Quitting 74K RN job for a 30K vet tech job? Advice please!

~Shrek~ · Jan 16, 2015

Why don't you just go back to school to be a veterinarian?

guest1216 · Dec 5, 2016

I've been a vet tech for over 6 years and I can tell you that it is extremely stressful. I've gone home in tears, I've held dying animals in my arms, I've had owners scream at me because they can't afford to care for their pet. Veterinary medicine has one of the highest suicide rates of any career because of burnout and compassion fatigue. It is definitely not any less stressful than human nursing seems to be, depending on where you work. I live in Colorado, and as a tech fresh out of school with my Associates degree, I started out at $11/hr. It's been just over 6 years now and I make just under $17/hr because I know how to negotiate and have had my employment be dependent on being paid what I am worth (I have years of emergency and critical care experience). Being a veterinary technician is HARD. It's emotionally draining because the animal can't tell you what's wrong. You do your best to treat them based on the veterinarians treatment plan, which unfortunately is sometimes based off symptoms and history alone because the owner won't let us do any diagnostics. Sometimes we just have to try our best educated guess and hope it helps. It's so vastly different from human medicine and you can be extremely restricted on what an owner will let you do with their pet. Then there is the whole angry pet side of things. You will get bitten, scratched, peed on, bled on, pooped on, have anal glands squirted out at you and many other unpleasantness. I've been doing this so long now that it doesn't phase me, but it's wearing me down. It's also a very dead-end career unless you plan on moving into a hospital manager position. Veterinary Technicians that have gone to an accredited school and are Certified/Registered/Licensed (it's different in every state as of now) can pursue a specialty in areas such as General Practice, Emergency & Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Dentistry, Anesthesia and more. Sometimes being specialized can get you a few dollars more an hour, but it's not significant in most hospitals (some rare ones WILL pay more, up to $24/hr for ECC in my area).

I finally decided to go into human nurses, like so many other vet techs that I know, because of everything I mentioned. I'd say about 1/3 of my vet tech friends have or are leaving the field. It's tough, mentally, emotionally and physically. Watching an owner euthanize a 2 year old dog because they can't afford to treat it is sickening. Some refuse to surrender the pet when we offer to take over medical care and find it a new home. We can refuse to euthanize, but more often than not that would lead to the pet's suffering.

If human nursing was too stressful, I can't guarantee that veterinary medicine won't be just as bad. My life is very limited on the things my husband (a chef who makes barely as much as I do) and I can do. We can't afford to travel, we can't afford to take time off. We both work more than one job (many vet techs do). We're lucky we got a house down payment as a wedding present this year or we would not be able to afford a house any time soon. I think if you're really curious that it might be a path you want to take, you should ask your local vet if you can shadow one of their technicians or do an informational interview. Shadow as many as you can in as many different settings as possible (small mom and pop clinic, big referral hospital, teaching hospital, etc) and see if there is an area you think would make you happy. Then think long and hard about it. Don't talk to vet tech school counselors, they will try to suck you in regardless. Talk to real technicians who have been doing this for a long time and ask for their honest opinion. Ask them what their worst day was like, what their best day was like, etc.

If after all of that, you still want to do it, then I say go for it. Happiness is what truly matters, and you can find a way to make it work, especially if you can supplement your income with a few nursing shifts here and there.

As far as being a veterinarian, it is actual medical school. Vet school is harder to get into than human medical school. It requires an undergraduate degree with pre-vet pre-requisite courses in science (bio, chem, A&P, etc) very similar to human medicine, and then 4 years of veterinary school to get your DVM. Veterinarians then typically do a 1 year internship where they make less than I do before going into private practice or a residency. Residencies are typically 3 years long and can include many of the same specialties as humans: Surgery, Internal Medicine (Derm, Onco, Cardio), Radiology, Pathology, Emergency, etc. Veterinarians typically start at around $60k, but have just as much debt as human MDs ($120k+).

I'm applying to nursing school next summer to get out of veterinary medicine. It will always be a part of me though. There's nothing quite like bringing a dog back from the brink of death and seeing that tail wag at you for the first time, then seeing the owners crying tears of joy because you saved their "baby." Puppies and kittens are only about 5-10% of my job, but they help make it worth it. I tried to go into Public Health (Epidemiology) but found that I was missing medicine way too much to leave it, so nursing school it is! I love the healing process, particularly challenging trauma and critical cases, as well as being in the OR, and I plan on going on to CRNA school after I get a few years of nursing under my belt.

I'm sure that this post came across as discouraging, and in a way, it's meant to be. It's not an easy job, and the hours and pay are crappy. There's no respect (except for from a few rare clients) and no awareness. Our overhead governing body doesn't really do jack to educate the public about how much veterinary technicians really do behind the scenes and I'm finally over it. I know I have so much more to give the world when it comes to medicine, but I just can't handle the veterinary industry any longer. But again, if you read all this, shadow some techs and still really want to do it, go for it! I know techs that are still happy doing this after 20 years. Find your niche and rock it :)

If anyone else has any questions about being a vet tech, I'm happy to answer them as well!

MrChicagoRN, RN · Dec 7, 2016

it's a 2 year program and i would need to be accepted still.
i've tried talking to my friends about it (who are all nurses too!) and they have said well "its 100 times more stressful working on a floor having demanding med/surg patients so your lucky...don't quit your psych job its not as bad as "regular" nursing".
any advice?

I Know this is a VERY OLD THREAD,

But anyone who thinks that behavioral health is easy has probably never done it. It can be very stressful dealing with people in crisis, psychosis, and may be a danger to themselves or others. While violence is rare, the potential is there. I hope I never have to experience the stress of a successful suicide on my watch, or have one of my peers grievously injured by a patient.

For anyone in this situation, I'd say, see if you can get a handle on your anxiety, find a job in an OP clinic, or segway into something like geropsych or a low acuity medical unit. People change specialties all the time, and even if it requires a cut in pay, it certainly won't be a huge decrease like becoming a tech.

Hennessybleu · Aug 4, 2017

I've been an RN since 1999, have a pediatric acute care nurse practitioner degree that I've never used, & now have been a nurse anesthetist (CRNA) for 3 years...and I still regret not becoming a veterinarian. I still look into going back to school even though I wouldn't make as much as I'm making now. I like my job, but I don't love it. I've got more compassion in my heart for animals, but I do like taking care of people (plus I'm good at it). It's not all about the money (it does play a factor because we need money to live & pay our student loans), but mostly it's about not hating going to work every day. That's no way to live even with the most money. It sounds like you're not happy at all with your job, but you're understandably worried about a big pay cut. Have you considered becoming a veterinarian rather than a vet tech? Just a thought, but it sounds like you're smart, so maybe consider it...you'd be working with annuals plus your salary wouldn't drop like you were talking about. Good luck!â¤ï¸ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

Hennessybleu · Aug 4, 2017

This is a very good explanation, but I think it can be turned around and worded as if you were a nurse wanting to leave the field to become a veterinarian. I started off pre-vet, but had my boyfriend die in a car wreck so I decided I didn't want to go away for college (vet school). I changed my major to nursing (worked as a vet tech while in nursing school) & got my ADN. I started off at a children's hospital on an orthopedic floor & learned a lot, but felt I needed to do more. I got my BSN in 2005 & transferred to the pediatric ICU. Like you said above, it's very similar with critically ill babies and children. Some can't tell you what's wrong, some you can't save no matter how hard you try, you have to deal with parents who can take out their grief on the nurses in the form of anger. Some parents you become very close too & you cry with them when their child dies or as they make the decision to donate their organs. It's exhausting but rewarding. I loved my job & became really good at it, but still felt I wasn't doing what I was meant to do. I got my pediatric acute care nurse practitioner degree in 2010 (after considering vet school again), but kept working as an RN in the PICU. I never used the NP degree but again felt I needed to do something else. I got my 2nd master's degree in nurse anesthesia & have been working as a CRNA for 3 years now. I work at an adult hospital now & I do miss the kids because they are innocent like animals are. I like my job, but I don't love it. My schedule is great & the pay is great, but I still think about "if I would have gone to vet school". I've considered doing it now, but the pay wouldn't even be what I make now plus it would just add student loans. I've also considered med school to become an anesthesiologist, but I wouldn't be doing it because I want to be an anesthesiologist, but because I'm still trying to fill the void in my life that should have been filled by caring for animals. I've met a few CRNAs who used to be veterinarians, so it goes both ways. You have to do what makes going to work worthwhile & is rewarding to you. Money shouldn't be the main factor in a career decision, but we can't deny that it IS important. I think I've become ok with doing anesthesia since I DO like it & it pays well, and I help with animal rescues/fostering in my spare time. Of course my pets are like my children too! I'd just tell anyone that you should do what will make you happy, set your goals high & know that you can achieve them, & you're never too old to go back to school!â¤ï¸í ½í°¾

carys89 · Apr 20, 2018

THANK YOU! I realize this post is 6 years old now, but I absolutely love your attitude. I am 28 and have been taking pre-nursing classes for 2 years now, and have been working as a Nurse Technician for 7-8 months now and have (almost) decided to pursue Veterinary Technician/Technologist instead of applying for nursing school. I feel like I'm making a crazy decision because of all I have been doing the past 2 years, but I need to keep myself from feeling bad or embarrassed and do what will make me happy. I am continuing my job for now as Nurse Tech but tomorrow will be applying for a job as a part-time Vet Assistant tomorrow.

mbaldus · Oct 3, 2021

Being a vet tech isn’t playing with dogs & cats. The animals are stressed and dangerous. The staff is just as over worked as in human medicine and some of your coworkers can’t deal with people so they go in to veterinary medicine. Staff are so stressed do to the low pay