what benefits to vet techs get

Vet Tech Job Benefits



Veterinary techs may not get paid the big bucks, but how do vet tech job benefits stack up?

In 2007, NAVTA surveyed 1,000 randomly-selected people to see what industry benefit trends looked like. Survey responses showed a big improvement across the board from years prior, with more employers offering better benefits in just about every area.



In 1995, for example, only 67% of veterinary technicians were being offered health insurance by their employers. 12 years later that number grew to an impressive 82.9%, and things have only gotten better in the 3 years since this survey was put together!

Here’s a chart of the most common benefits for vet techs according to the NAVTA 07 survey:



what benefits to vet techs get

In 2007, the most common benefits for vet techs were paid vacation, free/discounted animal care, and health insurance. (Click to enlarge)



As you can see, a majority of veterinary technicians get basic benefits like health insurance, dental insurance, paid vacation, and free or discounted care for their own animals. Considering that salaries are generally low for vet techs, it’s definitely nice to see that employers aren’t skimping on benefits packages.

One unfortunate trend is the low number of employers that are willing to give their vet techs paid time off for continuing education. Many states have mandatory CE credit requirements to maintain certification, so this survey indicates that about 40% of techs have to pay their own way and use their own free time to get those credits.



On the bright side of things, it’s easy to see that things have been steadily improving since 1995. Hopefully this trend continues as demand for experienced, quality techs continues to increase. With a little luck we’ll also see salary levels increasing as well. NAVTA conducts this demographic survey every 4 years, so it will be interesting to see the 2011 responses.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

code