Rozina Aziz This article unveils information about a veterinary nurse’s duties and responsibilities and how much does a veterinary nurse make?
What is a Veterinary Nurse?
Veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses collaborate to administer vital medical treatment to animals. A veterinary nurse’s duties include both emergency and preventative care for a wide variety of animal species. As a veterinary professional, you can contribute to animal health and welfare through responsible pet ownership. Additionally, you will be part of educating pet owners.
What are the Types of veterinary nursing?
You might choose to focus on one of the following subfields within the medical profession, depending on the nature of your practice and your interests:
Practice in general (first opinion)
Vaccinations, neutering, deworming, and health checks are part of first-line animal care.
Practice for Emergencies
A medical facility that is open at odd hours to treat patients with emergencies during the week and on the weekend.
Practice of Referrals
Complex cases are typically seen in specialist practices. Orthopedics, cancer, and ophthalmology are a few examples. They may be limited to certain animal species, such as dogs, horses, or exotics.
What does a veterinary nurse do?
Veterinarian nurses may do any or all of the following tasks:
- Under the supervision of veterinarians, carry out tasks like taking and developing x-rays, gathering blood samples, and conducting pregnancy tests on animals.
- Assist with surgical operations, including anesthesia monitoring.
- Instruments and other surgical equipment must be cleaned, sterilized, and set up before surgery.
- Conduct diagnostic testing and maintain records.
- Care for animals by giving them food and exercise.
- Handle phone consultations with patients and offer them advice while performing administrative and receptionist tasks at a clinic.
- Do general cleaning tasks, including cleaning the cages and operating rooms.
- Veterinarians often need help in non-clinical settings. Thus their assistants must go with them.
What are the most important skills required for work as a veterinary nurse?
This temporary table outlines the most sought-after qualifications for Veterinary Nurse positions, as indicated by hiring managers, and the most sought-after qualifications listed by job applicants.
- Veterinary Care
- Clinic
- Surgery
- X-ray
- Hospital
- Ultrasound
- Communication Skills
- Locum
- Medical Attention to Patients
- Customer Service
- Scheduling
How to Become a Veterinary Nurse?
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s recognized associate’s or bachelor’s degree programs in veterinary technology are prerequisites for working as a veterinary care nurse (AVMA). The state board test for veterinary technicians must be passed, and you must have a license to work as a veterinary technician in your state.
Once you have your license, you can apply for entry-level positions as a veterinary nurse with regional animal hospitals, clinics, and practices.
How much does a Veterinary Nurse make?
As of January 26, 2023, the average compensation for Veterinary Nurses is $53,740, while the range is normally $48,796 to $59,777. Several criteria, such as level of education, certifications, supplementary talents, and years of experience, can significantly impact salary ranges. Salary.com provides more online, real-time wage data than any other website, allowing you to set a realistic salary goal.
What is the tax liability of a Veterinary Nurse?
An individual taxpayer would have an average federal tax rate of 22% in 2018. A Veterinary Nurse working for a company taxed at the standard corporate rate of 22%, would earn an annual salary of $38,424, or approximately $1,601 per pay period.
What are Top Highest Paying Cities for Veterinary Nurse Jobs?
We have pinpointed ten regions throughout the country where the median wage for Veterinary Nurses is significantly higher than the national average. Green River, Wyoming, comes in first, followed by Richmond, California, and Stamford, Connecticut.
Stamford, CT, is $6,539 (18.6%) above the national average, while Green River, WY, is $8,316 (23.7%) above the $35,122 average. Since the median wage in these 10 cities is higher than that across the country, relocating as a Veterinary Nurse in one of these cities is a highly lucrative career move.
Finally, it’s important to remember that there is little room for upward income mobility because the average salary for these top ten cities differs very little, at 10%, between Green River, WY and Pasadena, CA. When deciding where to work and how much to make as a Veterinary Nurse, the likelihood of a cheaper cost of living may be the most important issue.
What Are the Top-Paying Veterinary Nursing Careers in the United States?
The average Veterinary Nurse’s income is lower than the average wage across all jobs we looked at that are in the same field. Some of the most well-known jobs in this sector are senior veterinarian, supervisory veterinary medical officer, and veterinary dentist.
These positions pay between $69,683 (198.4%) and $95,592 (272.2%) more than the average Veterinary Nurse income of $35,122. If you’re qualified, these related Veterinary Nurse positions may pay more than the average Veterinary Nurse employment.
What kind of work experience does a veterinary nurse have?
To enroll in one of the recognized programs to become a veterinary nurse, you must first gain experience in the field. Spending time at a veterinary clinic is part of this, as is volunteering at an animal shelter. You may be able to finish your veterinary practice work experience in a single day for some courses, but you may need to schedule it over several weeks.
Weekend work experience helps get a feel for the job, but it is often not counted against the minimum work experience necessary for many courses. There is a lot of competition for job placements because veterinary care is becoming increasingly popular.
You should plan to find and finish your placement and be ready to approach a few practices. A veterinary nurse at the clinic may be more receptive to your request if you call instead of sending an email. Attending open houses and consulting with admissions officers from several programs is a good idea to ensure you meet their admittance standards.
What is the job outlook for a veterinary nurse?
In practice, you can train to be a clinical coach and guide and assist veterinary nursing students as they hone their clinical abilities. You could advance to the head nurse position and contribute to the professional growth of an entire nursing staff.
There are opportunities to further a career in veterinary care by specializing in various aspects. An example of this would be within referral practice, where one can concentrate on areas such as anesthesia, rehabilitation, ward care and diagnostics. Alternatively, one could also gain expertise in management by taking the role of a practice manager.
You could also pursue a career in education outside of clinical work, instructing veterinary nurses or lecturing students on topics relating to animal management. Depending on your experience and the demand of the pharmaceutical and nutritional industries, there may be research opportunities.
Conclusion
Veterinary Nurses have the potential to make a lucrative salary in top-paying cities across the United States. To become qualified for these positions, one needs to gain experience in a veterinary clinic and volunteer at an animal shelter. Additionally, there are opportunities for career advancement, such as working as a clinical coach or head nurse, specializing in various areas of veterinary care, becoming a practice manager or taking on roles within education and research.
