $14/hr.  I also worked at the Humane Society where I made $15/hr.

I am having a very rough time getting the experience I need to make a wage I can afford to live on.  Thanks for the info about the book "Career Options for the Vet Tech".  I will have to check it out.

[kaberle7]

I find it a sad, sad, shame that as techs we have to settle for so little money when we do the same kind of medicine as a medical doctor-we just do it on animals!
$17 an hour would be considered a good wage up here where I live but it really should be a middle of the road wage and not a top wage for a vet tech graduate. I know that down in the Bay area here, such as Pacifica, (in California) that a vet tech with experience can make $30 an hour, but it is so expensive to live there that you are probably really only bringing in $15 an hour after expenses.

Why should we have to battle for higher wages? Why can't the vets that need us be willing to pay us accordingly? The tech that replaced me told me that my ex boss wants her to act as the manager now to boot but not give her any kind of compensation for it. It's really ridiculous but the solution will have to be techs demanding more money while promoting what we do to a larger audience. Only with that kind of recognition and clout that public knowledge has will technicians be able to reap higher wages.

So join your state organizations and make noise on all levels-from the clinics you work in to the clients you see- let them know what you do. Go to the high schools and the colleges and promote yourself and our chosen career. Make it known outside of the veterinary circle.

Only then will vets be shamed into paying us what we are worth!!!
GET LOUD!!!!!