Job Outlook Statistics for Our Future
Did you know that in GA, there are almost 4 veterinarians for every 1 licensed veterinary technician? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects there will be a 23% increase in job outlook for licensed veterinary technicians by 2032 (https://www.bls.gov/.../veterinary-technologists-and...). Back in 2012 BLS predicted a 30% increase in job outlook by 2022, which actually turned out to be a nearly 45% increase! Who knows where the industry will find itself in another 10 years...
Well, back in 2020 Banfield Pet Hospital released a study where they predicted that the industry would be 15,000 veterinarians short by 2030, leaving ~75 million (yes you read that right, no it's not a typo, MILLION) pets without access to veterinary care by 2030. Our industry needs licensed veterinary technicians now more than ever. Licensed Veterinary Technicians have the formal education to take over in-depth client conversations, the training to process advanced diagnostics, and so so much more (check out AAHA's 2023 Technician Utilization Guidelines for more resources and examples: https://www.aaha.org/.../2023-aaha-technician.../home/) because we could carry on for days about all the ways licensed veterinary technicians can take the ball from the veterinarians and run it up the field with the rest of the veterinary team to make up those 75 million touchdowns.
Most in-person veterinary technology programs are 2-3 years (associate degree full time vs part time), with some offering the option for a 4 year (full time) bachelor degree. We have 6 Veterinary Technology Programs here in Georgia: Ashworth College, Athens Technical College, Fort Valley State University, Gwinnett Technical College. Ogeechee Technical College, and Southern Regional Technical College as well as the ever increasing number of national-wide online programs becoming available. Check out the AVMA-CVTEA accredited programs here: https://www.avma.org/.../veterinary-technology-programs....
Each and every veterinary technician makes a difference