Introducing: Career Spotlights Segments
Our new Career Spotlight segment aims to shine the light on areas of the industry you may have never known you’d love to be in.
Did you know that in 2022, 87,198 dogs and cats were adopted from government-run animal shelters in Georgia? Each one of those pets in need of a lifetime of veterinary care - and in 2022 there were only 6330 veterinary technologists, veterinary technicians, and veterinary assistants in GA (according to the US Bureau of Statistics) to provide that care for them. The BLS doesn't have the numbers for 2023 yet, but the number of adoptions from 2022 to 2023 increased by 3,340 pets! These numbers don't include pets that were adopted from rescue groups, animals that were adopted as strays, pets that were purchased, or any pet that is not a canine or feline.
The fact is Georgia needs skilled veterinary paraprofessionals to provide care for thousands of pets that call this peachy state home. We know burnout is incredibly high in our industry. In 2019 the statistics said veterinary technicians have an estimated 30-35% turnover rate, with a typical career expectancy of 5-10 years.
Do you ever feel like you’re drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? Our goal with spotlight is to shine a light on areas of the industry where our peers have taken refuge from burnout. Where, when faced with the choice to leave, they decided to stay. The animals of Georgia need you. We need you. We hope spotlight reignites your light, and let’s it shine. Come on, let’s show ‘em what you’re worth 🎶
All government-run animal shelters in Georgia must submit a monthly report to GDA of animal intakes and outcomes. This report lists how many dogs and cats entered and left the shelter. Reporting is required by the Animal Protection Act, Rule 40-13-13-.04(1)(h).
Reporting for the pets adopted in 2022 and 2023 can be found here: https://agr.georgia.gov/government-shelter-data-reporting
Employment data for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians can be found here: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes292056.htm
Employment data for Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers can be found here: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes319096.htm
Statistics about burnout and advice on “How to Survive as a Veterinary Technician” can be found here: https://www.vetfolio.com/learn/article/how-to-survive-as-a-veterinary-technician and here: https://navta.net/news/navta-survey-reveals-veterinary-technician-pay-and-education-have-increased-but-burnout-debt-are-still-issues-2/
If you are struggling, please know that you are not alone. This industry is hard. This career is challenging. You are doing great. We are proud of you. We are glad you’re here. Please, check out these resources (Project WAG): https://cloud.mc.zoetis.com/project-wag-landing-page-and-webform?utm_source=qr-code&utm_medium=fash-card&utm_campaign=project-wag/