2. Expanded service offerings: By allowing credentialed technicians to function at the top of their licenses, they are able to safely provide higher-value services such as:

• Dental procedures
• Advanced anesthesia monitoring
• Diagnostic imaging
• Intensive nursing care
• Emergency stabilization
• Rehabilitation services
• Nutritional counseling
• Chronic disease management
• Nursing appointments for established care treatments, preventative care, or rechecks.

  3. Improved workflow efficiency: Small improvements in workflow efficiency accumulate throughout the day and can significantly increase overall production. Efficient technician utilization reduces downtime between appointments and procedures. For example, surgical turnover becomes faster, lab results are processed more quickly, discharges occur more efficiently, and doctors spend less time on non-doctor tasks4. Enhanced client communication and compliance: Improved compliance directly contributes to both patient outcomes and practice revenue. Credentialed technicians often spend more time communicating directly with clients than veterinarians do. They provide education on medications, post-operative care, nutrition, preventive medicine, and chronic disease management. This communication and education will positively impact:

• Client understanding
• Treatment compliance
• Follow-up care adherence
• Preventive care utilization
• Long-term client loyalty

 

Understanding the financial model: ROI

From a business perspective, credentialed veterinary technicians represent one of the strongest returns on investment available within veterinary practice management. The cost of employing a technician includes salary and benefits, payroll taxes, continuing education, uniforms and equipment, and onboarding and training costs. However, studies consistently show that the additional revenue generated by properly utilized technicians significantly exceeds these expenses.

Example:

Annual technician compensation package: approximately $45,000–$60,000

Estimated annual revenue contribution: approximately $75,000–$150,000+

This creates a potential ROI ratio of approximately 2:1 to 3:1 or higher. In other words, for every dollar invested in a credentialed technician, the practice may receive two to three dollars in additional revenue.

Hidden financial and other benefits

Some of the most important economic benefits of credentialed technicians are not immediately visible on standard financial reports.

Client retention and loyalty

Clients often form strong relationships with veterinary technicians because technicians spend significant time educating, reassuring, and supporting pet owners.

Positive technician-client interactions improve client satisfaction, increase trust in the practice, increase retention of the client, improve online reviews, reputation, and referrals. Retaining existing clients is significantly less expensive than acquiring new ones, making technician-driven client relationships financially valuable.

Risk reduction and patient safety

Credentialed technicians trained in anesthesia monitoring and nursing care reduce the likelihood of medical errors and complications. Improved patient safety decreases the cost to treat adverse events, liability exposure, appointments related to preventable complications, and stress of staff associated with emergency situations. Strong technician teams, therefore, contribute to both financial stability and quality of care.

Team development and leadership

Experienced technicians frequently serve as informal trainers, workflow coordinators, and mentors for assistants and newer staff members. This improves the efficiency of training, consistency of staff, operational organization, staff confidence, and workplace culture. These benefits indirectly improve productivity and reduce turnover-related expenses.

Workforce challenges facing the profession

Underutilization of credentialed technicians

Despite their education and skill set, many technicians remain significantly underutilized in practice settings. Instead of performing advanced technical duties, some technicians spend large portions of their day completing tasks that could be handled by non-credentialed staff. This represents a major loss of economic potential for practices. Practices that fail to delegate appropriately often create unnecessary bottlenecks that limit both efficiency and profitability.

Underutilization leads to:

• Reduced productivity
• Lost revenue opportunities
• Technician frustration
• Decreased morale
• Higher turnover rates

 

Burnout and retention issues

The veterinary profession continues to struggle with burnout, compassion fatigue, staffing shortages, and workforce attrition. Investing in technician retention is therefore both a workforce issue and a financial strategy.

For technicians, contributing factors include:

• Relatively low compensation
• High physical demands
• Emotional stress
• Long work hours
• Limited advancement opportunities
• Inadequate utilization of skills

Staff turnover creates significant hidden costs for practices by increasing recruitment expenses, onboarding time, training inefficiencies, reduced productivity due to staff vacancies, and loss of institutional knowledge.

 

Compensation disparities

Perhaps one of the most significant challenges is the disconnect between technician value and technician pay. While studies demonstrate credentialed technicians directly contribute to increased revenue and profitability, compensation often fails to reflect this contribution. This suggests that technician compensation should be viewed as a strategic investment rather than merely an expense. Ironically, evidence suggests that practices paying technicians more competitively may actually become more profitable due to:

• Improved retention
• Greater efficiency
• Higher morale
• Increased productivity
• Reduced turnover costs

 

Strategic implications for veterinary practices

Underutilization equals lost profit

A technician functioning below their training level represents lost economic opportunity. For example, if a technician allows a veterinarian to see four additional appointments daily instead of only one, the revenue difference over a year can be enormous. Poor delegation reduces ROI dramatically and may even prevent practices from meeting increasing client demand.

 

Higher technician pay can improve profitability

Contrary to common assumptions, increasing technician wages does not necessarily reduce profitability. Competitive compensation may improve retention, engagement, stability, and productivity. Replacing experienced technicians is expensive. Retaining skilled technicians often costs less than repeatedly recruiting and training new employees.

 

Optimal staffing ratios matter

Research consistently supports higher technician-to-veterinarian ratios as a driver of improved efficiency and profitability. As veterinary demand continues to rise, efficient staffing models will become increasingly important. Practices with sufficient technician staffing generally experience:

• Better workflow
• Greater appointment capacity
• Improved patient monitoring
• Higher revenue generation
• Reduced veterinarian burnout

The future of veterinary medicine depends on technicians

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects veterinary technician employment to grow by approximately nine percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for many occupations.⁴ Demand for veterinary services continues to increase due to an increase in pet ownership and clients spending more on animal care, increased access to advanced veterinary medicine, and increased emphasis on preventative healthcare. Without adequate investment in credentialed veterinary technicians, veterinary practices may face severe limitations in meeting this demand. Veterinarians alone cannot sustainably absorb increasing caseloads. Credentialed technicians are essential to scalable, efficient, and financially sustainable veterinary healthcare delivery.

Credentialed veterinary technicians are far more than support staff. They are highly trained clinical professionals and major economic contributors to veterinary medicine. Financial models and workforce studies consistently demonstrate that credentialed veterinary technicians generate revenue that substantially exceeds their employment costs, often producing ROI ratios of two to three times their compensation. Failing to invest in credentialed technicians through appropriate utilization, competitive compensation, and professional development is not simply a workforce issue. It is a missed economic opportunity. As veterinary medicine continues to evolve, the long-term sustainability and growth of the profession will depend heavily on recognizing, supporting, and strategically utilizing credentialed veterinary technicians.

Jennifer Serling, MVEd, BVSc, AAS, CVT, RVT, VTES, is a credentialed veterinary technician, educator, and program director with more than 30 years of experience in clinical practice and veterinary technology education. She currently serves as director of the Bachelor of Veterinary Technology Program at Appalachian State University and is a frequent author and speaker on technician education, utilization, and wellbeing. She is the current president of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. She also is a member of the Veterinary Practice News editorial advisory board.

References

1. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Veterinary technologists and technicians. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/veterinary-technologists-and-technicians.htm
2. Penn Foster. (2020). The value of credentialed veterinary technicians. https://partners.pennfoster.edu
3. Larkin, M., Fowler, H., & Piercy, R. (2020). The economic impact of veterinary technicians on practice revenue and efficiency. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00123
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Occupational employment and wage statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes

Resource

Veterinary Technician Salary. (2024). Salary data and trends. https://www.veterinarytechniciansalary.com