Activities	Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine post-operative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.
Outlook	Average job growth
Median Income	$22,040 per year in 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Clean animal cages and lift, hold, or restrain animals, risking exposure to bites or scratches. This work often involves kneeling, crawling, repeated bending, and lifting heavy supplies like bales of hay or bags of feed.
Minimum Education Requirements	General High School Program
Skills	Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking
Abilities	Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension
Interviews	Maurice B

Job Category		Personal Care & Service
Job Description		Laboratory animal technicians feed, water, and examine laboratory animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury. They clean and disinfect cages and work areas and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. Many technicians provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists. Technicians may prepare examination or treatment room and hold or restrain animal during procedures. They may complete routine laboratory tests and assist professional personnel with research projects in commercial, public health, or research laboratories; and inspect products or carcasses to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Working Conditions		Technicians clean animal cages and lift, hold, or restrain animals, risking exposure to bites or scratches. Their work often involves kneeling, crawling, repeated bending, and lifting heavy supplies. They must take precautions when treating animals with germicides or insecticides and often wear protective clothing. The work setting can be noisy.They may work outdoors in all kinds of weather, although most jobs are indoors. Hours are irregular because animals have to be fed every day, so caretakers often work weekend and holiday shifts. In some animal hospitals, research facilities, and animal shelters an attendant is on duty 24 hours a day, which means night shifts. Most full-time technicians work about 40 hours a week, but some work 50 hours a week or more. This is a good career choice for people who love animals and get satisfaction working with and helping them.
Salary Range		The median annual wage of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers was $22,040 in May 2010.The lowest 10 percent earned less than $16,490, and the top 10 percent earned more than $33,780.

Education Required		Most animal technicians are trained on the job. Employers generally prefer to hire people with some experience with animals. Some training programs are available for specific types of animal technicians, but formal training is usually not necessary for entry-level positions. There are no formal educational requirements for animal technicians in veterinary facilities. They are trained on the job, usually under the guidance of a veterinarian or veterinary technician. Employers of entry-level technicians generally require a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) test. A few colleges and vocational schools offer programs in laboratory animal science, which provide training for technician positions, but such training is not strictly necessary. New technicians working in laboratories begin by providing basic care to laboratory animals. With additional training, experience, and certification, they may advance to more technical positions in laboratory animal care, such as research assistant, mid-level technician, or senior-level technologist. Animal technicians in animal shelters are not required to have any specialized training, but training programs and workshops are increasingly available through the Humane Society of the United States, the American Humane Association, and the National Animal Control Association. With experience and additional training, technicians in animal shelters may become adoption coordinators, animal control officers, emergency rescue drivers, assistant shelter managers, or shelter directors.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		English Language, Biology, Customer and Personal Service, Clerical
Certification and Licensing		For laboratory animal caretakers seeking work in a research facility, the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) offers three levels of certification: assistant laboratory animal technician (ALAT), laboratory animal technician (LAT), and laboratory animal technologist (LATG). Although certification is not mandatory, it allows workers at each level to demonstrate competency in animal husbandry, health and welfare, or facility administration and management. To become certified, candidates must have work experience in a laboratory animal facility and pass the AALAS exam.

Interest Area		Realistic Involves working on practical, hands-on problems and solutions, often with real-world materials, tools, and machinery.
Work Values		Variety Do something different every day. Moral Values Never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong. Security Have steady employment.
Skills		Active Listening Listen to what other people are saying and ask questions as appropriate. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Speaking Talk to others to effectively convey information.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Technologist, Surgical, Dental Hygienist, Therapist, Respiratory
Job Outlook		Employment of veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers is concentrated in veterinary services, an industry that is expected to grow very quickly during the projection decade. Fast industry growth will be spurred by a growing pet population and advancements in veterinary medicine. Although veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers will be needed to assist veterinarians and other veterinary care staff, some veterinary practices are expected to increasingly replace veterinary assistants with higher skilled veterinary technicians and technologists, thus slowing the demand for veterinary assistants.  Continued support for public health, food and animal safety, and national disease control programs, as well as biomedical research on human health problems, is expected to contribute to demand for laboratory animal caretakers.    Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal care takers held over 73,200 jobs 2010.
More Information		American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Laboratory Animal Management Association
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-assistants-and-laboratory-animal-caretakers.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/details/31-9096.00